DIY Hobbyist Upcycled Furniture

DIY hobbyist with NO formal resale business. If you are actively selling anywhere, you must enter another category. This category was created as a safe space for hobbyists to enter and have a fair playing field to win; Resale entries will be be asked to move, or be removed. Requires the use of 1 GF product.


Farmhouse Darling Dresser

By Keri

Winning Category

This tattered dresser was a $15 garage sale find and the very first piece for me to ever distress.  I sanded it all down and used a lot of putty fixing missing parts, chunks and dents.  I primed with a ZInsser BIN primer to prevent any bleed through of old stains, cover water damage, etc.  Next came 2 coats of General Finishes  Queenstown Milk Paint and 1 coat of General finishes High Performance in flat.  Five coats of General finishes Antique White Milk Paint were up next to get the gray completely covered.

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Mahogany end tables

By Michele in Duluth, MN.

Winning Category

My in-law's put their home on the market and started downsizing...low and behold they started to post some items on a Facebook rummage sale site. I happen to see them on there and messaged them right away...thank goodness I was the first to comment ...lol. I painted them with chalk paint and lightly distressed them. Because I wanted durability and a lasting table top, I used General Finishes Flat Out Flat on the top and lip of each table. A wax finish was applied to rest of each table.

Occasional Chair Update

By Laura in COLLEYVILLE, TX.

Winning Category

Updating our formal living room with more whites and grays was so refreshing. It seemed silly to buy 2 new chairs for a room that was rarely used, especially since the ones I had  worked perfectly. They simply needed to be updated.  Millions of staples late these chairs were transformed with a dark gray upholstery fabric and painted with GF snow white milk paint. 

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Baby Bean Dresser

By Keri

Winning Category

This $10 dresser  was found online at an estate sale.  This petite storage would make the perfect baby dresser and was given as a gift from my daughter and boyfriend to a new momma to be. It was scrubbed up, primed and painted in Seagull Gray Milk Paint.  Sherwin Williams Cooled Blue  was used to accent wood trim that I added  for detailed drawer division and also used to piant the drawer insides to freshen them up. Finally 2 coats of GF High Performance in satin were added for protection and hardware from Menard's. Best wishes to Baby Bean.

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Spun Up

By Passn U

Winning Category

This desk was in a farm house demolished in a spring tornadoe. The desk had suffered water damage from the outside elements but had beautiful details.  I lightly sanded the water stains from the inlay on the top of the desk, painted with chalk paint and finished with a dark wax.   

I refinished the the chair as well the same way and recovered the chair with a beautiful blonde cowhide.

Craigslist Trashed Table & Chairs Transformed

By Laura in COLLEYVILLE, TX.

Winning Category

I  found this table on Craigslist with 6 Chairs (legs broke on one) for $40. It was a good solid wood table which was perfect for my sisters house. However, it needed some serious TLC. Lots of wood filling and sanding on various parts before stripping the entire top. Stripping the legs was not an option for me I wanted a nice wood finish on top with white legs and chairs. I covered and taped off the top and sprayed the legs and chairs with 2 coats of GF Snow white milk paint. Milk paint dries so fast especially in a warm garage but it leaves a flawless finish.

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Glazed Coffee Table

By Chance in Knoxville, TN.

Winning Category

This coffee table is the star of the room. Painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, protected with Flat out Flat Topcoat and Glazed with Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects, also Black Waxed. The top was painted with a Chalkboard paint so you can write a special note, a honey-do list, or just doodle right on top!! This piece brings a little extra fun to the Living Room.

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Home Sweet Home

By Julia Petrie

Winning Category

I have a had this idea of putting a picket fence on a dresser for awhile and finally did it. I found this dresser at Goodwill and knew it would be perfect. I first sanded the entire dresser. The sides and top were painted with GF Snow White. I used GF Halcyon Blue for the sky then dry brushed over the blye with Snow White to give it a more of a sky look . The frame around the dresser I brushed using Van Dyke Brown Glaze, LOVE this glaze. The picket fence was made with paint sticks I bought from Home Depot and painted with Snow White.

