Restoration of old furniture at home (63 photos): options for bringing wood and soft coatings back to life. How to restore old furniture yourself, advice from masters How to restore wooden furniture

The new is the long-forgotten old. And this is not surprising, since a new thing does not have to be bought. You can give something old a new look by restoring it, and this thing will look completely different. This can be applied to old furniture. Often people are chasing new products, designer models, but they stop appreciating and noticing the true beauty of old furniture. Most people just throw away old furniture in order to buy something new. But is it rational? It's no secret that old furniture differs from new in quality. Such products were often made from solid wood and environmentally friendly materials were selected. Moreover, they are very reliable and strong. Therefore, it is worth thinking about not buying new furniture, but bringing the old one back to life. It is within the power of anyone - both a beginner and an experienced person. Let's look at how do-it-yourself restoration of old furniture takes place .

Before starting work, you should decide how you will restore the furniture. For this purpose, there are several ways, some of which we will consider in the course of the article. In order to restore wooden or chipboard surfaces, the following methods are used:

• decoupage;
• adhesive tape;
• painting with paints;
• craquelure;
• processing with varnish and stain;
• lamination or veneering.

One or more techniques can be used in the work. It all depends on skills and desire. For example, craquelure goes well with decoupage, and they can be supplemented with painting with paints.

Let's take a look at what each technology is:

1. Decoupage is gluing applications on furniture. To mask defects in furniture that arose during operation, this method is often used. To work, you need napkins with a pattern that you can buy at the store, glue and varnish. A pattern is cut out of a napkin, fixed with PVA glue, and after drying, varnished.
2. Adhesive tape. Everything is simple here - this tape with a different texture and pattern, which covers the surface of the furniture. Thus, old furniture takes on a new life.
3. Painting with paints. Such technology requires artistic skills and imagination. Work requires paints and brushes. The finished drawing is opened with varnish.
4. Craquelure. This is a special technique for which a special composition is used. You can buy it in the store. After applying such a composition to the surface, it dries, imitating the texture of an old cracked tree.
5. Treatment with varnish and stain. It's no secret that wood stain is ideal for staining wood. With it, you can restore the color of old furniture. All you need is paint, a brush and varnish.
6. Lamination or veneering. A method that requires veneer, iron and special glue. The entire surface is covered with glue in two layers. After that, a veneer is applied to it, which is ironed through the paper. You need to iron from the center to the edges.

Such restoration will give you the opportunity to realize your creativity and imagination. Special skills are not required, and a good mood will be provided to you.

Before starting work, you should prepare the furniture for restoration work. There is no need to hurry in this matter. All details, parts and surfaces should be prepared very delicately. To begin with, they must be cleaned with a sponge previously moistened with soapy water. Treat all surfaces and joints. The water should be warm, but not hot. And it is better to use vegetable soap, without the presence of active chemistry.

In the case when the product is decorated with decorative elements, whether it be carving or fittings, use a toothbrush and the same soap solution for cleaning. And to get dirt from hard-to-reach places, an awl or an ordinary toothpick will do.

For the most stubborn plaque, buy sandpaper - zero. Remove dirt with it, gently, without pressing on the surface. After such manipulations, everything is ready for restoration work.

After the cleaning work is completed, you can begin to repair and replace parts. Finding exactly the same legs or accessories will be problematic, but still possible. Contact a specialized furniture store or just look for it on the market. If you couldn’t find something suitable there, you can make the part yourself. If it's a broken leg, door, or other element, just make it yourself. Fittings and other accessories can be replaced by others. The entire structure should be checked for strength and, if the bolts are loose somewhere, tighten them. Corroded ones should be replaced with new ones. If there are faults, they need to be connected with special glue, and cracks with wood putty.

If the old trim layer is in very poor condition, or if you just plan to replace it, then it should be removed. This can be done thanks to chemical solvents and sandpaper.

When working with aggressive chemicals, use respiratory protection - a respirator is suitable for this purpose.

Such a process can be called the dirtiest and most painstaking, but the result is worth it. When using a spatula and sandpaper, be especially careful so that your efforts do not come to naught. Thus, your rare furniture is prepared, and further actions will depend on your choice of restoration technology.

