Restoration of lacquered furniture. How to restore furniture with your own hands, step-by-step recommendations Restoring polished furniture

Restoration or repair old furniture do it yourself - the process is very complicated, but fascinating! Give new life to your favorite sofa, in which you fell asleep when you were little, to make an ancient chest of drawers sparkle, in which many things memorable to your heart are stored - you can do all this with a little diligence. After restoration, family artifacts can serve and please the eye for many more years, keeping the history and traditions of your family.

The old master furniture makers worked knowing that a thing is bought for generations. Their aesthetics and artistic taste have been improved over the centuries and therefore organically absorb the trends of modernity. Because old furniture is rapidly growing in price. Renovating old furniture is not only a money saver, but also a very creative and exciting process.

Signs of antiques:

stigma
fastener dimensions.

Very important: you need to remove the fasteners with a slotted screwdriver, not too narrow or wide, with a flat, but slightly licked-off corners.

First of all, we take out all the boxes and inspect their corners. Roundness without scoring is a sign of antiquity. The stigma must be sought on back wall, the underside of the countertop or the bottom. Dust and cobwebs are carefully removed with a soft brush or vacuum cleaner.

ANTIQUE FURNITURE XVIII - IX CENTURIES

Fasteners - screws, screws, corners - carefully inspect. The thread is non-standard, the pitch and profile are floating - which means it is old; cut by hand or on a primitive machine with a foot or bow drive.

Wooden furniture

It only makes sense to breathe a second life into something that has served faithfully for many years. What was made by masters with a capital letter. Agree, Chinese furniture made of chipboard is unlikely to be repaired. Her destiny is recycling.

First of all, you need to figure out did you get antiques? Then consider yourself lucky, do nothing before the evaluation! Museums and collectors entrust the restoration only to masters, and any amateur activity reduces the cost of the thing by dozens of times. How to determine antique furniture is it or not?

Complete renovation of furniture with renovation and new decor includes the following steps:

Acclimatization;
Disassembly;
cleaning and washing;
Surface revision;
Elimination of varnish defects or its washing, depending on its condition and further intentions;
Elimination of wood defects;
Bulkhead and reinforcement of fasteners; veneer;
Painting and priming of wood;
Painting and / or painting the surface of a tree;
surface decoration;
Giving details the effect of antiquity;
Protective varnish;
polishing;
Upholstery of seats, pillows, armrests, if upholstered furniture is being repaired;
Assembly.

All of these jobs can be done at home. But before describing the work operations, we will give a summary of the tools and materials, so as not to scatter and not be distracted in the future.

Scratch Removal

Grout for cracked lacquer

Recipe 1- paraffin and colored furniture wax 1:1. The composition, matched by tone, is rubbed into the cracks with the help of a polisher, until heated from friction. The remains are removed with a lint-free (old and well-stretched) rags moistened with kerosene or turpentine. Suitable for grouting small cracks in wood.

Recipe 2, For small scratches- linseed or burdock oil and ethyl alcohol 1:1. Apply with a swab of white flannel or baize; after drying, polish with a clean dry cloth.

Chips on a wooden surface.

chipped on wooden surface is a serious defect, but nevertheless it can be corrected independently. As we have already said, hard and soft wax is used to repair defects. But to deal with chipping more suitable choice there will be wood putty. Companies produce putty on a water, nitro and polyester basis. This material is applied with a spatula and after drying completely imitates wood. Putty is also selected by color and can be mixed with stain.

Damage to paintwork.

Often, a dent is formed on the varnished surface of furniture or the floor from the fall of any massive object. In this case, it is very difficult to restore the integrity of the coating, the most suitable materials for this are retouching varnish or transparent varnish in a bottle with a brush inside. These materials are selected according to the degree of gloss of the restored surface. However, it is impossible to completely level the surface with varnish, you can only make the defect less noticeable.

veneer

High-quality veneer is made in two layers: the underside is made of cut veneer of industrial wood and the face is made of sliced veneer of valuable species. Unfortunately, when the veneer is peeled, both layers most often come together, and they have to be separated, and for this it is necessary to remove the veneer from the entire plane and veneer it again.

The old glue is removed with a surfactant remover, but gluing has features:

Having applied a sheet of bottom for final gluing, p. 4 in the previous. list, they immediately smooth out the bubbles with a hot chasing hammer: large and elongated with a striker, and small round ones with a butt.
Smoothed at 45 degrees relative to the herringbone veneer fibers, i.e. alternately in different directions.
As soon as the bubbles subside, the entire surface is ironed with a hot iron.
The plane is covered with polyethylene, a thick sheet is applied flat plywood and dried for at least 3-4 days under heavy oppression.
If bubbles are found after drying, inject PVA emulsion into them with a syringe and repeat smoothing.
The front sheet is glued in the same way.

