Restoration and repair of furniture - the transformation of old junk into modern chic

To everyone who got an old wardrobe, bedside table, chair, kitchen set and other remnants of the Soviet past, do not rush to throw them in a landfill. With simple decorating techniques, you can restore and make them unique. In this article, we will tell you about the basic techniques for restoring and repairing furniture. Together we will create designer furniture that can outshine modern counterparts from the store and workshops.

Chips, cracks and other furniture defects - how to eliminate without a trace?

Over time, various defects appear on the furniture: chips, cracks, peeling of the finish. You can deal with them with special, as well as home-made means. For example, small chips and cracks can be treated with iodine or brown paint. This option is suitable for most types of old furniture. For deeper cracks, we recommend using furniture wax, heat it up and rub it into the damaged area. Instead of furniture wax, you can use a mastic made from 4 parts of melted wax and 3 parts of turpentine. After mixing, rub a homogeneous mass into the surface. If the cracks are accompanied by deep chips, we use wood putty. This composition is sold in a different color palette. In order not to buy a new putty every time, we recommend buying a universal white putty and mixing it with the right amount of water-based colored paint to get the desired tone. After filling the chips and drying the composition, we clean the surface with sandpaper to smooth out the bumps.

If the PVC film begins to peel off on the panels, bend it slightly and apply Moment glue or liquid nails. Put a press on the glued area, press it with a furniture clothespin or a string. Often in the kitchen, we inadvertently put a hot kettle or pan on a wooden surface, as a result of which white marks appear on it. To fix this defect, mastic for polishing cars will help. The abrasive substances of the mastic will remove the whitish stain and remove the damaged area of ​​​​the varnish, and the wax included in the composition will give the surface a pristine shine. Drawers or drawers don't close well? There is a solution - grease the grooves with a candle or dry soap. Lubrication will restore their mobility.

Painting - choosing the paint and preparing the surface

The easiest and most affordable way to restore old wooden furniture is painting. Before starting work, it is important to choose the right paint. Masters recommend water-based acrylic paint. It dries quickly and is well applied to the surface, and if necessary, erase pencil marks from its surface, this can easily be done with an eraser. If you are not a professional in coloring and are worried that the paint may lie unevenly, we recommend using an aerosol can. When restoring garden furniture, we take into account that it is exposed to temperature changes and precipitation. Therefore, when choosing a suitable paint, we pay attention that the composition has anti-corrosion properties, since the frame of such furniture is assembled from metal.

We begin the work by removing the old layer of varnish with paint. We sand it with fine-grained sandpaper. Remember, the larger the marking number, the less grit. After that, we close up the defects on the surface with wood putty, wait until it dries, and again go through the sandpaper to smooth the edges. Next, prime the surface with an acrylic primer. Again, we are waiting for complete drying. Before starting the next step, degrease the surface with alcohol or glass cleaner.

For painting, use a roller or brush, evenly apply paint to the surface. The optimal number of layers is two. Each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has completely dried. If two coats are not enough and the wood shows through the paint, apply one or more coats until we achieve a perfectly even surface. If you intend to paint furniture not in one, but in several colors, we recommend that you seal the joints with masking tape. Also, masking tape will allow you to create geometric elements and designate borders. After painting, it is not easily washed off and does not leave marks. We paint old Soviet wooden furniture in dark or pastel colors that meet modern trends.

Painting furniture with smudges, modern and painting with paints

If you want to give your furniture an unusual look, we recommend painting it in three or more colors with a paint smudge effect. The finished result should resemble flowing paint with frozen drops. To achieve a similar effect, we do the following. First, unscrew the handles of the nightstand, cabinet. After that, paint the furniture in the main color. It should be contrasting and stand out from the rest. White color is universal, so we suggest using it. When the background is dry, apply the second color. There is a nuance here. The paint must be applied from top to bottom, pressing the brush a little at the bottom of the layer to get smooth smudges. We do the same with the third color. After finishing work, we fasten the handles and also paint them in the given style.

We advise lovers of Art Nouveau style to transform an old bedside table or chest of drawers as follows. We draw out the boxes, carefully sand them and the main surface with sandpaper. We paint the base of the cabinet with red glossy paint, let it dry. In the meantime, we are busy with boxes. To decorate them, take sheets of African mahogany plywood and cut them to the size of the front of the boxes. We made blanks from plywood, glue them to the front side of the boxes with wood glue. Now we frame the edges of the boxes using moldings. We file the edges at 45 degrees and join them together, forming a frame for the front side of the box. We paint the moldings with white glossy paint. So that it does not go beyond the borders of the frame, we use masking tape. The paint is dry, insert the boxes and fasten the handles. It is desirable that they be long and match the color of the moldings.

Painting with paints is another design option for restoring old furniture at home. You can paint furniture both manually and using stencils that you can purchase or make yourself. As a stencil, you can use not only paper patterns, but also other textured materials, such as fine lace. This material leaves a beautiful pattern on the surface, ideally complementing the Provence style. To make the paint lay down more evenly, when using a stencil and lace for painting, we recommend using spray paint in cans.

Plain and craquelure polish - modern shine or antique effect?

We recommend varnishing solid wood furniture, precious woods. Depending on the expected effect, this can be done using ordinary varnish and craquelure. First, let's focus on the usual acrylic varnish. It will create a glossy sheen and give old furniture a new look. For better adhesion, before applying varnish, coat the wood with a primer. After drying, apply a thin layer of varnish with a brush or spray. When using the second application option, spray the varnish at a distance of 30 cm from the surface. This will minimize smudges, but if they do form, increase the distance. The first layer of varnish was applied, it dried, you can apply the second, and after the third if necessary. Acrylic lacquer dries within a few hours, but to be safe, we advise you to leave the furniture to dry completely for another day.