Consider some options for work on a specific example. Almost every house has an old grandmother's sideboard. This is an integral part of the old apartments. But after restoration, it can become the main element of your home.

The easiest and at the same time beautiful way is painting and varnishing. You can use both stain and other ordinary paint. It is important to choose a color that would fit into the interior. Designers advise using bright, contrasting colors that blend well and do not differ from the overall interior.

Since the surface has been cleaned and all defects removed, you can immediately start painting. Make sure to have tassels of various widths. A roller will also be useful, then you can cover the entire surface with high quality and paint over even hard-to-reach places. The process itself is simple: apply paint to the surface with a brush or roller. Make sure there are no leaks or bubbles. After finishing work, be sure to open all windows and doors so that the paint erodes and dries faster. That's all, you can enjoy the updated sideboard, which will serve you for many years. To open with varnish or not is purely your decision.

The next option to bring old furniture to nobility is patination. The word itself comes from Italy and indicates a specific plaque that formed on bronze and copper products after its oxidation. Now there are several colors used for the effect of worn wooden furniture: gold, silver, copper.

To achieve this antique effect, you need to buy ordinary wood paints: two different colors that you have in mind for the palette. One shade will be basic, and the other - additional, brilliant. Further, the work is divided into three stages:

1. Cleaning the surface from old finishes, grease and dirt.
2. Applying a base coat of paint to the surface until completely dry.
3. Application of the second layer, auxiliary, which will imitate attrition and antiquity. This stage is the most creative and requires attention. Using a dry brush, carefully apply the second paint to individual areas of the furniture. It is not worth dipping heavily into the paint so that the base paint protrudes through the painted layer. Then a textured paint layer will be created on the surface. Pay special attention to relief formations, bends and depressions. Excess paint can be removed with a simple sponge. Some areas can be shaded.

After that, we let the paint dry, and our furniture has turned into an “updated” rarity.

For the restoration of old furniture, the following technique is perfect - craquelure. The roots of this word are from France. The word itself means "crack" and refers to the cracked top layer of paint or varnish on some object. This style is very popular and will endow your interior with the spirit of a certain aristocracy.

Despite the complexity of the above, achieving the effect of cracks is easier than you think. To begin with, the first layer of acrylic paint of the desired color must be applied to the cleaned surface. After waiting for the paint to dry completely, apply a special craquelure varnish or regular PVA glue. Apply the product quickly and evenly. The thicker the layer, the larger the cracks. Without waiting for complete drying, cover everything with a second coat of paint (the shade may be different). After that, the necessary cracks are formed on the surface, which we have been waiting for.

Decoupage and DIY drawings

Decoupage is a French word meaning "cut". The technique itself lies in the fact that cut paper napkins are glued to furniture. You can buy such applications in the store, and most importantly, there are a lot of varieties and types of them. You can pick up such drawings that you like and will be in harmony with your interior. Apply a layer of PVA glue to the workpiece and fix it in the desired area. You can choose large patterns and small ones. It all depends on your imagination. The resulting result must be opened with varnish.

If you do not want to use ready-made ideas, paint and brushes will help you to realize your fantasies. You can decorate your furniture the way you see it. You can also involve other family members, for example, children, who will also contribute to the overall design.

An inexpensive and easy way to restore a product is to stick a film on the facade. With the help of such a film, your furniture can become modern and look like new.

The color and texture of this material is very diverse. The choice is yours. All you need is to buy a self-adhesive film and stick it on a cleaned base. The main thing is to correctly calculate the required amount. The advantage of this type of restoration is that the coating will serve for a long time, will not fade, and the surface itself can be washed with water.

Such an update is applicable not only to your old sideboards, but also to old sofas, armchairs and other kitchen furniture. These are not all options for updating old pieces of furniture, but they will help you do everything yourself without much effort.

Video

In these videos, you can see how to restore old furniture with your own hands:

A photo

Below you can see examples of the restoration of old furniture with your own hands:

Restoring old furniture with your own hands is a complex process, but very exciting! How to give new life to loved ones armchairs in which they listened to grandmother's tales. How to make an ancient one sparkle with gentle matte highlights dresser, which contains many "precious" masterpieces - pieces of handmade lace, velvet pieces, from which you can sew a ball gown for a doll or make an exclusive lampshade for floor lamp.

