Do you have a large sofa that’s just taking up too much space? Perhaps you have a cupboard that you’ve got no idea what to do with. Whether you’re moving home in the future or simply want to declutter your home, there are ways to repurpose or get rid of furniture that you no longer need so it doesn’t end up looking like it would be more in place on the set of The Walking Dead.
Refurbish
If the piece of furniture in question is one that you absolutely love or has sentimental value but it that has gotten pretty old looking then you may be better off refurbishing it and giving it a completely new look. Depending on the piece you could do it yourself if you have the time and inclination. Alternatively you might need to hire someone to help you change the upholstery or fix it up a little, but it’s usually worth the cost of updating an old piece of furniture for modern standards. Perhaps you could fix a wonky leg, maybe you could replace the patterns and colours, or you could even start a furniture restoration project. If you decide to do it yourself to save a little cash you might like to take a look at this guide from https://www.familyhandyman.com/ for some tips on how you can completely refinish a piece of furniture to make it look great and also repair some common problems.
Sell
Selling furniture locally is usually quite easy. You simply put your advert up on a website, wait for people to respond and you’ll typically get cash in hand. However, if you want to open up your audience and sell it on an online auction such as https://www.ebay.co.uk/, then you’re going to need a couple more things. For starters, you’ll need to take some flattering pictures of the furniture itself. Try and get shots from every angle and make sure you’re not skimping on the lighting as that plays an important role in making most things look more appealing. My friends sell on ebay and are always prepared as they find out the cost of delivery in order to add it to their listing so there can be no confusion. Of course when you are selling a larger item you need to make sure you contact a company that deals with that sort of sized object. A friend of mine sold a sofa and I believe some other large items when she moved into her new home through a large items delivery service called https://www.shiply.com/large-item-delivery/ and was happy with the service. These sort of companies can give you a quote quickly to add onto your auction page so that people know how much shipping they’ll have to pay to get it delivered to their door.
Donate It
You could just donate some smaller sets of furniture to a local charity shop or anywhere else that might be able to make use of it. Make sure you ask friends and family if it’s an item in good condition.
Scrap It
If you really don’t think that anyone will want the piece of furniture, then make sure you scrap it responsibly. Most councils have a removals scheme for large objects although you would have to get in touch with your local one as they all have different policies. Sadly, it can cost a bit of money, but it’s the responsible way to get rid of a large item. While you’re at it why not throw out a couple more large items that are cluttering your home there are always a few cluttering up the place in most homes.
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These are all great ideas for what to do with old furniture. I love eBay so regularly sell things on there, I enjoy finding bargains on there too and renovating old pieces myself.
Ebay is great for all sorts isn’t it. I must be quite fun to renovate old pieces and nice to restore an old piece of furniture.
In NYC people usually just put their unwanted furniture on the street. I once put a rocking chair out in front of my apartment and someone took it within 45 seconds!
That’s an easy way to do it. We do that sometimes here although not with anything too big.
I’m in the process of buying a new house, so am actually on the look for some old furniture (well it will be new for me lol). I spent most of today scouring charity shops – it’s amazing the treasure you find in there! x
It sure is. I’m pleased you found some great items.
These sound like some good ideas of things to do with old furniture, we sold what we could on Facebook when we moved, then a couple things were taken off our hands by the removal men.
These are some brilliant ideas! I have seen so many people throw away good furniture, would be best to donate or sell
This is a very useful post as I actually have a big brown sofa in my living room taking up space that I really want gone. I had no idea you could arrange large item shipping yourself!
Great idea! We tend to donate unwanted furniture to our local charity shop or anything major I stick on ebay. Old furniture is way more in demand these days isn’t it?
I’ve been buying old furniture for years and have been upcycling them at home. I find it therapeutic but also love the fact you have creative control over the process therefore making it look exactly how you want it to. 🙂
2 of my couches and two chairs need to be replaced,they look like some big African cat got of hold of them and used them for a scratch pad….there will be no donations for these 4 pieces!
We will be moving home soon and buying new furniture, so it was great to have some lovely tips on what to do with our old furniture, thank you! 🙂
No problem. I’m glad you found this useful.
I tend to try and sell old furniture as I find that a lot of people can’t afford new and it’s nice to know I’ve helped someone be able to afford an item rather than throw it out x
That’s really nice of you and great to hear you are helping others.
Whenever I had furniture that I did not need any more I tried to donate it when I could as I do not like things going to waste. So I think that is a valid tip on what to do with old furniture x
I agree it’s a great thing to pass it on to someone that can make use of things we no longer need.
I’ve donated furniture a few times although found out that its important to keep all the fireproof lables etc. Refurbishing is a lot more work and something I need to try at some point although I am starting to see businesses focusing on refurbishing which makes it much more accessible.
It can help when you can get a business to do it for you.
Some good points here, it is always nice to donate items to help others 🙂 x
I agree, it can really make a difference sometimes.
We’ve donated a lot of our old furniture recently as having a baby meant we needed more space! I love the idea of refurbishing pieces though
Refurbishing is a great way to breathe new life into a piece of furniture.
Great post – so many people think of just chucking stuff out and buying new rather than recycling and refurbishing.
We generally give our old stuff away, but I’d like to try my hand at refurbishing something now we have the space.
I have refurbed a lot of my furniture before, recovering and painting etc. We also have a great charity near us that will take your items and give them to people in need, for free!
We like donating old furniture to charity shops so future generations can enjoy them. We’d like to learn to up-cycle and refurb carbon finds just need to practise x
Great ideas – I am really ready to change my sofas so this is very timely!
Couldn’t agree more on the list. I did almost all of it. Normally I sell and recycle the old items that I have just to make use and utilize it plus to make a new design as well. Refurbishing for me sometimes costs a lot.
I have a friend that does amazing things repurposing old furniture. I would love a go with an old chest of drawers.
I always try and sell old furniture or donate pieces to a charity shop willing to take them. Always like to think that it goes to a good home and has a new lease of life.
A few of my friends used Shipley – so much easier than trying to find a random friend with a van!!
It sure is much easier 😉
I usually sell or upycle my old furniture. Occasionally I donate it to charity, but I definitely like to get my moneys worth out of things, so they’re usually worn out before they get to the selling/giving away stage! LOL
Louise x
We’ve been slowly redecorating the entire house so will soon need to think about what to do with all the old furniture! I imagine we’ll donate or sell it, it’s still in fairly good condition 🙂
Super useful tips – I have always just called the council and tipped them! H x
Some great tips here. I’ve never refurbished a piece of furniture but I’ve always wanted to give it a go!
In our family, I am the handy one. How I wish I am a lot stronger so I can haul a lot of stuff and refurbish them. I love recreating something new from something old. Totally love this idea. Gotta try to convince hubby — maybe this post will.
Good luck. It can be good fun and a great achievement.
My Nan had a rocking chair for years that she absolutely loved and when it got too old we refurbished it, it’s such a great thing to do with old furniture and cheaper than buying a new piece.
It sure is and it makes it that more sentimental too.
Recycling, refurbishing and reclaiming old furniture is such a great way to give new life to those pieces in the house you’ve loved for years.