And armchairs), which, after time, fell into disrepair. “It’s a pity to throw it away, and buying a new one is not always enough money,” many people immediately get upset about this, not even suspecting that old furniture can be restored and restored. As an example, in this article we will do the upholstery of an old chair with our own hands.
Let's move from words to deeds. In order to make the restoration of an old chair, we need the following tool:
- Hammer, pliers, screwdriver (flat),
- Manual stapler, staples from 4 to 6 mm, scissors,
- Sling wide (textile),
- Foam rubber, batting, synthetic winterizer,
- Fabric (1.5 - 2 m),
- PVA glue, gauze.
Chair disassembly
Before starting work, you need to disassemble the old chair and see what is inside it.
As a rule, this is a wooden frame, foam rubber on the back and seat. It is held by rubber or textile slings.
Also in the composition of the components we see legs, armrests (polished or fabric-like). Back wall armchairs are fixed with plywood. That, perhaps, is all.
After parsing:
- Determine what needs to be replaced. All spiked parts are carefully knocked out rubber mallet not to damage the edges and keep the polish.
- With a scalpel or a knife with a thin sting, we clean the grooves so that there are no glue residues inside.
- We coat the spike parts with PVA glue, after which we wrap the bandage directly on the spike.
- We carefully hammer everything into place and wait a day for complete drying.
Do-it-yourself chair upholstery
Let's take a step-by-step look at the chair upholstery process
Foam rubber replacement
The next step in the restoration of the chair with your own hands will be the replacement of foam rubber. The list of brands that are used in furniture production:
- EL - characterized by an average degree of rigidity,
- HS - soft type,
- HL - extra hard,
- HR - low degree of rigidity, most often used in the manufacture upholstered furniture.
In our case, HR is the best option.
It is best to cut foam rubber with a knife with a long blade, sharpened on an abrasive stone. We cut in several steps.
Change of passes (belts)
After we have decided on the foam rubber, we check the passes. They can be made of rubber or thick tarpaulin.
They are attached to wooden frame with the help of nails, in rare cases they break through with staples.
We remove the old belts, measure their length and, with a slight stretch, change them to new ones. The edges of the belt must be wrapped (folded at least in two). In this position, they will last a long time and will not stretch with a lot of weight.
The belts are tight, now you need to fix the foam rubber. We coat the passes with glue for foam rubber and carefully set the seat first, and then the back.
After we have the frame ready, we proceed to the choice of fabric.
Chair upholstery fabric
Today, the textile industry offers a wide range of fabrics for repair and upholstery.
Seat upholstery fabric:
You need to remember one simple truth: if the fabric has a pattern or abstraction, you need to make sure that the image does not move during the pattern.
We cut the front and back of the back from the first meter of fabric, the seat from the rest.
Having made a cut, you need to check whether we have kept the dimensions correctly by covering the seat with a cut-out piece of fabric. Having set the corners correctly as shown in the figure, we begin to “shoot” our cover to the chair frame.
We fix the rest of the fabric with staples, make a mandatory stretch - to ourselves.
The corners can be sewn on a typewriter or, if not essential, by hand, with a small seam.
At the moment of fixing the cover to the frame, we pierce the staples with an interval of 3-4 cm. If these are nails with a wide hat, then the distance should be slightly less.
As soon as we changed the seat upholstery, we do the same with the back.
You should always remember that do-it-yourself chair restoration always requires consistency in work, as well as attention.
When removing each of the details, you need to remember in what place and how it stood. Some masters use a camera for such purposes.
Restoration of frame parts
The concept of "restoration" includes not only the upholstery, but also the restoration of the wooden parts of the chair. After the time has elapsed, decorative details (armrests, turned elements, curly legs armchairs) become unusable, that is, they grow dull, the lacquer surface is erased, and small cracks appear on the furniture frame.
What can be done in such a case?
To solve this problem, we need:
- Sandpaper,
- Scraper,
- Blade from a clerical knife.
- Lacquer, stain.
Every detail must be sanded. You need to start with a large grain, gradually moving to a smaller one.
It is necessary to sand only in the direction of the fibers. If you make movements against the fiber, then the varnish will definitely show transverse lines.
Many master restorers use drill with special emery drums. They come in different widths and lengths, very convenient for grinding in hard-to-reach places.
- After the parts are sanded, carefully remove dust with a damp cloth or foam rubber sponge.
- Apply with a soft brush nitrolac until completely dry.