Restoration of old furniture: giving new life to wood

Restoring wooden furniture is a process that requires a thrifty approach and a lot of patience. An old tree can be eaten by worms into dust. But if you want to revive a neat little table with a unique marquetry or a bureau with lots of secret departments, try to get creative.

Wooden furniture is quite durable. But before starting the restoration, it is necessary to carefully remove all the boxes, shake off the dust, remove the places beaten with mold with sandpaper. This applies not only to living rooms and bedroom sets. Restoration kitchen furniture- a process that will bring no less pleasure.

Interior in country style today in a special trend. So don't throw your grandmother's closets in the trash. Remove old paint or varnish. Carefully treat the wood with special compounds that protect against insect pests.

doors kitchen cabinets can be painted with paint and slightly blackened, giving a touch of elegant old age. If the wood is valuable, carefully remove the varnish and cover with a new compound. You can bring the old varnish coating back to life if it has not been touched by mold. There is a wonderful recipe: wax! This is a magical remedy that will revive a tree 1-2 centuries old.

Shimmering velvet that caresses the skin

Restoration of upholstered furniture help bring true masterpieces back to life. An old chair can be thrown into the trash because of the velvet worn to holes and protruding springs. But what if you do otherwise?

Carefully remove the old upholstery. Springs will take longer. But if there is no other option but to throw it away, then do it. Replace the inside with soft, thick foam cut from a pattern. Furniture after restoration is no worse, and even better and more comfortable. The covering can be made of brocade or velvet. The main thing is not to fall out of the time frame of history.

This also applies sofas, canape. Restoration takes a special place leather furniture. The inside can also be replaced with porous foam rubber. But the outer coating can not always be left as expensive. If the leather isn't torn, try carefully putting it on the frame. If you have to completely replace the top cover, do not worry. You can not use new fabrics. Try to find an old tapestry or brocade.

Sometimes mirrors are inserted in the backs of the sofa. If the reflective field has not faded and the amalgam layer is not significantly scratched, simply refresh frame around the mirror. If you need to replace the field itself - do not worry, remove the old mirror information. This is recommended by Feng Shui experts.

New faces for old furniture

Updated furniture after restoration looks very creative and elegant. If you turn on the fantasy at full speed, you can remake cabinets and armchairs beyond recognition. There are several unique technologies: cover the wooden sides with acrylic paint, insert a mirror mosaic, change the fittings. Most importantly, try not to fall out of the general style. Handles and locks should either shine like real gold, or shimmer dully by candlelight.

There is another interesting technology. You can decorate the cabinet doors with bright chintz and varnish. How to paint the side walls by hand? This is not difficult.

• Sand off any old varnish or paint.
• Sand down.

• Apply the pattern with acrylic paint.
• After drying, varnish the surface.

Restoration of furniture at home is an artistic process of spiritual creativity. You can paint with ornaments or floral patterns the doors of the grandmother's closet. There is such an update option: after preparing the surface, plant dried flowers, herbs, petals of fresh flowers on the glue. Then open everything with varnish in 2-3 layers.

You can decorate with mother-of-pearl a chess table that someone threw out as unnecessary. People sometimes don't realize how valuable some items are. You can make a set: a round table with a stone top and a mantelpiece from the same material. It is desirable in the same style to arrange a mirror over fireplace. To do this, you can cut a stone stand separately with built-in permanent candlesticks.

Has old furniture lost its former luster? I'm tired, but it's a pity to throw it away? All this is fixable: you can improve the appearance so that no one will think that the furniture is many years old. Do-it-yourself furniture restoration is hard work. But you don't have to do anything super complicated. Some methods are so simple that everyone can do it (we are not talking about antiques, of course).

Restoration of wooden surfaces

No matter how carefully the furniture is handled, scuffs, scratches, stains still occur. They are easy to eliminate. The main thing is to know how and why.

