However old a piece of furniture may be, there is always a chance that it can be restored to its full glory.
Many DIY projects out there focus on restoring items of incredible value, and on making them look even more beautiful than before. One crafter, for example, was inspired to repaint his old armchair to give it a tasteful, vintage look.
Imgur user FromTrashToTreasure decided to give her antique secretary desk a remarkable makeover. What was once a shabby and cracked surface became sleek, glossy, and wholesome after a few coats of paint and mending.
"Renovating and repurposing old furniture is a great way of recycling, so don't give up on chairs with torn seats or tables with missing legs," she writes on her Facebook page.
She stresses that with a bit of creativity, pieces of "unwanted junk" can be transformed into things with a renewed functionality.
Scroll further to see images of this incredible transformation. Let us know what you thought of this DIY project in the comments below!
Aleksandra first found this antique secretary desk in an online ad. It was badly scratched up, had cracks, and had missing hardware.
After deciding that she would upcycle this piece of furniture, she started by sanding down the surface to strip away the old lacquer.
The desk opened up to a rusty, faded interior. Some very thorough sanding and repainting had to be done.
She applied two layers of matte acrylic paint to the bottom half of the desk.
The hutch interior was secured with masking tape and foil, and primed for layers of spray paint.
After covering the surface with glossy layers of rich gold spray paint, she polished up the drawer pulls.
Then, a thin layer of Mod Podge was applied to glue the patterned fabric to the wood.
She stretched and pulled on the fabric to make sure it fit inside the drawers perfectly.
The fabric on the desk had to be varnished a couple more times in order to become more durable.
After lining some of the detailing with gold paint, Aleksandra covered the entire surface with a matte varnish for extra protection.
In the end, the desk underwent a remarkable transformation. Here it is in the beginning, right after it was sanded down...
And here it is, in all its finished glory. What an incredible DIY revival!
What do you think of this amazing furniture design?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and please SHARE these before and after DIY images!