Trash to Treasure: My DIY Antique Couch Makeover

The Discovery: Finding the Perfect Project Piece

I found this one in someone’s bulk trash! It looked disgusting, but it had pretty bones.

It was a project that I wanted to take one, but I had never done before.

The Step-by-Step Transformation

Step 1: Cleaning and Stripping Down

Removing old upholstery, sanding down wood, and repairing structural issues.

Step 2: Restoring the Frame

Refinishing the wood was a beast of a project. (From sanding sanding, to staining, and giving up. I then used a chalk paint because I couldn’t refinish the wood).

Step 3: Reupholstering

I sent the couch to get upholstered by a guy I found on Facebook. I purchased the fabric yards based on what he told me he would need. He asked about the finishing touches, like the tufting and buttons and nailheads. I said yes to the buttons being covered in the fabric and chose to go with a non-shiny nailhead.

DIY Antique Couch Makeover – The Big Reveal

Lessons Learned Along the Way

Stripping layers and layers of polyurethane is very difficult when working in tiny crevices!

Deconstructing the couch was a lot more fun than trying to restore it, haha.

If you’re going to be working on a project in the garage, make sure you finish the project quickly so you can get your parking spot back!

Cheers,
Katie