Got rusted, ripped, or stained furniture? Repair, don't despair, and keep it out of the dump. With these easy DIY skills, you can breathe new life into Grandma's dining chairs and turn flea-market finds into your own unique treasures.

Though a little rust adds distressed beauty, it weakens metal. Scrape it off, then banish it for good with the right primer and paint.

Before you repaint, remove as much rust as you can. Use a metal scraper for big flakes, a wire brush for the rest, and medium to fine sandpaper to smooth the surface. Then clean with a rag soaked in mineral spirits.

For light surface rust, green-living expert and author Annie B. Bond suggests scrubbing the surface with a paste of cream of tartar and water.

When dry, cover the entire piece with a low-VOC primer (we like AFM MetalCoat Acrylic Metal, from $18; greendepot.com), which inhibits rust.

After the primer dries, add two coats of high-gloss low-VOC paint. For a foolproof match, pair deep and light shades from the same color family. We used Martha Stewart's Garden Shed on the top and Bay Leaf on the base (from $30; homedepot.com for stores).

Bright colors and some decorative ornaments have turned this old side table into a piece worth showing off front and center.

Repair and modernize your dining chairs with new cushions and fabric. For extra recycling points, repurpose tea towels, blankets, or even curtains.

Remove the old seat. (Usually, you'll need to unscrew it from the frame.) Use pliers to pry out staples and strip the board of the old foam. Trace the board onto a piece of 1-inch-thick upholstery foam and cut just outside the outline.

Cut cotton batting and your fabric 2 inches wider than the seat all the way around and a piece of felt 1 inch narrower than the seat for finishing. Stack from bottom to top: fabric (facedown), batting, foam, and board.

Grasp the fabric and batting on one side and secure it 1 1/2 inches from the edge with a staple gun. Repeat on the opposite side to get the right amount of tension, then staple the two remaining sides. Round the corners by pleating the fabric and batting as shown.

Finish with the felt by centering it on the bottom and stapling 1/2 inch from the edge. Poke holes in the felt to reveal the screw holes, then attach your new seat to the frame.

If a water ring is just a few days old, try rubbing toothpaste or baking soda on it with a wet cloth. If the stain's had a chance to set, you may have to refinish the wood.

Sand the entire surface or use nontoxic Soy-It polyurethane stripper ($59 per gallon; ecosafetyproducts.com) and a plastic scraper to remove the old finish. Clean with mineral spirits. Then apply AFM Safecoat DuroStain (from $16 per quart; greendepot.com) with a rag in the direction of the grain.

Finish with a coat of AFM Safecoat Polyureseal (from $31 per quart; greendepot.com).

These chairs look like they were custom-made for this kitchen -- because, in a way, they were!

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We love making old things new again: Check out lifestyle editor Sarah Engler's personal adventures in reupholstery, or our collection of recycled craft projects.