- After the varnish has dried, you can run your hand over the surface and feel how the pile has risen. With the finest sandpaper, we carefully “knock down” the risen fibers, that is, we make the surface smooth.
- Then you can apply a stain (alcohol, water or based on white spirit) and only then cover it with any varnish available in the production.
Video: do-it-yourself restoration of an old chair
That's the whole wisdom - how to easily and efficiently restore the chair at home.
Good luck to all masters!
Furniture company 366 Concept has returned forgotten Soviet armchairs to the market
During Soviet times, this armchair was in almost every living room of a Polish family. It was designed in 1962 by Joseph Chirowski and has been in production for 30 years. The designers of 366 Concept really wanted to revive the forgotten symbol of their childhood in the hope that it would gain new market demand.
The once popular Soviet armchair gets a second chance and opens up to the whole of Europe, whereas before its market was only Poland. 366 Concept received exclusive rights to manufacture the chairs, which sold 500,000 units between 1960 and 1980.
Apart from classic design a version for children, a rocking chair, an armchair for two and an enlarged version of the classic model were developed. The furniture brand has also developed a variant of the main model, the "bunny chair", whose legs are turned in such a way that they form the shape of bunny ears.
All chairs are produced in Poland and sold throughout Europe, 90% of deliveries are made outside the country. Representatives of the company believe that the chair has become popular largely due to its compact size. Young people in Paris and London live in small apartments and do not have the opportunity to put a large sofa, so they are looking for something small, but at the same time comfortable. Size original chair with wooden armrests was one of his key parameters- 72 cm high and 62 cm wide. The reason for this is not design, but the needs of the market, because Poland was a fairly poor country with small apartments. Therefore, a chair was designed that uses a minimum of materials, nothing superfluous.
These minimalist pieces of furniture are made from natural ash wood that is at least 7 years old. The company complements the wooden base with a dirt-repellent fabric reminiscent of retro materials - tweed and velveteen. The fabric is presented in various colors, the main of which are: gray, olive, orange and blue.
Chairs and armchairs are used more intensively than many other pieces of furniture. As a result, they wear out faster and stronger. And what can we say about the old samples!
Chair upholstery scheme
The most vulnerable in their design, as a rule, are the bearing parts. They fail faster than other elements. Today, do-it-yourself chair restoration at a high-quality level, thanks to the availability of excellent tools and materials, is available even to a beginner.
But in order to either partially repair the chair, or completely restore it, you do not need to call a carpenter at all. You just need to know a few technological features this process.
Materials and tools needed to remake an old chair
To haul the chair you will need: a screwdriver, self-tapping screws, a stapler, staples and a screwdriver.
For the convenience of the master and excellent quality of work, you will need the following:
- upholstery fabric;
- foam rubber;
- wooden (plywood) shield;
- varnish for furniture;
- stain;
- wood glue;
- electric drill;
- vibration grinding machine;
- stapler;
- pliers;
- wire cutters;
- screwdrivers;
- spanners.
Partial restoration of the chair
It often happens that it is not necessary to completely restore the chair. For example, if he has a well-preserved tissue or leather upholstery, but the legs are very loose, then a major update of such an item is not required - it is enough to take care of the legs.
Let's take a look at the most common breakdowns. constituent parts armchairs, the restoration of which will give a second life to the entire product.
Leg mounting diagram.
The first case: the legs stagger a lot. The easiest restoration option is to put the legs on glue in their original places. The main disadvantage of this option is the fragility of the glued legs. To eliminate it, it is recommended, in addition to gluing the legs to horizontal bar, additionally connect the parts to be fastened, for example, with dowels.
To do this, the entire repaired unit must be slowly disassembled. It is advisable to replace the spike. In this case, the joints are covered with fresh wood glue, the spike is inserted into seat. For tight fastening, the junction is pulled together with a clamp.
After that, 2-3 holes are drilled in the leg, where the dowels are driven in. These auxiliary parts, which are also covered with glue, must be made of wood. hard rock and be slightly larger in diameter than the diameter through holes. Holes are drilled on the seat body corresponding to the location of the dowels on the legs. The legs are connected to the rest of the chair, the fastened parts are tightly pulled together and left in this position until the glue dries.
Stages of attaching the upholstery fabric to the frame of the chair.
The second case: the seat belts were greatly stretched. Because of this, an impressive "pit" is formed in the seat. Another defect will have the same effect - the falling out of the nails that hold the straps in the seat body. If it's all about fastening the belts, it must be restored by stuffing new nails. If the reason is stretched old belts, then you can’t do without replacing them with new ones.
