Its that time of year when yard sales and estate sales are very popular and no one knows that more than our home decor expert Karl Lohnes. He not only has a great yard sale every year, but regularily shops at them (and online) to purchase fun and unique items for the home. If you have a bit of creativity, you can see past typical uses, bad finishes or fabrics and makeover your deals into trend-setting items to be enjoyed in your home.

What do you look for when searching online or attending yards sales? Look for items you might be needing to purchase; do you need a dresser for the spare room, a sofa, a lamp for the side table in your bedroom? If you purchase items that need to be repaired or re-done and have use for them then chances are your project will never get done!

The sofa I purchased online was a very high-quality, traditional camel-back style sofa. It had three humps on the back, no detailing to show off the interesting curved lines, and the seat was saggy/worn out from someone's cat claws. It was about 30 years old but the bones were in great shape. I had the sofa reupholstered, had the cushion remade with a soft, down-wrap filling. Nail head trim was added to highlight the unique shape on the arms. The fabric covering went from a creamy damask fabric to a modern grey felt.

Both the fabric and the reupholstery are from inVu Drapery Co. (www.invudraperyco.com). Yes, I discovered that the local place that makes pre-made and custom draperies (located in Southwestern Ontario) also does custom upholstery work- how lucky was I?

The side table makeover was an outdoor table to display plants. It had been painted, was rusty but in great solid shape. The table was wire-brushed to rid of any loose rust and flaking paint. The piece was then sprayed with three coats of Tremclad Gloss paint in a colour called Key Lime (www.rustoleum.ca). Following a huge trend in colourful home accessories, the punchy-coloured side table now sits in my foyer to add a splash of colour. What did you pay for this makeover? The table was from an estate and was $20. The Tremclad Rust Spraypaint is less than $6/can. I needed 2 cans of the paint to fully coat the table with a few coats.

The shiny wooden coffee table had great shape (the curvy shapes are popular again in home decorating), but the finish was a bit shiny with shellac and the table's top had significant damage to it. The table was lightly sanded, the cracks in the top were filled in, then the entire surface was given two coats of Painter's Touch Gloss, Navy coloured spray paint (www.rustoleum.ca). The table has taken on a new sexy look in shiny navy blue and will go in front of my dark navy love seat in the den. What was the cost for this makeover? The table was $30. Sandpaper and two cans of Painter's Touch Gloss was under $20 as I purchased three spray cans of paint. Its a good idea to let anything with a smooth, glossy finish to dry about 1-2 days to let the paint dry to a hard finish.

For great decorating tips you can now follow Karl on Twitter @karllohnes

Got a comment or decorating dilemma to ask Karl? Email us: homedecor@ctv.ca