Grandma's Sewing Box

By Grandma's Sewing Box in Mesa, AZ.

Winning Category

This little sewing box was my grandmothers. The original finish on it was dark and worn out. I brushed on new layers of General Finishes Bone White Chalk Style Paint and sealed it with General Finishes Flat Out Flat Topcoat. Next, I lined the drawers with pastel paper, Mod Podge and sealed it with more Flat Out Flat Topcoat. The original drawer handles were replaced with glass knobs to add some sparkle. I think my grandmother would approve of this pretty upcycle.

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Dresser turned Buffet

By CourtneyR

Winning Category

I really wanted a pop of color for this buffet I created and when I found General Finishes water based stain in cranberry red, I knew it was the one. I stripped the old stain off the top of this dresser and then sanded it down and added a wood conditioner so the stain would take evenly. I then quickly applied the cranberry red stain in long even strokes and wiped it off with a towel. I let the stain dry and then I used one coat of the General finishes tough coat in satin.

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French Provincial Dresser

By Gina Johnson in FL.

Winning Category

Here is a French Provincial Dresser that I gave a new face lift! I used GF coastal blue milk paint.  Then I enhanced all the details with gold metallic paint.  The 3 drawers in the center was done with the same colors!

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Ornately Carved Bench:

By Jenny Patterson

Winning Category

This Ornately Carved, Stunning Statement Piece Bench was upcycled from a King Size Headboard and Footboard. 

After building the bench using Ryobi Power Tools, I painted and finished it off with all General Finishes products. 

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Drab to fab end tables

By Jamie Fryman

Winning Category

I found these end tables on Facebook marketplace. I had been looking for furniture to help my son furnish his new place. I took a class on how to use these great products and fell in love with the tables. I have decided to put them in my own livingroom and look for something else for my son, lol. 

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ZZ Topped

By Julia Petrie

Winning Category

This end table I painted for my mother a friend gave her the end table, soon as I seen it I wanted to paint it. I first sanded entire piece. After sanding the top I used a folk art  zig zag stencil painted the zig zag with country chic vanilla using a stencil brush, after the top dryed I used a sponge brush to brush on GF Van Dyke Brown Glaze over where I stenciled wiped some glaze off with a rag. Painted the legs with Country Chic, Luscious Lime, Cherry Blossom, Vanilla Frosting. I used a sponge brush to brush on  GF Van Dyke Brown on the sides of the table.

Soft Blue Dresser with Flower Stain Top

By Tanya Cross

Winning Category

This now lovely farmhouse dresser has been pained a soft shade of blue with a subtle grey glaze, then sealed with a matte top coat.  The top has a flower that is painted with stain and sealed with High Performance Top Coat. 

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Grandma P's Tiny Table

By Keri

Winning Category

This tiny little side table belonged to my grandmother and was made sparkly new by sanding down, staining the top, painting in GF Seagull Gray and clear coating in GF High Performance in satin.

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Coastal Chic

By Robin in Wilmington, NC.

Winning Category

The "Coastal Chic" cabinet was far from chic in the beginning.  The piece began its life as a child's wardrobe. When I came to own it, it was a "curb alert" that someone just wanted out of their garage. 

Being that I live on the NC coast,  I immediately envisioned a coastal makeover. I love GF Coastal Blue and knew that would be the color. I decoupaged the drawer faces with some old wrapping paper with a map motif. The finishing touches were the stenciling on the door and the drawer sides and coordinating knobs. The entire piece was sealed with semi-gloss polyacrylic. 

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Modernizing a Country Bakers Rack

By Rachel Palmieri Weber

Winning Category

My MIL pointed out the bakers rack to me as exactly what I was looking for in my kitchen in terms of size and sturdiness. However, it was dated...very, very dated...and it wasn't going to match anything. The owner of the store I was in (they sell salvaged, upcycled, and recycled furniture) explained that I could give it an easy facelift using General Finishes. And so I purchased it and painstakingly transformed it. I used General Finishes Milk Paint in Patina Green, spray painted the metal pieces black, and added new black hardware. It's the perfect pop of color in my kitchen now!