Restoring the polish

Restoring a layer of varnish is a difficult task. Any restoration of furniture begins with cleaning and degreasing and repairing the varnish coating too. We use dish detergent diluted in water: safe and reliable. After drying, we proceed to update the polishing.

You can simply refresh the faded polish on the furniture with mixtures prepared by yourself:

1. Two parts of linseed oil and turpentine and a part of vinegar. Everything is mixed, applied with a swab, wait until it is absorbed and polished.
2. Mix oil and beer in equal parts and wipe the furniture with this composition. Rub after soaking.
3. A more shiny surface will be if the beer is boiled with a piece of wax, cooled and applied slightly warm to the furniture. When the composition is absorbed, the surface is rubbed to a shine.

More recipes in the video.

How to remove polish from furniture

Quite often you have to remove the polishing: this is not the most fashionable finish. Modern furniture is most often painted with opaque or tinted paints, and the surface is matte. In any case, you need to remove the polish. There are several ways. Since varnishes are different in composition, you have to select empirically. But one of the methods should work.

How to paint polished furniture

If the old furniture was being prepared for painting, it must be cleaned of dust, wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry. After leveling everything with putty, smooth out all the bumps, wait until it dries. Take sandpaper and sand again, first with medium, then with fine grain. Next, apply a layer of primer and wait for it to dry.

The primer is bought for the paint that is going to be used, or the paint can be diluted with a compatible solvent and covered instead of primer. After drying, you can paint.

You can paint with a roller or brush. Usually several coats are needed: do not try to apply a lot of paint at once, as streaks may appear. It is better to apply several thin layers. So the surface will be smooth and uniform. Another trick: for uniform coloring, layers are applied in different directions - along, then across. This also applies to the application of varnish.

Some varnishes are easier to work with when they are warm. They are slightly heated and then applied with a spray gun or brush. When warming up, you need to be careful: vapors can flare up.

In order of staining: first, the inner surfaces, edges and joints are painted, then they move on to the outer ones. With this sequence, there is less chance of getting dirty or touching the already painted surface, ruining it.

If the varnish coating is even, without defects, and it needs to be painted over, you can do without removing this layer. There are special primers for difficult surfaces. Coat the surface with them, and paint after drying. They have components that penetrate even the varnish layer. Therefore, the paint will be applied well and hold on for a long time. But such soils have a minus: they are expensive. But they do save a lot of time.

Some secrets of wood coloring (including brushing and coloring in two colors) are in the article "". See the video for a few secrets of even application of acrylic paint.

If the restoration did not bring the expected result, maybe you need to change the appearance? How

How to restore veneer

Veneered furniture requires a special approach. The means are basically the same, the methods are different. For example, if after hitting the veneer is swollen, draw PVA glue into a disposable syringe, pierce the bubble, and inject glue into the cavity. Lay a piece of dense fabric on top and put a load. If the surface is uneven (convex or concave), a bag of dense fabric with heated sand is used as a load.

If the veneer is glued to alcohol glue, you can return the swollen part to its place by ironing it through a rag with a hot iron. But do not overheat the iron: the veneer can stretch. The degree of heating is medium.

If ironing through a dry cloth does not help, try again with a damp cloth (wet and wring it out well). There is a chance that the wood will swell and become more elastic. To securely fix the swelling, you can introduce PVA there, and then heat it with an iron.

If the swelling is cracked, you can also try to seal it with heating (through a rag). If it does not work, tear off the exfoliated piece. You don’t cut it off, but break it off: on the veneer, the fractures after restoration are less noticeable than the cuts. Therefore, you break off the lagging piece. The old glue is removed from the place of damage and a piece of veneer (with sandpaper or nail files - depending on the size). Further, the repair of veneer on furniture is standard: they smeared it with PVA glue, laid it, aligning the fault lines, laid a thick fabric on top and put the load to dry.

Scratches and traces of restoration on veneer are removed in the same way as on wood: they are painted over with a furniture marker of a suitable shade. If the scratch is deep, a little molten wax for furniture restoration is applied to it (with a spatula). After drying, the wax is rubbed, if necessary, fine-grained sandpaper is used, but after such processing, the restored piece is covered with a layer of varnish.

