DIY Furniture Projects: The Shabby Chic Shelf

Don’t waste your money at big box furniture stores! DIY furniture projects will save you money and are a great way to repurpose furniture you already own (or find at thrift stores and garage sales)!

I create DIY furniture projects for my home and for my craft and furniture booth, so I’m pretty obsessed with giving furniture new life! When I first moved out on my own, finding furniture at thrift stores and garage sales was the only way I could afford to fully furnish my home. Now, I would still choose thrifty furniture over big box store furniture any day! I love the way I can transform bland pieces and turn them into something beautiful. The piece I’m sharing today is no exception! I started with a boring wood piece and ended with an adorable shabby chic shelf.

What You Will Need:

1. An old piece of furniture. I started with a plain 5 tier wood shelf. Normally I have a before picture, but I got so excited that I forgot to take one!

2. Sand paper or a sanding block

3. Low VOC spray paint

4. A damp cloth

5. Polycrylic (optional)

How To Do It:

1. Lightly sand your entire piece with sand paper or a sanding block.

2. Spray paint it! Remember, the key to spray paint is multiple light coats rather than one heavy coat. If you try to cover the piece in one coat, you will get drips.

3. After you’ve covered the entire piece with multiple light coats, wait for the paint to completely dry.

4. Once it’s dry, it’s time to distress the piece, which will give it that shabby chic look that I love! Distressing a piece can seem scary at first, but it’s super easy. Simply lightly sand the edges of the piece. I did all of the edges of my shelf and did a few spots around each of the spindles (pictured below). If you want to see another DIY shabby chic piece, you can check out my shabby chic coffee table project, too.

5. Wipe down the piece with a damp cloth.

6. (Optional) To seal the paint and protect the paint job from every day wear and tear, I always finish my pieces with Polycrylic. It isn’t the greenest craft supply, but will help my new shabby chic finish last.