But the application of craquelure varnish is different from the usual. This option is ideal for. After drying, the wooden surface creates the effect of "cracked paint", which gives the furniture an old and antique look. Work with the application of craquelure is performed in the following sequence. Level and prime the surface in 2 layers. We apply the base paint, which, after cracking, will show through the cracks. It is important that it be a contrasting color. After the base paint has completely dried, evenly coat it with craquelure varnish. Depending on the desired depth and number of cracks, we apply the varnish in a thick or thinner layer. When the varnish is still sticking to the fingers, and the paint does not remain on the fingers, you can apply paint of a different color. It should be one or more tones lighter than the base. As it dries, cracks will appear more and more. We fix the result and apply acrylic varnish on top. In order for an antique-style restored cabinet or chest of drawers to harmonize with the style, we recommend covering handles and other furniture details with a bronze or gold patina.

Decoupage technique for old furniture - a small master class

Do-it-yourself restoration of old furniture using decoupage technique is gaining more and more popularity every year. And this is not surprising. After all, to update furniture in this technique, you will need ordinary napkins with a pattern or special stencils for decoupage, varnish and carpentry glue. With the help of decoupage, you can transform any wooden furniture and interior items. If you are new to this business, we advise you to start the restoration with simple furniture, without complex bends.

The first thing to do is prepare the surface. We clean the old layer of varnish with fine-grained sandpaper or use a grinder. A clean and sanded surface will provide better adhesion of the paper base to the surface.

The second is preparing paper blanks. You can use any paper stencils here. Newspaper clippings, book pages, printed paper, or napkins will do. The main thing is that the paper should not be thick, but thin. So, it will lie down smoothly and flow around the surface to be decorated.

Third - apply glue. We apply PVA construction glue to the prepared surface. We begin to impose paper with a pattern on the adhesive base. If the drawing consists of separate pieces, we apply them tightly to each other, not forgetting to properly coat the joints.

Fourth - we level the paper layer and coat it with glue. Use a roller to expel air bubbles. This will give you the perfect result. We also coat the paper layer with glue on top. When the paper hardens and does not stick to your fingers, you can proceed to the final step.

Fifth - varnishing. To make the furniture not only beautiful, but also practical, we cover the top of the paper layer with acrylic varnish. We apply it in two, and preferably in three layers. Don't forget to let each layer dry thoroughly.

Vinyl film, 3D effect and some more original ideas

It helps to achieve an imitation of any natural and artificial material, to transform the facades with multi-colored and plain shades. It is sold in rolls as well as in individual pieces. The film can be combined with each other. However, it is suitable for framing straight surfaces, without complex bends and geometric shapes, since in these cases it will be problematic to smooth and bring the surface to the ideal. Self-adhesive film looks good both on the facades of the kitchen set and on the furniture in the bedroom.

But the following idea of ​​​​decorating old furniture will especially appeal to lovers of modern trends. It's about the 3D effect. This effect can be achieved in different ways. The main thing is that the figure turned out to be voluminous and convex. Alternatively, prepare a stencil of letters and select the desired font for the inscription. Take the workpiece to the workshop and ask them to cut out the three-dimensional letters according to the pattern. After that, glue the letters with wood glue, also pre-painting them.

If the glass is broken, replace it with a dense mesh. This is a fairly popular trend that can be seen in modern models. Unlike glass, such a facade will not break and will add a twist to old furniture.

You can complement the design of old furniture with fabric, as well as twine or rope. From the fabric we cut out beautiful inserts for framing moldings on a cabinet or chest of drawers, which can often be seen on old Soviet furniture. For such purposes, it is better to select a dense fabric, such as a tapestry. The surface must be carefully greased with carpentry glue, attach the fabric and pull it tightly, as on a hoop, and then insert the wooden frames back. From a rope or twine, you can come up with original frames. For example, twist the rope into a donut, fixing the curls with hot glue, or frame individual elements on furniture and emphasize the outline. Rope and twine blanks are also glued to the surface with wood glue.

Replacing the upholstery of an old chair - a transformation before our eyes

If the wood frame of your chair is in excellent condition, and the seat has been worn down for a long time and spoils the appearance, it's time to change it. Earlier, we already talked about with our own hands, where we shared in detail tips on choosing the right fabric and filler. We advise you to familiarize yourself with this information in advance in order to proceed with the further part of the restoration.

We start by unscrewing the seat. We inspect the old filler, if it is worn out, we change it. If you don't have the money to buy new foam, make your own soft stuffing using an old blanket or bedspread.

Next, measure the dimensions of the seat to make the correct pattern. We advise you to make a pattern with a margin, you need to leave the fabric to hem, and also take into account the stretch. In order not to make a mistake in this crucial step, we increase the length and width of the upholstery fabric by 1.5 times. By the way, if you do not want to specifically purchase fabric for sitting, use the fabric of an old shirt, jacket, bedspread or knitted sweater for upholstery. Such upholstery restoration ideas look especially original on an armchair. With their help, you can create an unusual art decor, sheathe the back of an old cashmere coat along with a collar and buttons.

Attach the prepared pattern to the soft seat. Try on and pre-stretch the fabric, cut off the excess edges. Fold the fabric on one side in a straight line and secure it with staples, moving from the center to the edges. Pull the fabric tight, making sure there are no wrinkles. We do a similar procedure with all other sides, checking each time that the material is well stretched. After that, we wrap the corners diagonally and fix the folds with staples. We fasten the covered seat to the chair.