When installing new belts, they must be tightened. You can do this with wooden block. In this case, one end of the belt is attached to the seat frame, while the other end is well stretched with a bar, clamping the belt between the bar and the chair frame. While holding the belt in a taut position, it is nailed to the base.
This must be done in such a way that after that there remains a free section of the belt 30-40 mm long. It is bent and nailed for greater reliability. Between tensioned seat belts leave gaps of up to 100 mm.
Complete restoration of an old chair: the order of work
If a very old armchair has been standing in the room for a long time, not giving "signs of life", this is not a reason to throw it away.
Of course, in many cases it is better to buy new item, but often the owner really does not want to part with the old thing.
Chair frame.
After all, she can be very beautiful, stylish, and finally turn out to be a real historical relic of the whole family. Don't forget the money savings factor.
In this case, it is worth trying to restore the chair with your own hands. A complete restoration begins, of course, with the dismantling of furniture. To do this, having removed the coarse calico from the bottom of the seat, it is necessary to unscrew the nuts hidden under it. Removing the appropriate fasteners, dismantle the armrests.
The disassembly is followed by the removal of the old, outdated upholstery. If it can still be useful for something, it should be done carefully, gradually removing the staples with pliers. But often the fabric is simply torn off. In any case, it should be remembered that a lot of dust and debris has most likely accumulated under the old upholstery.
Next, an inspection of all internal wooden parts is carried out. Cracks should be impregnated with wood glue, and the defective part itself should be stapled. If the part is not subject to restoration, it is replaced with a new one, using blanks of the same properties and dimensions. Also (if necessary) wooden shield curly elements are cut out according to the appropriate sizes and shapes, which have become completely unusable.
Lacquer is removed from all the old elements of the chair, sanding them with a drill with a special nozzle. Finishing is done with a grinder. wooden details covered with stain. After it dries for 5-6 hours, these parts are varnished. After that, you need to let the varnish dry for a day. And only then can you assemble the wooden frame of the product.
Assembly is carried out using metal fasteners, wooden dowels and wood glue. The entire assembly must be allowed to stand until the glue is completely dry.
For the upholstery of the chair, it is better to use wear-resistant fabric.
When we completely restore an old chair, most often we have to update the soft filler. Whether the foam rubber needs to be changed or it can be restored can only be judged after its careful examination.
If you have to lay a new filler, then you should first determine the thickness of the old one and add 2-3 cm to its actual thickness (the foam rubber sags by about that much with frequent pressure on it). Then, a new soft component is cut out in the same shape and size as the old filler. At the same time, its density should be at least 22-25. If the density is lower, then it can be increased by placing a layer of spunbond (coarse calico) between the layer of new foam rubber and the old foam rubber.
New foam filler or filler from another suitable material stick to wooden base seats or fasten with brackets around its perimeter.
On final stage repair is carried out by upholstery of the chair with fabric. To do this, you need to cut the old upholstery, previously carefully removed from the chair, into individual elements. Having superimposed these fragments on the prepared fabric, they make cutting of new flaps.
Gradually, by applying individual parts of the fabric to the corresponding parts of the chair, adjacent fabric fragments are sewn to them. It should always be remembered that furniture upholstery is done with a good stretch.
Lastly, the corners of the chair are clogged. The fabric is attached to wooden frame with the help of staples nailed with a gap of 2-3 cm from each other.
If the master has a desire to radically change the design of the restored chair, then the patterns for the new upholstery cannot be made from the old one. Measurements for cutting will have to be done already in place after laying the new filler.
It is necessary that the quality and density of the new upholstery be combined with the quality and density of the filler. So, if the filler is too soft, a hard and not very elastic fabric may burst due to excessive tension.
When choosing a stapler for repair work for furniture, preference should be given to mechanisms with the most powerful spring.
Restoring an old armchair is not only a reason to revive a half-forgotten product, but also a chance to change the style of the entire room environment. So don't be afraid to experiment.
Restoration old furniture with your own hands - the process is complex, but very exciting! How to give new life loved 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
Restoration wooden furniture is a process that requires a lean 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: coat the wooden sides acrylic paint, insert a mirror mosaic , change the fittings. Most importantly, try not to fall out of general style. Handles and locks should either shine like real gold, or shimmer dully by candlelight.
There is one more interesting technology. You can decorate the cabinet doors with bright chintz and varnish. How to paint side walls manually? It 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 headset: round table With stone countertop and from the same material a mantelpiece. 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.
