Repurposing Wood From Old Furniture

Repurposing wood from old furniture is a fantastic way to give new life to unwanted pieces while reducing waste. Whether it’s a weathered bookshelf, an outdated dresser, or a discarded bed, the wood can be transformed into stunning new projects with creativity and elbow grease. From rustic home decor to functional shelving, turning old furniture into new creations helps you save money and adds a unique, personalized touch to your home. Let’s dive into how you can unlock the potential of a bed found on the curb.

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

How about one man’s trash is another woman’s treasure? A neighbor put their old bedroom furniture out for the garbage. I dragged my furniture dolly (with a handle) to drag the old furniture home.

The nightstands were cleaned up and put in my booth. They sold the very same day. The bed with storage drawers was busted up. I left the headboard and the drawer facings. I brought everything else home.

There were eight drawers: huge, medium, and small. Looking to the right, I also harvested some narrow plywood pieces, as shown below.

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Salvaged Plywood From Old Furniture

Eight nice pieces of plywood had been part of the old bed frame that held the drawers.

Harvest Thin Plywood From Old Drawers

To harvest wood from old drawers, you will need a hammer and a piece of scrap wood. A rubber mallet will also work, but mine is at The Hideaway.

Tapping the scrap wood separated the drawer front from the drawer. Note: I have already removed the handles from the drawer front to save for a future project. Because the drawer fronts are very heavy, you will want to be careful so the heavy board doesn’t fall on your foot and cause you to go to the doctor for X-rays. Just sayin’.

The hammer will cause dings in the wood, so I chose to use a scrap piece of wood for this job.

Pliers were used to remove staples from the dovetail joints. Placing them in a water bottle ensures they will be contained and not fall on the ground.

Why Harvest Wood From Old Furniture?

I chose to harvest this wood from the salvaged drawers because the plywood is of good quality and thin. Wood like this is perfect for making DIY Shadow Boxes.

This photo shows the sizes of the drawers. The largest drawer front fell on my foot. When I got to the two smaller drawers, I saved them for a project instead of parting them out for the lumber.

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Although I wanted the very thin plywood bottoms, they were covered with adhesive and small wood pieces.

The inside of the board is in decent shape, but removing all the glue and wood pieces seemed daunting. They were thrown out with the trash.

All in all, this old furniture netted me a lot of decent lumber. As I said, I have plans for the two small drawers. Look for that project in a future Thrift Store Decor Tour project. I’ve already used a piece of the lumber for an upcoming Furniture Fixer Upper project. I’m unsure how and when I’ll use the drawer fronts or the hardware.

You See Old Furniture, I See Reclaimed Lumber

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I am so happy to have this job behind me. The lumber takes up a lot less room than eight drawers. Repurposing old furniture to glean new lumber is well worth the time, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

Do you shop the curb? Would you have dragged all of this home? What would you do with the drawer fronts?

Stay tuned!

Gail Wilson has been saving furniture from landfills for 20 years. It’s hard to imagine how many pounds of curb finds she has rescued and reimagined.

Read more about Gail Wilson | My Repurposed Life