DIY: Upcycle your furniture without breaking the bank

Everyone has them: those bits of furniture you don’t really use any more because they’re too old, too damaged or just don’t look right any more. Spruce up your place by turning these forgotten items into masterpieces of DIY interior design.

Why upcycle?

Whether it’s to sell your apartment or bring some life back into a room, upcycling your furniture is a key way to bring a new elegance to your home without shelling out. Instead of going the whole hog and buying new bits and pieces for your interior design, why not update the ones you already have? Bring a contemporary touch to your chairs, repaint your walls and cupboards, add your own style to the bog-standard bedside table – all for a fraction of the cost of buying new.

How can I give my stuff a makeover?

No matter what piece of furniture you’re saving from the skip – a chair, table or desk – the first step is to clean it and strip it of any accessories, cushions, stickers etc. For anything waxed or polished, you can completely strip it using steel wool pads, always going with the grain of the wood. This can take some time to complete. If the wood is unoiled, you can use sandpaper to smoothen the surface and get rid of any bumps or scratches. Again, rub the sandpaper in the direction of the fibres in the wood. When your piece of furniture is clean and dry, apply a coat of water based paint. Once more, paint in the direction of the wood fibres. To finish off your upcycling, apply a coat of clear varnish the next day.

The procedure is the same for drawers, but make sure to unscrew any nails or screws first. A simple procedure to save money and save your furniture.

Author: Roomlala

Where to live in London: A guide

When planning on moving to the Big Smoke, or simply deciding to move to a new area, it can be difficult to figure out where to live in London as the huge amount of choice can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know the city very well. Whether you’re looking for accommodation in East London, West London, North or South, there’s something for everyone. Students With universities all around the city, students in London are all spread out, just like student housing in London is too. Stud...

House rules to roommate agreements: A guide to life as a flatmate

Whether moving in with people you already know or with complete strangers, flatmate life can be a great experience, but also sometimes a messy one if you’re not careful as living in close quarters can often lead to the odd argument. However, if you follow our tips, you’ll be living in harmony. Set house rules By setting house rules right at the beginning, everyone is on the same page from day one regarding what is expected of themselves and each other. These can include who does which chor...

Buying rental property: How the buy to let scheme works

Buying rental property can be a great investment but, it can also be daunting if you don’t know where to start. The buy to let scheme offers mortgages to people who want to buy a house or flat in order to rent it out. These mortgages are slightly different to normal ones, and often have different requirements and rules. However, like normal mortgages, the buy-to-let scheme lets you buy a property without having to save up to pay it all at once. What’s the difference between a buy-to-let (BTL)...

What to include in your house viewing checklist

If you’re looking for a room, house or flat, it’s likely that you’ll want to go see the property before you sign the rental contract. This might be daunting, especially if it’ll be the first time you’ve gone to a viewing, which is why we’ve created this house viewing checklist to ensure you know everything you need to ask and look for. Things to look out for Potentially the most important part of this house viewing checklist, the things you see (and often hear) can be the biggest tell-tale...