Today I have a really simple used furniture DIY for you – coffee tables!

There are so many coffee tables to be found in the used furniture categories of each of our sites. A little searching and some simple DIY and you have a beautiful and unique accent piece for your home.

Just use the search tool on your local Used.ca site, search for the word “coffee table” and you will a have a host of listings to browse through. Better still, use our free listings tab and find an old unwanted table transform – you will be surprised how much good condition used furniture you will find – quick, help us save it from the landfill!

Coffee table 1:

To begin with, I found this white coffee table on UsedRegina.com (category Household: Furniture: Living). The table is pretty darn nice as is, but I’ve found some cool ways to update it, which will turn it from plain to stunning.

Transformation of a plain white coffee table

Option #1: a little paint

If you’re just looking to spruce up your used furniture with a little paint, Nouvelle Daily has some quick and simple instructions of how to give the best paint job out there. And if, like me, you’re coveting the decorative items in the above pictures, here are some quick links:

• A beautiful candle holder from Amazon.
• We also found some great candle holders on Used sites: see this driftwood one on UsedVictoria.com.

Option #2: map

Maps are always fun details to add to used furniture that you want to spruce up. This beautiful surface adds a unique touch to a room, and is a simple DIY process. Here’s a brief how to from Primitive and Proper.

Being a sentimental person myself, I like the added memory value. You can pick a map of your favourite area, or a world map and you can mark all the places you’ve been or want to go. Another good idea is to look for used atlases on the Used.ca sites, they come up quite a lot!

Option #3: chalkboard

Not only is this a decorative feature but also a source of amusement. Games night? No need to scramble around for paper and a pen, this table is all you need. Convenient. It can also be a place to draw fun doodles and pictures on. Find out how to create a chalkboard surface here in this how-to from Better Homes and Gardens.

Coffee table 2:

Square wooden coffee table to a shabby chic piece

To change this simple crate to something a little more interesting. I found this crate in the used furniture category of UsedPEI.com. Then I discovered a great post on aging items with milk paint. This post from Design Sponge shows you how to use milk paint to create a more rustic look on shabby used furniture. And just in case these instructions aren’t quite what you’re looking for, I’ve discovered this post on how to paint barnwood style.

Coffee table 3:

Fun options to modernize this table

Option #1: patterned paint

While this table (which came from this Etsy page) doesn’t exactly have a strong resemblance to the one I picked off our site, I love the painted detail which really spices up a room. This is an (somewhat) easy enough pattern to paint by hand, and if you’re too worried to brave the attempt, there’s always the stencil option. Which brings me to…

Option #2: the accent top

This beautiful stencil design is downloadable from Apartment Therapy, and you can easily spruce up this table with this pattern as is, or use a paint job, and remove the bottom wooden parts to give it more of an edge.

Option #3: modern update

This table is actually our marketing director’s own revamp. The table used to be a dark stain and dark glass and she switched it up to a sleek frosted glass and removed the darker colour on the wood. It would be easy enough to create something similar with the table I found, and in addition you could switch the bottom wooden slats for solid wood or move that slatted shelf up to modernize the piece.

I hope these DIYs give you inspiration to redesign your own table! It really is worth searching for used furniture to find pieces for pennies that you can turn into eye catching pieces to sell on or keep in your home.

Tell us about your own upcycles, we’d love to hear your tips and tricks. And remember if you have used furniture to sell or give away, list it on our site between now and September 30th and be in with a chance to win prizes worth $1,000 in our Post to WIN contest. Contest details here.