Sarah is a staff writer at Apartment Therapy. She completed her MA in journalism at the University of Missouri and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Belmont University. Past writing and editing stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and several outlets local to her hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
You don’t have to settle for second-choice furniture just because your dream look is out of budget. In fact, you can still snag just the right thing for your space if you know where to look. Thrift stores, garage sales, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace are all treasure troves — you just might need to give whatever you find a little TLC to help it reach its full potential.
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Online browsing is what led Kim Holbrook to the ideal sideboard for her family room. “I was looking for storage for a smaller alcove/media area,” she says, and found this one on Facebook Marketplace.
While this piece fit the hard-to-size area perfectly, it was stained a butterscotch color and had old hardware that made the whole thing look dated — especially considering Kim was targeting a more contemporary-looking piece for her family room. The piece, as Kim put it, “screamed for a makeover.”
To modernize the unit and highlight its beautiful detailing, Kim first removed the cabinet doors and hardware. Then, she stripped off all of the old stain and varnish — a process made very challenging and time-consuming by all of the lattice work on the cabinet doors.
After sanding the entire piece, Kim applied a pale gray stain that gave the look of weathered driftwood, then topped it with a matte sealer. The entire process took about a week. In the meantime, she ordered sleek new drawer pulls in a contemporary gold finish.
While the project required plenty of patience and sweat equity, it wasn’t budget-breaking. Kim spent $250 for the sideboard and an additional $60 in supplies, but the result of her work is a custom piece that looks like it could be sold in a high-end furniture store.
“It was a fun project, and I’m very happy with how it turned out,” says Kim. Her only advice to anyone following in her furniture makeover footsteps? “Be prepared for [the project] to require more time than you imagine.” A wise and always relevant bit of DIY advice, indeed!
Whether or not you know what it is, you’re probably surrounded by particle board right now — in some furniture, under your flooring, in nearby speakers, and maybe even in the ceiling or on the roof of your home.
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Even though particle board, an amalgamation of types of wood and wood products, can be found in many different places and products, Robert Haymaker, a General Contractor from Virginia Beach, Virginia, explains that particle board can be used in certain applications, but by no means can it be used for everything. Here’s what you need to know about particle board, including the pros and cons of using it in your home.
Also known as Low Density Fiberboard (LDL), particle board is a building material that is manufactured from lumber scraps such as wood shavings, wood chips, sawdust, and other by-products from lumber mill operations. These materials are glued together and then compressed into boards that can be cut to size and used for a variety of projects.
“Particle board is made from scraps and wood chips that are glued together, says Haymaker. “It’s cheap because it’s abundant. Because it is a cost effective material, it is used for a variety of different applications.”
Particle board is a versatile material, but its abilities do come with limits. “Particle board can be used in roofing and flooring, but it shouldn’t be counted on for its structural value but rather as a support material,” says Haymaker.
Particle board is made with different wood scraps compressed together to form a sheet. Plywood, on the other hand, is made when thin sheets of wood are stacked on top of one another, with each layer rotated to form a cross-grain pattern, and glued together to form a single plywood board.
Plywood is typically more expensive than particle board, but it’s stronger and can be stained to enhance the wood grain of the top layer. Particle board is much more absorbent so it is difficult, but not impossible, to finish it with a stain.
Ultimately, choosing to use particle board depends on your budget, lifestyle, and general aesthetic taste. But if you’re looking for something budget-friendly and versatile, then it may be just the right material for you.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
What better way to kick off the new year than to refresh your home with great new furniture pieces at discounted prices? The sales at the end of the year have officially rolled out, so whether you’re looking to save on specific furniture pieces or just browsing around, you’ll find something that suits your fancy. Pottery Barn certainly has a few finds that deserve to be added to the cart. Today only, you can shop their Warehouse Sale and save up to 70 percent on tons of furniture and home decor finds, including a few that our own editors have tested and loved. Now is the time to start envisioning your upgraded space. Whether you’re looking to dress up a living room with new curtains or looking to replace your old run-down rug with a new one, we’ve rounded up the most worthy items you’ll want to add to your shopping list ASAP. Happy home shopping!
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Sarah writes about all things shopping for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and Cubby helping you find the best deals and the best products for you and your home. A Brooklyn-born Jersey Girl, she loves a good playlist, a good bagel, and her family (but not necessarily in that order).
Sarah is a staff writer at Apartment Therapy. She completed her MA in journalism at the University of Missouri and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Belmont University. Past writing and editing stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and several outlets local to her hometown, Columbia, Missouri.