Inlay

Real wood inlay - intarsia - is not available for independent execution. But it can be successfully replaced by a wooden mosaic - marquetry. Make marquetry like this:

On a sheet of paper on PVA, pieces of veneer, possibly tinted with stain, are collected in a MIRROR REFLECTION pattern.
After the glue dries, the drawing is turned upside down with paper and glued to the plane, like veneer.
Paper with a layer of glue is removed with a small, 220-240 number, sandpaper on a bar.
All marquetry is covered with a protective varnish.

Applications

The simplest and most accessible of wood applications is decoupage. There are many ready-made kits for sale, and the technique is simple: fragments of colored paper are glued onto a PVA or acrylic base and then varnished.

Giving the effect of antiquity.

Many people want to "age" their furniture. There are two main ways: craquelure and patination. Furniture patination is not at all the creation of an artificial patina on metal; it is used not only for "aging", but also for surface decoration in Provencal style. You need to know that craquelure on patinated furniture is hardly ever appropriate: they are most often patinated under metal, and who, where, when saw bronze or silver in a grid of small cracks? But let's move on to technology.

Craquelure

Craquelure on furniture is done with the same craque varnish as on painting or Venetian plaster. Krake is applied to the paint that has set, but is still wet, giving a slight tack. When it hardens, the crack shrinks, pulling the still soft paint along with it, and a network of small cracks forms on it. Craquelure can be coated with a protective varnish.

Furniture patina

Patination of furniture is the sequential application of ever-shrinking layers of ever-lighter paint on it, so oxidized worn metal is imitated. Each layer is shaded. For bronze patination, first apply acrylic paint golden metallic, and on it - its own bronze or bronze powder is rubbed. Silver patination, as in the linkrusta illustration, can be done with aluminum and then zinc powder.

The basic principle is patination from depressions to bulges, because in reality the relief is erased along the peaks. The technique is this:

On the corner of a flat brush, take a drop of paint from the first layer, insert it into the cavity and shade it in black with the same brush.
After setting with a polisher, velvet or cloth, shade completely towards the convexity, gradually reducing the tone to the background.
The second, and, if necessary, subsequent layers are also applied.

With external simplicity, the furniture patination technique requires a serious skill and a firm hand, so you need to master it gradually, practicing on different kind debris and waste.

Lacquering and polishing

For protective varnishing of furniture use any furniture varnishes. For the sake of appearance, it is better to cover aged furniture with oil varnish, but it dries for a long time and requires regular care polish with vegetable oil or wax with turpentine. Nevertheless, transparent or tinted acrylic should be recognized as the best furniture varnish: it is suitable for any surface, extremely durable and requires almost no maintenance.

Polishing varnishes of the "old" types is done with cloth, velvet or felt, but they do not rub acrylic well, because of its strength. The acrylic coating is polished with a leather polish (this is faster, but only flat surfaces) or felt with GOI paste, familiar to every man who served in the army. Kerosene is dripped onto the polisher until it is noticeably moistened, rubbed with GOI and then the furniture is polished. The paste does not go much: if the polishing has gone sluggishly, but the greenery of the GOI is still visible on the polish, just drip more kerosene. Traces of GOI on furniture are easily erased with a rag slightly moistened with the same kerosene.

Cabinet furniture

Sooner or later, a situation occurs when cabinet furniture loses its original appearance. Kitchen set and the same bookshelves in need of repair. There are also small problems: handles break, drawers do not close well. But it is not always possible to buy new furniture. Yes, and sometimes it’s just a pity to get rid of old furniture. You need to repair cabinet furniture with your own hands.

Of course, if you are not sure about own forces, for repairs it is better not to undertake. It is better to hire a specialist who will cope with the task in the shortest possible time. Finding it is not difficult at all. It is enough to get to the World Wide Web or open a newspaper with free ads, and you will see a huge number of offers on this topic. Just do not forget that real masters should be engaged in repairs, there is no place for amateurs in your house.

Scratches, cracks, abrasions

Wipe the places that have lost their presentation with linseed oil. It can be purchased at any specialized store or market. Wait until the surface is completely dry. Take a small piece of clean cloth and buff the surface to a shine. In the event that the varnish is severely damaged, it is necessary to cover the damaged area with a layer of wax. Pick your favorite shade and go!

If you found on lacquered surface some spots, it is better to find out their origin at the beginning. When this fails, wipe the stains with a cloth soaked in alcohol. As you already understood, repairing cabinet furniture with your own hands does not require any fabulous costs. If the spots still do not disappear, then it is better to repeat the operation.

Chip removal

Chips usually appear at the corners and are small indentations light color(chipboard colors).

