Ideas for remodeling old furniture

With large-scale renovations and interior alterations, the question of purchasing furniture that fits into the new design often arises. However, old furniture may still be in good condition. In this case, it can be remade for new requests, extending its service life.

How to remodel an old cabinet with your own hands

In order for the cabinet to blend harmoniously into the renewed interior of the room, it can be remade by changing its appearance. You can offer the following options:

• Pasting with a film. Modern films on a self-adhesive base are presented in a huge assortment: they can be plain or with an ornament, with a stylish pattern, or imitate wood, stone, etc.

  

  Note! Before applying the film, the cabinet surface must be degreased or sanded and primed.

• Wallpapering. The range of wallpapers is several times larger than the varieties of the film and is represented, among other things, by matte and embossed patterns. You can also use photo wallpaper, which not only looks attractive, but also allows you to visually increase the space. Wallpaper is applied using wallpaper glue or PVA on the prepared surface. As the latter, you can use not only the facade, but also the shelves and the back wall.

  

• Cloth upholstery. The fabric looks more textured and even than film or wallpaper. It is better for her to fit large elements like sashes. You can fix it with glue or a furniture stapler. To give the wardrobe a luxurious look, you can use faux leather instead of fabric. To create comfort or furnish a children's room, fabrics using the patchwork technique are suitable.

  

• Painting. This is a very common method of restoration, before using which the surface is sanded and covered with a thin layer of primer. You can either do the work in mono color or paint a picture. For the latter, a stencil will be convenient.

  

  Note! To create straight lines and geometric shapes, you can use masking tape to limit the ingress of paint.

• Arrangement of slate surface. It will allow you to make the design extremely variable, and can also be convenient for everyday notes. Slate coating can be obtained by gluing a special film or painting with a composition with the appropriate effect.

  

• Mosaic decoration. You can make a mosaic from broken tiles yourself or purchase a ready-made version in blocks. This option will be optimal for the Mediterranean style.
• Aging. A wardrobe with this effect will be appropriate in Provence, vintage and shabby chic styles.

  

• Decorating with rivets. Can be used in addition to painting or covering with fabric. Any metal fittings will do: rivets, staples, nails with decorative caps.
• The use of mirrors. Mirrors can be fixed both on the entire surface of the cabinet, and only on individual parts. They allow not only to hide the flaws of the furniture, but also to add light and visually increase the space.
  

  Note! Instead of a solid mirror, you can use a mirror mosaic. It will create nice highlights.

  

• The use of volumetric details. You can stick both stucco and wooden slats, as well as various inscriptions. Also, a volumetric texture is created using colored sawdust, which is applied to the surface covered with glue, and then fixed with varnish.

DIY alteration of an old sideboard

You can use one of the following methods to restore the appearance, fix defects and update the old sideboard:

1. Decoupage. Its essence lies in the application of applications made of fabric or paper to the surface of the sideboard. Very often, beautiful table napkins with a relief structure that can be preserved are used for work. The surface is degreased before gluing. The material is glued with decoupage glue or ordinary PVA, and after drying it is varnished.
2. Painting. A pattern, ornament or drawing is applied with thin brushes on an old sanded paint or freshly painted surface. The latter option is suitable if the area of ​​the painting is small. You can use both acrylic paints and moisture-resistant tempera, which must be opened with transparent varnish.
3. Artificial aging. Quite a popular restoration method. Easiest to implement on colored surfaces. You can use paint or special varnish that cracks when dry.
4. Repainting. The simplest option, for the high-quality implementation of which it is necessary to properly prepare the surface: clean it of old paint, sand and prime.

Note! A common method of painting is the method of grading, in which the color gradually changes the intensity of the color.

How to remake Soviet furniture

Do-it-yourself alteration of old Soviet furniture, which before and after has cardinal external differences, includes several stages:

• replacement of fittings;
• cleaning, removing plaque, soot and dirt;
• repairs to eliminate cracks, scuffs and chips;
• decoration.

Padding

The padding is used for old chairs, sofas and armchairs as an addition to the restoration of the frame. For her, you need to choose the fabric for the new upholstery. It can be velor, crepe, barakan, natural or artificial leather or any other material, depending on style and preferences. Also, for work, you will need a construction stapler, staples for it and a piece of foam rubber if the old one has become unusable.

After removing the old upholstery and damaged foam rubber, you must attach a new one with small nails. With its help, you can give the furniture the desired volume. Then, using a stapler, the upholstery material is attached.

Note! For the convenience of work, you can use a fabric stitched to foam rubber.

Aging

This is a fairly popular method to give old furniture nobility and elegance.The following materials can be used for aging:

1. Antique wax. Suitable for wood surfaces that are pre-cleaned, degreased and stained. After it dries (after about seven hours), wax is rubbed in, on top of which a pattern can be applied. Finally, the surface is covered with varnish.
2. Acrylic paint. Can be used for furniture made of any material. The required effect is achieved by combining two paints of similar shades, several layers of which are applied sequentially.

Important! Each layer must dry completely to achieve the effect.

The paint is applied with a sponge. After finishing painting, you can walk with sandpaper.

Film

Self-adhesive foil can be used to decorate a wide variety of objects and surfaces. It is durable and resistant to mechanical stress, moisture and temperature extremes. Before gluing, the surface is cleaned and degreased. After gluing, the film is leveled with a spatula to remove all bubbles.

Painting

This highly popular method should only be used with furniture made from cheap woods, as otherwise its value will be lost. Before painting it is necessary to prepare the surface:

• soften the old paint layer with a solvent;
• remove swollen paint with a spatula;
• sand the surface with sandpaper;
• apply a layer of primer;
• after the primer has dried, carry out additional sanding.

Further, the oil paint must be applied with light movements to get a thin layer. You should move along the wood fibers. After complete drying (after about 12 hours), the surface is cleaned with sandpaper, cleaned of dust and covered with a second layer of paint.

Alteration of the table-book

You can use the following methods to update the look of a book table:

1. Pasting with a film. You can choose any color that matches the new interior. It should be glued on a dry surface, cutting out with a margin. After gluing, the corners are closed using a sponge, at which the hair dryer is pointed.
2. Painting. The surface, cleaned from the layer of the old coating, is painted with acrylic paints. If there are cracks or other damage, they are repaired in advance with a putty.
3. Lace decoration. The pattern is applied using a curtain or tulle. The material is fixed to a freshly painted surface, after which a second layer of paint of excellent color is applied on top of it.
4. Decoupage. It can be performed both on a primed and freshly painted table. It is made with a paper napkin or special paper, at the end the surface is opened with varnish.
5. Replacement for laminate. Old countertops are replaced with laminated ones.

Before you redo old furniture with your own hands, you should decide on the desired style solution. Based on this, the optimal material is selected, which will give the furniture a second life.

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