Do-it-yourself furniture restoration requires patience and accuracy. We have to act gradually and methodically: smeared, waiting for drying, leveled, smeared again, etc. Sometimes you have to try several methods: the damage is different, as are the materials used in the manufacture (glue, varnishes, etc.). But as a result, the furniture will look much better.

Lacquered furniture does not go out of fashion for many years. The attractive appearance of its surface will decorate almost any interior, give it a special chic. But no matter how carefully you take care of such furniture, over time, scratches and even cracks still appear on it. In this case, do not be upset, as there is an excellent solution - this is the restoration of furniture with your own hands. Of course, this procedure should not be carried out with cheap chipboard specimens. For the most part, it's just wasted time. Old furniture, which was made to last for centuries, is subject to restoration. Polished Soviet is also easy to update at home.

Do-it-yourself furniture repair begins with an initial examination of the degree of surface damage. This procedure determines the sequence of further actions. The degree of damage varies and is determined by natural aging or mechanical impact. Let's list some signs:

• visual determination of aging, loss of gloss of the lacquer coating, the appearance of minor spots;
• the appearance of a cobweb mesh on the surface of lacquered furniture;
• the appearance of deep cracks or chips.

If any signs appear, you do not need to be upset. Restoration of lacquered or polished furniture is a simple solution to the problem, such work can be done carefully without losing the value of the product and without disturbing the surface structure. After the restoration of the paintwork, your favorite things will delight you for a long time.

Before updating old furniture, remember that it is not always necessary to immediately change the varnish layer. Some natural aging factors give antique furniture a special charm and increase its value.

Brief characteristics of restorative compositions

A common way in everyday life to eliminate small defects that cover the furniture surface is to wipe it with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. After processing the damaged area for a while, you can correct the situation. But in some cases, this method can harm the decorative layer. Therefore, you should not experiment, it is better to choose a specialized composition.

Let's imagine the characteristics of some varnishes for furniture restoration:

• Shellac varnish. The composition after application to the surface is able to successfully emphasize the texture of wood and provide it with an original shade. This is a proven material that has been used to restore varnishing for a long time. The consistency of the polish is not viscous, reminiscent of colored water. The restoration of the lacquer layer takes quite a long time, to achieve the desired result, up to 40-60 layers of the composition are applied.

• Nitrocellulose. This composition can restore the polishing of a large area. To carry out repairs and apply a layer, it is necessary to use sprayers that are capable of providing the necessary speed of work. Otherwise, droplets may form, which will solidify quickly. Under such conditions, a smooth surface cannot be achieved. Conventional spray guns for paints and varnishes will not work, it is recommended to contact the services of a restorer.

• pentaphthalic composition. It is very convenient to carry out furniture repair with your own hands with this varnish, since no special devices are required for its application. After complete drying, a thorough grinding is carried out and a finishing layer is applied with a paint brush. In this case, the surface will be glossy. If you want a matte effect, then the product must be applied with a swab. For priming, you do not need to purchase an additional tool. The first layer of pentaphthalic varnish acts as a primer. In total, at least four layers are applied.

After choosing a varnish for polishing furniture, it is worth deciding on the color of the coating. Very often colorless varnishes are used to preserve the structure of the tree. However, when lacquered furniture is updated, they try to match the lacquer to match the surface.

Necessary tools and materials

Before you start restoring furniture, you need to prepare a number of tools and materials. So, you will need:

• rag;
• paint brush;
• scraper and sandpaper;
• masking tape;
• solvent;
• putty on wood (for serious defects);
• as well as the paint composition itself.

Lacquer layer renewal technology

The process of restoring wooden furniture with your own hands consists of several stages. As an example, the restoration of a crib will be given:

1. Preliminary preparation. Before updating polished furniture, it must be disassembled. Next, apply a cleaning solution to the surface, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. This procedure will soften the old polish, the varnish will crack and peel off in some places. Its remains must be removed with a scraper. Next, sanding is carried out with sandpaper. You need to start with a coarse abrasive and finish with a fine one. The surface should become matte and uniform. Next, remove the dust with a brush or a damp cloth.

