How to restore old furniture at home?

Self-adhesive film

This is one of the easiest ways to remodel old furniture and doesn’t require any special skills. In building and online stores, you can choose any suitable canvas - with imitation of wood texture, plain, with a pattern. A rich assortment will allow you to update a nursery, living room, bedroom or even kitchen.

Its main advantage is moisture resistance, which makes cleaning easy. The film is easy to stick, if you follow the instructions, it is resistant to temperature extremes and even detergents. But this material lasts no more than 5 years, and fades in the sun's rays and in places of active friction.

Before buying a film, it is important to take measurements and add a small margin. The surface requiring renovation must be leveled, cleaned, degreased and primed. Then apply the markings. When pasting facades or countertops, you need to apply the film on top and gradually remove the paper layer. Smooth the canvas with a rubber spatula. If air bubbles form after gluing, miniature cuts are made in these places and the material is pressed to the base.

Decorate with decorative elements

An old dining table that is bulging or cracked can be decorated with tiles or mosaics. To do this, it is necessary to sand the base and apply an impregnation for wood, which will reduce the consumption of tile adhesive. The number of parts should be calculated in advance. In order not to cut the tiles, the panels can be framed with wooden planks. The ceramic adhesive must be applied at five points - in the corners and in the center. The tiles are laid one at a time and separated by crosses. After drying, the tile joints are leveled with grout.

In the photo there is a wooden table covered with tiles. Such a tabletop is not afraid of moisture and hot objects.

Old wooden furniture can be decorated with various fittings (rivets, original handles, belts) - this will give the product an unusual brutal look. Another way to turn a boring dresser into a modern and stylish one is to stick mirrors on the fronts. It is better to entrust the cutting of canvases and the processing of edges to professionals, and everything else can be done independently: paint the chest of drawers, fix the mirrors with special glue and attach suitable handles.

Remains of wallpaper

This is one of the most budget-friendly options for remodeling boring furnishings, but also the most short-lived. For decoration, we recommend using vinyl or non-woven fabrics, preferably moisture resistant. After pasting the furniture with paper wallpaper, after drying, it is necessary to apply varnish on them.

Before starting work, you need to prepare wallpaper, PVA glue, sandpaper, primer, roller, scissors and a ruler. If facades are being decorated, they should be removed and sanded. If there are defects on the surface, it is necessary to putty and process them after drying.Wallpaper is glued on a pre-primed base and smoothed with a rubber spatula.

Using stencils

This is an ideal solution for those who want to decorate furniture with painting, but cannot draw. Stencil templates can be made from thin plywood by sawing patterns with a jigsaw, thick paper or film.

Before applying paint, the surface is sanded and degreased. The stencil is fixed with masking tape (if the furniture is already painted, it is important to ensure that the adhesive trail does not damage the product). For decor, aerosol or harmless acrylic paints are suitable. The finished product must be varnished for better preservation.

Repaint in a different color

When painting furniture yourself, you can show your creativity and give the product any look. The most popular paint used in home decoration is acrylic paint. It dries quickly, is resistant to external influences, economical and almost odorless. In second place are spray paints in cans, which allow you to quickly update the product. It is recommended to apply them outdoors due to the flying small splashes.

The photo shows old but sturdy furniture, repainted with a gradient effect.

Before proceeding with the alteration, it is necessary to repair the furniture and clean it from dirt. If necessary, remove the old coating with a spatula, remover or heat. Defective spots should be putty. Then the surface must be sanded with fine-grained sandpaper and primed.

It is more convenient to paint hard-to-reach places (joints and corners) with a small brush, and everything else with a roller. If necessary, use masking tape to protect areas not requiring painting. To paint over dark products, at least three layers of paint are required, which must be reapplied only after complete drying. To give classic furniture nobility and sophistication, stylize it in antique style using artificial aging or gilding.

When using chalk paint, which consists of water and chalk with mineral additives, it is not necessary to remove or prime the old coating.

Art painting

With the help of drawings applied to the furniture by hand, it becomes exclusive. It is important that the resulting piece fits into the interior, becoming part of a whole composition. The easiest way to paint wood or natural veneer products, as well as MDF facades covered with acrylic.

The photo shows an alteration of an old, but strong pedestal. The hand-painted furniture fits perfectly with the rustic style.

Artistic painting is a painstaking work, as it includes drawing small details. The base for painting is a primer. It is important not to neglect the surface preparation - even the most talented painting can be spoiled by a defect or crack on the base. Acrylic paints are best suited for work, and matte or glossy varnish applied in several layers to protect the finished drawing.

It is not necessary to paint a dresser or wardrobe from all sides: individual accents on the facades look more aesthetically pleasing.

Decoupage

This technique will be appreciated by those who do not own a brush. Depending on the thoughtfulness and accuracy of the procedure performed, the furniture can look professional and even luxurious.

In the photo there is an old chest of drawers covered with paint and decorated with sheet music.

You can decorate furniture with paper napkins, wallpaper, old photographs, geographical maps, tram tickets. Before gluing the material, the surface should be painted with acrylic paints. After drying, the base is coated with PVA glue, on which the picture is carefully glued. After that, another layer of glue is applied. The finished product is varnished.

Veneering

This method allows you to give shabby wood furniture an updated look. For home veneering, natural rotary cut veneer is usually used.It can be used to restore door leaves, facades and countertops.

The base that requires rework must be flat and polished. Thin veneer, sold in rolls, should be straightened by dampening it with a damp sponge and placing it between two heavy slabs. Then the canvas needs to be trimmed around the edges to get rid of the uneven edges. The veneer is glued with contact adhesive, which is evenly applied to the base in two layers. The sheets are fixed with an iron preheated to 50º - ironed through the paper. After drying, the joints are sanded, and oil, varnish or stain is applied to the finished product.

In the photo, the process of finishing the table with veneer. The width of the canvas is usually 30 cm, so joints are inevitable during use.

Craquelure

This is a kind of artificial aging, after which the object gets the look of antique antiquity. Craquelure looks good on classic furniture, which fits perfectly into the style of Provence and shabby chic.

One-step craquelure looks like a cracked layer of paint, through the cracks of which the base of the product is visible. This is the easiest way to give an object a touch of antiquity. The furniture is covered with a special craquelure varnish, which must be dried. A second, contrasting layer of acrylic paint is applied to it, which cracks picturesquely under the influence of varnish. The thinner the paint, the larger the cracks.

Padding

This process is not difficult, but painstaking: you can pull both an old chair and an armchair or sofa. Dense natural fabrics are better suited for constriction. The first step is to disassemble the furniture and inspect it - this will help you understand exactly how the matter is attached to the wooden frame.

If the upholstery is old, damaged and odorless, it is recommended to remove it and reinforce the frame with metal plates. Sometimes filler needs to be replaced. In the case of a constriction of the Soviet armchairs popular today, we advise you to add foam rubber: the product will be softer, more comfortable and more solid.

Calculate the amount of fabric with a margin. It is important to fasten it tightly so as not to create folds. The fabric is fixed with a furniture stapler.

Before and after photos

We recommend starting the alteration of furniture with small items - chairs, stools, bedside tables. An excellent assistant in restoration will be a grinder, which will speed up the process of removing the old coating.

An excellent solution for a modern interior will be slate paint for blackboards: it is easy to apply, safe and odorless. It can be used to paint old kitchen fronts, cupboards or sideboard doors.

Even the most boring chest of drawers or drawers can be converted into a work of art through rework.

Renovation of furniture is an interesting process that allows you to get an exclusive piece of furniture and realize your creativity.