So you’re in the market for some new furniture, and you’re wondering just how hard it can be to make it yourself. Or perhaps you enjoy woodworking and think building furniture is something you could learn to be good at to generate some income. How hard is building your own furniture?
Building your own furniture is not hard if you know the basics of carpentry and woodworking. Depending on detail and complexity, the difficulty level can vary. Simple furniture builds only require basic materials and tools with a bit of skill.
Ready to learn some pros and cons of building your own furniture, as well as tips for getting started? We’ll cover all that and more in this article.
Pros of Building Your Own Furniture
- Likely save money compared to buying store-bought furniture
- Potentially make money selling handmade furniture
- Build custom sizes
- Build custom shapes, heights, or other specifics
- Choose your own materials, colors, and finishes
- Easy to make repairs or additions that match if needed
- Sense of pride and accomplishment
Cons of Building Your Own Furniture
- Large investment of time and possibly tools
- The learning curve may be steep
- Potentially more expensive compared to big box store furniture
Should You Try Building Your Own Furniture?
Before you go off to the hardware store with your materials list, you should first consider whether building your own furniture is the right option for you in the first place.
If you have some solid carpentry and woodworking skills as a foundation and are looking to build upon that experience, learning to make your own furniture is a significant next step to fine-tune your craft.
If you or a loved one are in the market for new furniture, it can be a great time to consider building your own. If you’ve started looking at furniture stores for the right piece but find yourself frequently thinking, “it’s not just quite right because…”, building your own may be just what you need! You’ll be able to customize every bit of it, from the color to materials to size and shape.
Keep in mind, while you don’t need to be a master craftsman, if you’re not up for the challenges of putting in a considerable amount of time and overcoming a learning curve of how to build your own furniture, this may not be the best choice for you. It will take time, trial and error, studying, learning, and careful work.
What You Need to Know to Build Your Own Furniture
As you get ready to build your first piece of furniture, keep a few things in mind.
Be a Sponge
You’ve come to the right place as you get ready to start building your own furniture. Before you even think about picking up a piece of wood, spend some time reading this article. Let your brain be a sponge to soak everything in. After this article, go to Google and search for more. Read another. And another and another. Head to your local library and see what books they have on the topic. Devour every article you can get your hands on.
Read through tutorials like this one on How Stuff Works to guide you through building a bookshelf, plant stand, or desk.
Look, read, and learn. Soak up expertise from other woodworkers, read their tips and experience, and look at their finished products. If you personally know an accomplished woodworker or know of one in your area, see if they’d spend an afternoon with you, sharing some pointers before you get started. The more you can learn and build your knowledge foundation, the better start you’ll have.
Watch and Learn
Soaking up knowledge doesn’t have to stop with reading and talking to others. Whether it’s 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning, you can hop onto YouTube and keep learning.
Find some YouTube channels like Make something, I Like Woodworking, or the DIY Network, and you’ll be amazed at all you can learn. You can even find some full tutorials where you can learn to build an end table, chair, or patio furniture in a single video. Here’s an example by Ana White of how to make a farmhouse coffee table with just a drill and a saw:
Tool Check
You can make high-quality, attractive, custom furniture with just a handful of relatively inexpensive hand tools, but the simpler your toolbox, the more time it’ll take. To make your own furniture, you’ll likely need the following essential tools at a minimum:
- Table saw (portable is fine)
- Tape measure
- Combination square
- Power drill
- Router and router table
- Sander (you may sand by hand, but trust us – the sander saves time and muscle cramps)
Don’t run out and buy all the finest, fanciest, latest-and-greatest tools to start your furniture making endeavor. Start with what you have, borrow some if you’d like, and see how it goes. You can always add as you go or if you decide to become more involved in making furniture.
Other tools may be needed or desired depending on how advanced you get, such as power tools, jigs, and fixtures. Dedicated workshop space will be a great help, as well. The greater your investment in these types of additional tools, the less time you’ll need to complete a piece of furniture, and the more easily repeatable your process becomes.
Visit Popular Woodworking’s list of 11 Basic Woodworking Tools for New Furnituremakers written by Dan Farnbach. He suggests additional tools such as rasps, files, power jointer, thickness planer, and more to build your tool collection.
You’ll Need to Follow Simple Steps
Whether you’re watching a video, going off advice from a friend, or using a written tutorial like one of these, building your own furniture will require you following a basic set of simple woodworking and carpentry steps.
Most furniture plans involve cutting straight lines, doing accurate measurements, and successfully joining two wood pieces. For your first few projects, don’t set out to do any luxuriously rounded corners, grooved details, or notched corners.
You’re going to make mistakes at first, and that’s okay. Stick with the basics for your first project and perfect the critical steps before moving on to more detailed work.
Start Simple
When you’re ready to build your first piece of furniture, some want to go for the taj mahal sectional sofa. In contrast, others prefer to dip their toe in ever so slightly to test the waters.
When you’re ready for something simple, try Bob Vila’s idea of an air hose deck chair or decorative pallet wood TV stand.
Alternatively, try making your own custom furniture out of an existing piece of furniture. Cut down an old 5-drawer dresser into a nightstand. Transform a kitchen table into a coffee table with fresh new legs. Sometimes known as upcycling, this method brings new life to tired or damaged furniture while meeting your needs for new furniture.
The ease and outcome of building your own furniture is really an effort-based spectrum, depending on your design’s complexity and the skills you possess. Don’t forget, your skills can and will grow over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I Spend More on Materials Than I Would Just Buy New Furniture at the Store?
If you’re comparing a cheap fiberboard bookshelf to making one out of real walnut wood, sure, you may spend more. But for the most part, building your own will save you money every time. There are countless articles out there that detail exactly how making your own furniture will save you thousands of dollars over buying new at the store, and we believe it.
For example, Chris Ronzio, contributor at the Penny Hoarder, says he’s built many pieces for a fraction of the retail price, such as a custom sofa table and desk for $187 compared to the inspiration piece $1,500 at Pottery Barn.
Is DIY Furniture Lower Quality Than What I Could Buy at a Store?
If you doubt your own skills or feel like you’re not professional enough to build your own furniture, think again. You know that coffee table you saw at ABC Furniture Mart? It was mass-produced with subpar materials. By merely picking quality materials like real wood instead of laminate, plus spending the time to build it right, you already have a leg up.
What’s the Most Challenging Part About Building Your Own Furniture?
The hardest part of building your own furniture will vary from person to person. Still, it likely falls in the “details” category. Fancy grooves, rounded corners, or finish work will require great skill and attention to detail compared to measuring, cutting, and drilling. The good news is, you can still make incredibly nice looking furniture without adding these details.
Final Thoughts
If you’re contemplating building your own furniture, we encourage you to take the plunge and get started learning. We’re confident you’ll find that the accomplishment and joy you’ll experience from your own handmade furniture will be worth it.