2. Applying a paintwork composition. Depending on the selected varnishing material for the restored furniture, the number of applied layers is determined. Each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has dried completely (drying for at least 8 hours). If acrylic varnish is used, then the composition must be diluted with white spirit to apply the first layer. Further, the restoration of furniture is accompanied by grinding the surface, after which another 2-3 layers of undiluted varnish are applied.

3. The stage of grinding the restored layer. Grinding of the restored areas is carried out carefully with sandpaper with the finest grit until a uniform matte surface is obtained. Then everything is thoroughly wiped with a rag. The renovation of the old thing allowed us to get a brand new bed.

On the video: restoration of a crib.

Features of partial restoration

Oak products are strong enough, so the restoration of oak furniture is mostly carried out partially. In this case, techniques such as decoupage or artificial aging are used. Let's take a closer look at how to partially restore wooden furniture. To do this, we prepare the following tools:

• adhesive composition for decoupage;
• acrylic based paints;
• scissors;
• napkins with the desired pattern;
• craquelure varnish.

Consider how the restoration of old furniture with your own hands is carried out using the example of an old table top. When upgrading some areas, they must be fenced off from others. Therefore, with the help of masking tape, we protect an unnecessary surface area. Then we perform the following operations:

1. We paint the selected part with green acrylic paint and give it time to dry well.
2. A craquelure varnish is applied over the paint, and we also wait until it dries.
3. The next coat of paint will already be beige, after some time the coating will begin to crack. To accelerate the formation of cracks, you can use a building hair dryer.
4. At the next stage, we cut out the ornament we like from napkins. We place the images on the surface of the countertop and coat it with decoupage glue on top.
5. When the glue dries, apply a final coat of clear varnish.

Important! All work must be carried out with a horizontal surface. This will prevent the formation of smudges and stains.

As a result, we get a table with decoupage elements, which by and large will not differ from antique products.

On the video: decoupage chair.

Ways to eliminate minor defects

Now let's talk about the methods that can be applied at the initial stage. The appearance of any minor single defects does not require global work to restore the surface:

• How to update furniture with your own hands if it has lost its luster? In order to return it to its original appearance, you need to find a furniture care product containing orange oil in stores. The process itself consists in the fact that a foam sponge moistened with water is heated in a microwave oven. Next, the agent is applied to the surface and immediately rubbed with a heated sponge.

• If minor abrasions appear, then we restore the surface with the inside of the banana peel. For more significant defects, the following tools are used: furniture marker for retouching, alcohol, wax. To begin with, the surface is cleaned of dust and dirt with a soapy solution. After drying, begin to wipe with a soft cloth soaked in alcohol. In this way, we restore the original appearance of the coating. If the scratches are deeper, then alcohol will not help. We retouch them with a marker. Then polish with wax.

• When the wood swells, when, for example, water leaked and the furniture board absorbed it, you can use salt and olive oil. The funds are mixed and applied to the damaged area, left for half an hour. The salt will draw out the moisture, and the olive oil will keep the wood from drying out.

• How to repair furniture with more serious damage (chips, dents, etc.)? Here you can not do without the process of puttying. A special mixture for wood is perfect, although automotive putty can also be used. Defects are carefully repaired, the mixtures are allowed to dry and then sanded with fine grit sandpaper.

Repairing wooden furniture is a simple, but time-consuming process that requires endurance and patience. Performing all the stages of restoration correctly, you can extend the life of your favorite things. Basically, options were considered on how to restore old furniture with your own hands, which was still made from natural wood. At the present time, furniture is mainly made from chipboard sheets. It should be noted that the repair of cabinet furniture with your own hands, in principle, is no different. You can use all the algorithms presented above.

Old furniture eventually loses its attractiveness and performance, as a result of which it is simply thrown away. But do not rush to send it to the landfill. You can give worn-out cabinets, chairs and cabinets a “second life” even without being a specialist. To do this, you just need to have a desire to engage in restoration and follow a certain technology. Thus, it will turn out not only to save the family budget, but also to decorate the interior of the room.