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Your Majesty

By Julia Petrie

Winning Category

This is my new craft room desk. I first sanded entire puece, then painted the square on top of the desk in GF Snow White after paint dryed measured and applied frog tape to make pin stripes. I mixed GF Holiday Red with Snow White to get a perfect shade of light pink for the stripes . I painted rest of desk in GF Lamp Black, Snow White and my light pink. I used GF Flat out Flat for top coat.

Desk & Hutch

By Karina Kudymova in San Jose, CA.

Winning Category

I found this Pottery Barn Desk & Hatch at a Garage Sale. But it was worn off, scratched and it was dark navy. But my daughter was dreaming of the furniture to match the bright pink colors of her room. So I sanded the table top and coated it with GF Polyurethane Top Coat.  Then my daughter and I primed the whole desk with a Snow White Milk Paint. Then I applied my flowery design cut out of the colorful tissue paper and set it on the diluted glue. Then added I free-hand black graphic painted with back enamel and covered it with one protective coat of Varnish.

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Aloha

By Julia Petrie

Winning Category

This. Jewelry box I painted for my granddaughter once  was painted Disney's Frozen themed jwelry box to now Disney's Moana themed jewelry box. I painted the base coat in GF Snow White. I used a flower stencil on entire piece. Green paint was made mixing GF Emerald Green, GF Sunglow, and Artminds Citrus. The pink was made mixing Junk Gypsy Flower Child with Folk Art Bright Pink, the blue was made mixing Folk Art Azure Blue with Folk Art Aqua. After painting the jewelry box I used my orbit sander to give a distressed look. Handles were painted using GF Outback Brown.

my kitchen renovation

By Kristal Waller Meeker in Williamsburg, VA.

Winning Category

From Drab to Fab!  Dated 1970s dark cabinets in the kitchen were transformed into a fabulous seagull gray river retreat. After scrubbing the years of dirt off the cabinets, I was able to fully cover the cabinets in 2 coats of the milk paint and then topped them with the high performance satin finish top coat. The original cabinets were moved up and re-arranged to make the room more functional before painting. 

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Bedside table

By Jill

Winning Category

This little occasional table was in quite a state of disrepair. I sanded it down and painted the cabinet with white acrylic paint. The drawer and base was stained using GF Java gel stain. And then to give it a little pizzazz, I used a gold paint on the drawer handle.

French Country Farmhouse Glam Dining Room

By Jennifer Ann Favata

Winning Category

My husband and I dreamed of a farm table and cane back Louis chairs for years, so when we bought this Florida ranch home and saw we had the space for such a large dining table, we had to go for it! We found these Louis chairs on craigslist (for a steal!!), and of course, they were beachy and coastal, completely the wrong style for our newly painted, light grey walls. Basically, 1992 called, and was begging for its peach and red striped fabric back! We researched and researched and decided that General Finishes had all the products we needed to make these chairs come to life. 

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THINGS CHANGE...

By Julie in Mayer, MN.

Winning Category

Such a fun project turning this little wallflower into a standout piece.  The top has one coat of GF Java Gel Stain, followed by a coat of GF Nutmeg Gel Stain and three coats of GF Satin High Performance Top Coat.  The cabinet was finished with two coats of GF Lamp Black Milk Paint and three coats of GF Flat High Performance Top Coat.  The wooden knobs were replaced with Amerock hardware to create an unforgettable piece.

TV cabinet

By Jill

Winning Category

This mid century dining room buffet was the perfect piece of furniture to use for my television cabinet. I hid all of the tv components in the drawers and the white paint and java gel stain gave it the pop that I needed in the room.

Curio Cabinet

By Pam Morel in Dickinson, ND.

Winning Category

This cabinet had over 5 coats of paint on it.  I stripped and and sanded it down to the bare wood.  It is painted in Linen and sealed in Polyacrylic.

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Sparkly Nesting Tables

By Mary C.

Winning Category

These nesting tables were handed down from my grandparents.

They weren't wood so I couldn't strip them so I used GF Milk Paint for the first time.

I loved the way it covered so easily!  Went on super smooth and there was no coverage issues.  I will definitely be trying other colors.

