When I am shopping at yard sales, I always look at the potential of the things that I see. You would be amazed how many times I come across yard sales that have pieces that are broken and have a big FREE sign on top or a real small price tag. Most of the time, these broken things are antiques or something of value if they were in tact and working. One of my favorite FREE finds was an 1890’s antique organ. It didn’t work, but it had so many great details on it that I had to rescue it and repurpose the pieces. I have used that broken organ for so many projects and some of it still hangs in our home today. This DIY rocking chair upcycle tutorial was one of those “broken” finds.
The top half of the chair was sitting on top of a box and the rest of it was inside the box.
The best part (drum roll, please) ………… it was only $2!
Now, some may look at this “box of chair” and think: garbage, but I thought: P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L!
Look again.
Do you see the potential?
No?
Okay, let me show you.
By no means did I want to put this chair back together, but the old wood and what was in tact had so much potential that I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, there are other parts in the box that I want to use for a different project (two projects for the price of one!). đ
The first thing we did was water seal the pieces we wanted to use. This darkened the wood a little bit which I loved.
Then, I talked to Matt about making a “flower box” on the chair back. He looked it over and of course jumped on board. We could make it work.
We used the chair pieces in the box to make the flower box. First, I measured how big I wanted the flower box and Matt cut the pieces to make it work.
In the bottom of the flower box, I stapled some wire fencing.
Then, I stapled screen over the wire fencing. This way, the dirt will stay in place and it still has drainage.
I planted some Geraniums in the flower box.
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We hung the DIY Rocking Chair Upcycle on our wood fence in the back yard.
This project was easy to put together and it makes a fun addition to our yard.
The moral of the story is…. look beyond the obvious. Think outside of the box and don’t give up on something because it is broken.
Don’t have a broken rocking chair lying around? Check out these beautiful planter options:
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If you liked this DIY Rocking Chair Upcycle Tutorial, check out these other repurposed projects:
DIY Step Ladder Beverage Station
How To Turn A Broken Barrel Into A Rustic Flower
That turned out great Lindsay! What a creative way to use it!
Thanks Amber! I love how it turned out
I LOVE this!! I cannot wait to have a yard to do fun and cute things like this. đ
Thanks Stephanie! We live in a smaller home so having a yard is like having extra space to decorate. đ
Love your thinking!
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I would have seen potential in that too! Awesome idea, love it!
Couldn’t pass it up!
Now that is a super cool idea!
Thanks Echo!
I love how you took something old and made it new and it turned out GREAT!!! Awesome creative work!
Thank you Becka!
Brilliant!
Thank you Angie!
What a neat idea. My mom has lots of repurposed items in her garden like old boots and old bicycles for planters.
Thanks Kimberlee! Your mom’s garden sounds fabulous!
This is adorable! Such a great idea!
Thanks Becca!
Wow that turned out great! I would’ve walked pass the box…lol. Can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of the pieces. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Your welcome Erlene!
Brilliant! It looks so pretty with all the lovely flowers. Thanks for sharing at the party. I’ll be featuring this post along with some others this week. But, the party is still open đ Theresa @DearCreatives
Thanks so much Theresa!
I would never have thought of that, the chair would have been used for firewood! Now I’m on the look out for broken chairs…
Thank you Clare! I love projects like this! I just picked up an old organ that I am going to use it’s pieces for different projects. Stay tuned for those!
what an amazing transformation, and what great vision you have.
Thank you!
What a clever idea. I love how great your project turned out. Thanks for sharing it at the Tuesday Garden Party!
I love ideas like this. I have been thinking of painting some old chairs I have to sit them in the garden and use them to display some pots….yours turned out beautifully.
I took an old broken chair top and had a mirror cut to fit it, then added a knob for a towel, and hung it over my bathroom sink. It’s a one of a kind special piece!
Great idea!