Hi creative friends! If you’re new here, when I first started Salvaged Inspirations – all the pieces I restyled were found roadside or by other cost-effective (meaning zero dollars) methods. I still search for free stuff to this day. It’s a great feeling and service to take something bound for the trash and turn it into a completely restyled gem. I even shared a post on How To Find Furniture For Free here.

Today I’m sharing 7 reasons to PASS on free furniture.

There are a lot of good reasons NOT to take free items and here are my top 7!

#7 – NEEDS TOO MUCH REPAIR

While shopping curbside, I’ve spotted some beautiful dressers, tables, and china cabinets. Sometimes if a piece needs a lot of repairs, it’s not worth the time and effort. Knowing your limits on how to repair furniture is key. Do you have the tools and the time to fix it? If not, it’s probably wise to leave it behind.

Here is a piece of furniture that required considerable time to repair because it was sitting out in the rain.  The laminate had bubbled which meant the entire top needed smoothing out.

On the upside, repairing furniture has taught me new skills, patience, and perseverance. And if you want to learn how to repair furniture, practicing on curb-shopped pieces is ideal because there’s no guilt if you muck it up.

 

#6 – ODORS/SMOKE ETC

You definitely CAN remove unpleasant smells from old furniture. It can, however, be a long and tedious process if the smell has been deeply absorbed.  If you love the piece, it’s may well worth the extra time and effort. If it’s a so-so piece of furniture in your opinion, better pass.

Here are a few ways I’ve gotten rid of bad smells in old furniture. In my opinion, cigarette smoke is one of the hardest odors to neutralize but some products will deodorize wood and make antique drawers smell NEW again.

I also wrote an article back in 2014 on How To Remove Musty Mothy Moldy Smells from Wood Furniture here. It’s been shared over 78,000 times and has over 200+ comments with AWESOME methods and suggestions to remove odors using what you already have in your home!

#5 – MOLD / MILDEW

First of all, yes, you CAN remove mold and mildew. You can even check out how to do it here on my Youtube video How To Clean Moldy Furniture here.  There is a BUT here. If you see a lot of mold, you know it’s going to take a lot of extra time and effort to clean. You never want to leave any trace of mold or mildew behind. Unless this is something you love the look of, it’s a pass. Always remember, when cleaning moldy furniture SAFETY FIRST. Wear gloves and a safety mask. Time and patience are needed.

#4 – BUGS AND CREEPY CRAWLIES

EWWWW… BUGS! Curbside furniture sometimes has bugs. If you see a dead spider in a drawer for example, and no other signs it is perfectly okay. But let’s be honest, if there are a ton of creepy crawlies, I’d pass. Could you clean this piece and make it safe for your home? Probably. Would I personally take the risk? No. Some insects, like bed bugs, are almost impossible to get rid of. My advice is to always thoroughly look over anything before bringing it into your home. I also like to leave it out in my storage area ie garage before bringing it into my home studio/workspace. If you see signs of bugs or critters, just say no.

#3 – TOO BIG OR TOO HEAVY

I’ve come across so many beautiful, well-made FREE pieces of furniture that were WAY too big or heavy to be practical. If it doesn’t fit into my FUV (furniture utility vehicle) or it will break my back moving it from my sanding room to my painting studio, to my staging area, I pass. Here are a few pieces I didn’t pass on that were both big and heavy. This empire dresser was stunning but working on it was challenging. And when Andrea and I brought it upstairs to stage, style, and photograph… well that was just scary and dangerous. I swore to myself I would never do such a large awkward piece again.

They turned out beautifully. I did, however, suffer the consequence of a sore back. Now I generally choose more manageable pieces to restyle. The empire dresser below was the straw that broke the camel’s back as the saying goes. Another piece that I felt was too heavy for comfort was this Spanish Moss Tallboy Dresser. Again, a gorgeous piece, but soooo heavy and awkward to work on.

 

#2 – NO WHERE TO STORE

We all have limited amounts of space. I have storage space (AKA my garage) and a studio but often they are full. If you have nowhere to put that free dresser, table, or cabinet, you probably should consider leaving it for someone else. As a professional blogger and furniture artist, I can tell you that sometimes my space is tight. It can be overwhelming at times. Always keep in mind how much room you have for anything you bring into your home.

#1 – IT DOESN’T SPEAK TO ME

Do you prefer French Provincial or Mid-Century Modern? What’s your favorite furniture style? Just because something is free doesn’t mean you have to take it. When I first started restyling furniture I preferred more traditional wood pieces. French Provincial or farmhouse styles always caught my eye. Over the years I’ve come to truly (also) love and appreciate other styles as well. MCM seems to be drawing me in more and more lately. But if a piece doesn’t *speak* to me, I don’t pick it up. Free or not, you need to have a connection with what you’re working on. Here are a few road rescues that were love at first sight. This curbside China Cabinet I found roadside in 2020…

and this more recent trash to treasure Library Table Makeover.

Did I miss anything? Have you ever passed on a roadside find?

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS LIST OF 7 OR FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂

Happy painting my friends!

Denise x

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