At some point in their life, everyone has a seemingly useless piece of furniture. Maybe it is that hand me down round end table that doesn’t fit anywhere, or maybe it is an old bed frame that has since been replaced by the hand carved wooden sleigh bed of your dreams. Or maybe it is not, in fact, useless, just really REALLY ugly. Whatever the item, you are now faced with a dilemma; find a way to make it useful and attractive, or get rid of it.

Makeover your piece with a new finish:

Try giving your old chair/shelf/dresser a facelift, and turn it into something you love. Wooden pieces can be stripped, stained a different color, and varnished. Or, for a more drastic change, repaint wood or metal in a hip, cool color. (Be sure to properly prepare the piece for painting; sanding and priming can make all the difference in your results.) Craft stores have inexpensive metallic paints, as well as crackle and other faux finishes. Try creating designs with stencils or masking tape, or paint freehand if you have the confidence. (If you use craft paints, a coat of clear varnish will help keep your design from chipping.) Browse your local home improvement store for interesting paint choices. Be careful: once you discover the two step paint kit that turns objects into aged green copper, you may find that your house is slowly being consumed by aged green copper objects. Got a horribly gaudy gold lamp from the 1970’s? Paint it aged green copper! That old metal chair? Aged green copper! This sort of behavior can quickly spiral out of control. If aged green copper doesn’t suit your style, you can also become addicted to antique gold, rust, leather, and distressed ivory finishes.

If your furniture is upholstered, you can try your hand at reupholstery. Couch and chair cushions can be removed, recovered, and turned into hip new floor seating. It may be possible to transform smaller couches into benches with storage; these are ideal for porches or covered patios.

Re-purpose:

What if there is no hope for your chair/shelf/dresser? No matter how unbelievably cool you make it look, you simply don’t need a chair/shelf/dresser, and no amount of aged green copper paint will change that. Try to think of other uses for your item. Would your chair make a good plant holder? Maybe that dresser could become a TV stand; if you are handy (or know someone that is,) you can modify the drawers so the fronts flip down to access stereo components and DVD players. Good quality tables or dressers can become elegant or artistic sink bases in the bathroom; just cut a hole for the sink on top and the plumbing in back.

Does your home/apartment/yurt have outside living space? A good coat of outdoor paint can help a table or chair make the transition to outdoor furniture. Metal furniture works best outdoors; wooden furniture will tend to deteriorate no matter how well you seal it, especially when the wood is in contact with grass or dirt. Metal headboards can make beautiful garden trellises or backdrops. If you happen to be the sort of gardener who enjoys bad puns, use that old bed frame to create a raised garden “bed”. Plant marigold pillows. Force your friends and family to acknowledge your witty play on words!

If you just want it gone:

What if you simply do not want your chair/dresser/headboard? You do not want it in your kitchen, your bedroom, or your garden. It cannot be used to hold plants, TVs, dishes, or your troupe of trained white circus mice, and you have decided that it simply has to go. If your piece of furniture is particularly nice or old, try selling it through the want ads, online at sites like craigslist.com, or to an antique shop.

If your item has no significant monetary value and you simply want to find a good home for it, spread the word through friends and family. If your street is well-trafficked, pick a sunny week to set your furniture by the side of the road with a large “FREE” sign attached to its front. Call up a womens’ shelter or thrift shop and see if they will pick up donated furniture. (If you get a receipt, you can write off the donation on your taxes, too.) Try listing it in the “free” section of craigslist.com.

If all else fails, start your own downhill furniture racing club. Find a good hill, wax up the bottom of your dresser, and see if it can beat the champion set of shelving. No longer will you need to find storage for an old dresser; now you only need to find storage for “sporting equipment”.