Removing the old coating - how to ensure a surface suitable for restoration

Updating furniture begins with the removal of old varnish. Do not even try to paint or apply varnish over paintwork materials - just waste your time, effort and materials. But, before you start cleaning the surface, first dismantle all the available accessories - handles, locks, legs, etc.

As for the old paintwork, there are several ways to remove it:

• mechanical;
• chemical;
• thermal.

To remove the varnish mechanically, you will need sandpaper with a medium abrasive. Too rough should not be used, as it will leave deep scratches on the surface of the product. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore, it makes sense to use sandpaper only for cleaning the surface or processing hard-to-reach areas.

You can speed up the work with a grinder with an abrasive nozzle. But it is convenient to handle large and even areas. If you need to restore the chair, working with a grinder is not very convenient. In this case, it is better to use a chemical wash. This is a special paste-like product that is designed to remove any paint and varnish coatings.

The wash should be applied with a brush, preferably with a soft bristle. After applying it, it is necessary to cover the treated surface with plastic wrap and wait until the composition softens the coating. The time it takes for the paste to react with the varnish depends on the manufacturer and the thickness of the paint layer. More information about this is reported in the instructions on the package. After softening the coating, remove the paste along with the old varnish using a spatula or scraper.

It is necessary to work with the paste carefully, as it contains acid and is very toxic. It should be applied in a ventilated area, after putting on gloves.

If the first time it was not possible to completely clean the surface, apply the paste again. At the end of this procedure, lightly “walk” over the surface of the product with sandpaper with a medium abrasive to get rid of chemical residues.

There is another way to remove old paint or varnish - using a building hair dryer. This device allows you to heat the coating, as a result of which it softens and is easily removed with a spatula. The main thing is not to overheat the surface so that it does not ignite. Please note that this method is also quite toxic - when heated, the paint releases toxic substances, so you need to work in a ventilated area. After cleaning the surface, use sandpaper to get rid of the remaining varnish in the pores of the wood.

Surface restoration - puttying, gluing and sanding

To really update old polished furniture, and not just repaint, you need to get rid of all its defects, such as chips, cracks and crevices. For this you will need the following materials:

• Putty (starting and finishing).
• Joiner's glue (you can use epoxy, which provides a more reliable connection).
• Degreaser.

Start by gluing the parts that need it. The surfaces to be bonded must be cleaned with sandpaper and degreased. After gluing, the parts should be fixed with clamps and left for the glue to harden.

Then you can start patching. This procedure is carried out in several steps:

1. 1. All narrow gaps and cracks must be expanded so that it becomes possible to fill them with putty.
2. 2. For deep defects, such as chips and cracks, apply the starting putty and wait until it hardens.
3. 3. Then it is necessary to clean the hardened coating to remove serious irregularities, and apply a thin, even layer of finishing putty.
4. 4. Using the latter, also eliminate scratches and other minor defects on the surface of the furniture.
5. 5. After the putty has hardened, it must be sanded with sandpaper with a fine abrasive.

After eliminating defects on the surface of the furniture, it must be sanded with sandpaper or a grinder with your own hands to get rid of small scratches and roughness. Therefore, the grain of the abrasive should be minimal.

If you are planning on using a clear coat, match the top coat to match the color of the wood. On the surface of the putty, wood fibers can be painted with brown paint.

Applying clear varnish - how to achieve a glass effect

Finishing is the most creative stage of work, on which the design of your furniture depends. Of course, when choosing the type of coating, it is necessary to focus on the interior of the room in which the furniture will be used. But the field for creativity still remains wide. As an example, consider some of the most popular and spectacular decorative finishes.

If your furniture is made of precious woods, such as mahogany or oak, you don’t even have to think about choosing a finishing material. These breeds themselves look beautiful. Therefore, all that is required of you is to cover the product with transparent paintwork. Use for this special furniture nitrocellulose varnish, which has increased hardness and smoothness. You can also apply polyurethane, alkyd or acrylic varnish. The latter is good because it dries quickly and has no smell.

After applying the first coat of water-based varnish, the surface must be sanded with fine sandpaper. This is done in order to get rid of the roughness that appears as a result of swelling of the wood fibers.

