Do you want to refurbish a piece of furniture or restore a home accent item to like new, but don't have the money to buy a lot of tools and supplies? Don't put off your project because of your budget. There are many ways to purchase and obtain tools and supplies for less or no cost at all.

Borrow From Others

A cheap (and mostly free) way to get supplies and tools needed to refurbish your item is to ask family, friends and neighbors if you can borrow the items you need, such as an electric sander or paint sprayer.

If they're especially generous, you can also ask if they have any extra sandpaper, liquid deglosser, wood filler, paint brushes or leftover paint you can use.

In exchange for any items (either for free or to borrow), offer to cook them dinner, babysit their children, walk their dogs, wash their car or mow their grass. Also, be careful with the items you borrow and always return after you use them.

If you live in an apartment complex or condominium with a maintenance staff you are friendly with, ask if they have any tools to lend you and/or a place to work on your project. Of course, this depends on your relationship with the staff and whether they are allowed to lend residents tools and a workplace.

Buy Used

If it doesn't matter to you whether the refurbishing tools, such as electric sanders or spray painters, are new, browse Craigslist, thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets or swap shops. You can even score great deals on leftover paint and other supplies. Just remember to brush up on your haggling skills to get the best bargain.

Whenever buying via online or print ads, always use caution and good judgement when meeting people to purchase the item. Don't share personal information and always meet in a public place, such as a crowded store parking lot. If you are interested in purchasing an electrical item, such as an electric sander, always test it before you buy it to make sure it works.

Shop Discount and Discontinued Bins

Check to see if your local home improvement stores have an open box, discontinued or scratch and dent section. You can sometimes find great deals on open box electric sanders, returned paint and packages with missing items or torn packaging.

Clip Coupons

Browse the Sunday paper and online ads for coupons and sales. Browse home improvement and even craft supply stores for sales on paint, paint brushes, sandpaper, stain, etc. Look for buy one get one and high percentage off sales.

Most national craft supply stores also offer weekly 40 or 50 percent off coupons on regular priced items or a low percentage off coupon for a discount on your entire total. These coupons are great to use to stock up on the most commonly used refurbishing supplies and basic paint and primer.

Work with What You Have

If all else fails, work with what you have on hand. Look through your garage, work shed or wherever you keep paint and tools to see what you have left over from other projects.

To keep a constant stash of refurbishing tools and supplies, save any scraps of paper or fabric, left over paint and unused pieces of sandpaper from your projects. You never know when you may need it when you need to refurbish something.