Furniture Upcycling & Finishings

Learn how to up-cycle your wooden furniture pieces to recreate your favourite circa look, be it shabby chic, French provincial, retro, or industrial.

This workshop will help you to transform your old or new furniture into unique pieces.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this furniture painting workshop, you should be able to:

• Recall the different types of paint and how to apply them to furniture
• Take home your refurbished piece of furniture

Course content

What will be covered in this furniture painting workshop?

• Surface preparation
• Paint application
• Colors
• Sanding techniques
• Appropriate accessory enhancement choices

Intended audience

Who is this furniture painting workshop for?

This course is for anyone. No prior skills are required.

Course venue

Redfern Workshop

The Bower Reuse & Repair Centre Workshop
107 Redfern Street, Redfern
(Entry via Turner Street (opposite 23 Turner Street) from the rear of the building)

The entrance to the Bower workshop is via Turner Street, which is at the rear of 107 Redfern Street and is almost opposite no. 25. You should find a hand-painted sign "The Bower Woodworks". If you do find the door locked, please do not hesitate to press the doorbell on the left-hand side of the garage door. If you have trouble locating the entrance or encounter any emergencies, please contact the workshop manager at 0422 840 471.

Public transport would be the easiest way to get to the workshop space. The space is located very close to Redfern Train Station, a local transport hub.
Most of the parking is 2-hour-timed (including some paid parking on Redfern St).

Course materials

What to bring to class

Please bring the following PPE

• A face mask
• Safety glasses or googles
• Earmuffs or earplugs

The Bower has PPE sanitised and available to borrow. Students must sanitise before and after use.

Materials

• 2 small timber furniture pieces (e.g. bedside cupboards, timber side tables, timber chairs (not slatted), wooden stools, stepladders, pedestals, hat/coat stands. Please note, NO chipboard; solid timber is preferred. Ensure your furniture is clean and free of dust/dirt.
• Paint - Your choice of acrylic paint colours. If you are wanting a multi-layered effect, then white or a light colour works best as a base. Soft pastels tend to work better than darker colours. For small items, 500ml will be sufficient. For larger items (tables), 1L will ensure you have enough.
• Paint brushes: 1x small 5cm wide; 1x large 10cm wide.
• Work gloves and a painting shirt (not essential, but useful).

Lunch and drinks

• The Bower will provide tea/coffee. You may wish to bring your own lunch or go to go to a café nearby.

Materials provided

• Sandpaper
• Steel wool

Additional information

Please note the following:

• Please note: Due to time limitation, we are unable to offer repairs during this workshop. If your furniture items need repair, please enrol in our furniture repair and restoration workshop
• Please don't wear your best clothing
• If you have long hair, please tie it back
• Wear closed-in shoes, no heels, please
• Please do not wear jewellery