I used a limited release product from Unicorn SPiT to make the tops Sparkle!  I love how the products worked well together!

Patina Treasure

By Chance in Knoxville, TN.

Winning Category

In my head I had pictured an Ancient Indian cave loaded with treasures and old furniture, so of course I had to go with Patina Green Milk Paint to make my vision come to life. I started with a base coat of Lamp Black Milk Paint, came back and sanded it down just to smooth it out, then came the luscious Patina Green, using a dry brush technique to make sure not to cover all the Lamp Black.  Once I got the look I was going for I did a layer of High Performance Flat Topcoat, I then used a little of the Pitch Black Glaze Effects to get all up in the grooves and crannies.

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Rainbow Bench

By Mary C.

Winning Category

This bench was is sad shape!  

We found it for $5 at a garage sale.  

We used the planer to clean up each board and then added some colorful stain to make it pop!  We spray painted the metal.pieces and put her back together.

GF Outdoor oil was the recommended go to for a durable UV protectant sealer.  I was very happy with the ease of use.  It was easy to apply and now I recommend it whenever anyone asks about a durable UV oil based sealer!

End Table Makeover

By Julie in Mayer, MN.

Winning Category

A new look was given to this end table by painting the top with two coats of GF Dark Milk Paint,  and three coats of GF Satin High Performance Top Coat.  Two coats of GF Driftwood Milk Paint was applied to the base, and then one coat of GF Van Dyke Brown Glaze was applied, followed by three coats of GF Flat High Performance Top Coat.  The single wood knob was replaced with new hardware from Amerock to give it a stunning new look.

Waterfall dresser

By Michele in Duluth, MN.

Winning Category

I bought this dresser from a gal in town and it was definitely in need of some tlc. The drawers needed some adjustments, veneer was missing, and it was missing some handles. I could not figure out what I wanted to do with the dresser so I painted it a light gray after making the above repairs.....i did not like it. It was boring, so I knew I would have to paint it again, but I had no clue what color. One evening while at Hobby Lobby I came across the knobs and decided I would look for a paint color that would pop with them.

coffee table

By Jill Stalter in milwaukee, WI.

Winning Category

"chalk paint gone wrong!" sanded and striped,chalk paint.Stained top and top coated,stenciled,and distressed. Then top coated and waxed. Legs painted with W/GF seagull grey, 2coats. 2 coats of  top coat and dark waxed legs.

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The Details are on the Desk

By Laura in COLLEYVILLE, TX.

Winning Category

My small office desk top was white and was not holding up to the daily use. The desk top was made of plywood so I could have stripped it, however I was unsure of the quality of plywood and did not want to risk taking off the top layer and ruining it altogether. So I opted to with a faux wood look….that would not appear fake. I painted over the existing white with Millstone milk paint. I have done this to other projects using antique white, but I was out and had Millstone on hand. I then applied raw umber glaze with inexpensive thick bristle craft brush.

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old desk, new life

By Jill Stalter in milwaukee, WI.

Winning Category

I found this lonely old desk in a thrift shop. It had damage to finish with some type of chemical, probably nail polish or remover,the rest had layers of polish and it was so grubby you could scrape wirh your finger nails. I sanded the top, the fold out desk writing surface and all drawer fronts.

i painted the rest with gf coastal blue and the rest is history after. few coats of gf top coat.

 truley a thing of beauty!

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Family room TV center

By Suzann Spartz

Winning Category

I turned a old used dresser that was missing drawers into a TV center for our family room using general finshes glazing, chalk paint, gel stain, and top coats

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Driftwood Side Table

By washburn_morning_wood in Washburn, WI.

Winning Category

From the top down, this project was about reusing 'junk'.  The top from a scrap quartz countertop chunk from a ReStore.  Double down with it being on sale, of course.  The oak legs and pine stretchers were from old dunnage on a homestead.  Front pine panel taken from a 150 year old dresser back panel.  Topping off the hinges and hardware from an antique sewing machine, all the side and rear log panels are Hemlock wood pulled from Lake Superior on the Wisconsin shore line 100 yards from my home.