Yard Sale Finds Transformed

It’s summertime. Do you know what that means? Yeah sure, drinks out on the deck and jumping in the lake, but also… YARD SALE SEASON. There is not much I love more than a Saturday morning out in the sunshine, coffee in hand, browsing around garage sales. It’s my happy place.

As an avid DIYer, I’m always on the lookout for neglected pieces that need a little love. If you are in the midst of decorating a room in your pad, stay on the lookout too. Unless you have an unlimited budget for furniture and accessories (who does?), my decorating go-to is mixing up box store items with thrifted treasures. Over the years I have found dressers on the side of the road, or a coffee table in need of sanding, or chairs that needed a touch of paint in fresh, fun colours to take them from sad to cute.

Here are three of my favourite yard sale finds transformed I have in my home:

Mid-Century Style Dresser

I spotted this mid-century style dresser on Kijiji and knew it was the perfect fit for my daughter’s nursery. It has a great shape, tons of drawers, and I loved the bevelled details. Plus, solid wood! This baby was seriously sturdy.

I gave the dresser a coat of peachy pink paint, and then brought the detailing to life with gold acrylic paint and library-style pulls. It turned out to be all kinds of pretty.

Pink + Gold DIY dresser tutorial

Extra Dining Chairs

Always look for chairs when you are yard sale-ing. They are everywhere and usually going for a few bucks, if that — often they’re left at the end of the driveway for free. One of my recent finds had a padded seat, so the makeover included a coat of paint plus some basic re-upholstery.

The end result is a bright and fun chair. The nice thing is that you can totally customize the look to whatever room you’re redoing.

Chair makeover tutorial

Frames and Mirrors

Artwork, frames, and mirrors are always a garage sale staple. I found an amazing ornate frame that I painted mint, I added a piece of mirror to it, and hung it on the wall in our entryway. Between the chevron pattern painted on the ceiling and the mirror, the space makes a statement. 

Mint mirror tutorial

Tips & Tricks

Always look for solid wood furniture that is well-built, things like dove-tailing and drawers that slide properly. It’s easy to sand down and re-finish any piece, but you don’t want to spent time on something that is junky to begin with.

The better prepped the piece is, the better the finish will be. Don’t skip filling in holes or the sanding step, as you’ll be less than thrilled with the results.

New hardware can go a long way to update a piece of furniture. Source some online or go to a hardware store. My fave? Lee Valley Tools.

Make sure to use the right kind of paint. You don’t want to use wall paint on a chair because it will chip like crazy, and then you’ll kick yourself for wasting precious DIY time.

Happy treasure hunting!!