You can apply varnish with a regular brush or swab. The surface should be covered with it in several layers, always with interlayer drying. The more layers of varnish you apply, the “deeper” the coating will turn out, that is, the “glass effect” will appear..

Surface toning - turning pine into mahogany

Most often found wooden furniture made of pine and spruce. The texture of these breeds is very beautiful, but the color gives out some budget. You can solve the problem by tinting. To do this, you need to choose a stain of a suitable color and treat the surface with it. It, unlike varnish, is not just applied, but rubbed into the tree. Therefore, when working with it, you should make repeated circular or reciprocating movements with the brush in the same area.

After applying the stain, the product should be varnished, which is applied according to the scheme described above. If desired, instead of stain and varnish, you can use azure. This paintwork is a cross between impregnation, varnish and paint. It gives the wood a certain shade, but does not hide the texture and provides gloss.

How to imitate a tree - we trim plywood or chipboard

Materials such as chipboard in themselves have an unattractive appearance. In order to reliably imitate wood at no particular cost, furniture made from such materials can be decorated with wallpaper with the appropriate pattern. In this way, it is good to finish chests of drawers, tables, cabinets, cabinets and other large items. The finishing process is quite simple:

1. 1. Prime the product with acrylic varnish in two layers.
2. 2. Cut the wallpaper to fit the furniture.
3. 3. Stick the wallpaper with PVA glue.

After that, the surface must be varnished according to the standard scheme. But first, be sure to let the wallpaper dry. Note that trellises for furniture finishing can be used not only under a tree, but also with any other pattern. The choice depends solely on your wishes.

Painting furniture - we finish simply and practically

The easiest solution in terms of finishing is painting. For these purposes, you can use alkyd, alkyd-urethane or acrylic water-dispersion paint. So that furniture design does not seem too boring, paints of two or three colors are often combined. To ensure smooth transitions, simply apply masking tape. You can even make stencils for drawing.

Apply paint with a brush or roller. But the best effect allows you to achieve a spray. If it is not possible to use a sprayer, use spray paints.

To make the furniture look “branded”, be sure to apply several layers of varnish on top. The only thing is that it is desirable that it has the same base as the paint. An exception is water-dispersion varnish, which fits well on any kind of paint.

Craquelure effect - first update, then age

If the interior is antique, decorating the furniture with craquelure would be an excellent solution. This is cracked paint, under which a layer of another paint that differs in color is visible. To create this effect, you will need a special craquelure clear varnish and an acrylic primer.

The work is carried out in several steps:

1. 1. Coat the surface of the wood with several coats of acrylic primer, dry between coats.
2. 2. Apply any paint. This will be the base layer, that is, the one that is visible through the cracks. I must say that bronze shades and other metallics look especially beautiful.
3. 3. After the paint has dried, apply craquelure varnish.
4. 4. Wait until the varnish begins to dry (it should not be sticky), and apply a second coat of paint that differs from the first in color. Almost immediately, it will begin to crack. If the layer is thick, the cracks will be large. If thin, the cracks will be thinner and shorter.

Upon completion of the work, the surface can be varnished. The only thing is that it is desirable to use matte varnish, because gloss with antiquity is incompatible in this case.

Paints with a metallic effect cannot be applied as a second layer, as they do not crack.

A few words about polishing - how to achieve a "mirror"

It is not always possible to apply varnish evenly and smoothly, especially for beginners. However, all flaws can be easily eliminated by grinding and polishing. To perform this operation, you will need a grinder and two polishing wheels - hard and soft. In addition, you will need a polish with and without an abrasive, plus a “zero” sandpaper.

Work begins with grouting the surface with a “zero”. After removing the flaws and making the coating dull, you can start polishing. First, a hard wheel and an abrasive paste are applied. After getting a shine, you should go to a paste without abrasive and a soft circle. The result should be a good gloss. Please note that during the polishing process it is extremely important not to overheat the surface, as this can ruin the varnish.

That's all we wanted to talk about the restoration of furniture. Now it remains only to install new fittings, which must match the design of the product, and you can begin to operate. As you can see, the work is simple, but very interesting, and everyone can cope with it.