The elimination process consists of several stages:

Chip preparation. At the same time, it is necessary to process the chip with a chisel so that its edges become straight.
chip repair. For this hard wax suitable color melt with a wax melter or a lighter and apply it to the chip with a small margin.
Surface leveling. After drying the wax with a chisel, after working through each plane, carefully cut off the excess wax, forming a clear right angle of the surface, and lightly polish with a felt cloth.
Texture restoration. With a thin retouching felt-tip pen, lines are applied along the chip in accordance with the general texture, each time rubbing with a paper towel to easily smear the clear boundaries of the lines and make them more believable.
Opening varnish. To fix the seal and to give the restored surface a characteristic sheen, spray varnish is applied.

door hinges

Often, during the operation of cabinet furniture, it is necessary to adjust or restore door hinges and holes for them.

Unfortunately, chipboard does not withstand repeated screwing and unscrewing of screws, but a simple repair will save the day. It is easy to perform at home, with a minimum of tools.

As a rule, a screw that has been turned or torn out of the body of the furniture, no longer fulfilling its function, becomes a problem. What should be done:

We drill a hole with an 8mm wood drill, act carefully so as not to go through.

We take furniture dowel 8mm in diameter:

And dipped in PVA, we hammer into our hole. After the glue dries, cut off the protruding part with a sharp chisel.

Now you can re-drill the holes with a thin drill and screw the screws into place. After repair, such a loop can be adjusted repeatedly without any special consequences - beech hardwood and it is difficult to pull out a screw from it, and the dowel itself is held firmly due to the larger adhesion and glue surface.

Restoration of antique antique furniture

Museums and collectors entrust the restoration only to trusted masters, and any amateur activity of amateurs reduces the cost of things by tens, hundreds of times, down to zero.

Outcome

Restoring furniture with your own hands is a difficult and painstaking task, but rewarding. Old furniture after restoration can last for a very long time. It creates comfort, cordial, friendly atmosphere in the house and acquires great value. Restoration of old furniture is feasible at home, but if you are not sure that you can do it, it is better to trust professionals, especially if you need to restore antique furniture.

Every home has favorite interior items that have lost their appeal over time. Furniture restoration will help prolong the life of your favorite furniture, make it attractive and bright. The complexity of the process depends on the damage to the wooden surfaces and how much you want to transform the old furniture. Do not think that restoring furniture is easy, as this process is laborious and will require accuracy and perseverance from you.

Scratches can appear on any household item. But on lacquered furniture, they are much more noticeable. If there is information about the varnish with which the surface was covered, then it is enough to treat the scratch with the appropriate tool:

Ethyl alcohol is used for alcohol-based varnish or varnish;
Thinners 646 and 647 are well suited for nitro lacquers. You can also use acetone;
Surfaces coated with polyester or nitrocellulose varnish are treated with sandpaper. After stripping, you need to apply a special polishing paste and varnish again.

If the coating is unknown, then it is worth using other methods to eliminate small scuffs and scratches on the furniture. Restoration of Soviet furniture is often carried out with the help of a stroke. IN construction stores a stroke for furniture is presented in a large assortment, it is affordable and easy to use:

Shake the bottle until a homogeneous mass is formed;
Apply one layer to the scratch with a brush;
Once the first layer is dry, apply the second. There may be several layers;
Leave to dry for 10-15 minutes;
Buff the area with a soft flannel cloth.

This completes the process of restoring scratches with a stroke.

Shake the stroke

Apply the composition with a brush to the scratch

Polishing the surface

How to apply wax pencils for restoration

This material is sold in all hardware stores. It is easy to use and not expensive. It is convenient to use a pencil when restoring carved objects, as it is easy for them to penetrate hard-to-reach areas of the decor. Do-it-yourself furniture restoration in the Baroque style is carried out as follows:

If the wax pencil is soft, just wipe the defect and polish the surface;
If the pencil is made of hard wax, then before applying to the scratch, it must be heated.

The surface is polished with a soft cloth to a shine.

Applying a pencil

Polishing the coating

How to use furniture wax

There is another very common tool - furniture wax. It can be hard or soft. The first version of the material must first be melted and filled with damaged areas. Restorative soft wax is much easier to use, they rub the area with a lot of scratches. In both cases, after the wax has hardened, the surface is subjected to high-quality polishing. We also restore furniture made of chipboard (chipboard), which has many scratches and scuffs.

We heat the wax

Applying wax to furniture

We polish the surface with a rag.

DIY mastic

If the above materials were not at hand, then you can make mastic for restoration furniture wall. To do this, take:

30 gr of turpentine;
20 grams of alcohol;
40 gr of wax;
Petrol;
Soft wool.

Preparing the mixture is not difficult: melt the wax in a water bath, into which turpentine is gradually introduced, with constant stirring, then pour alcohol into the container. Take a woolen rag, wet it with gasoline, dip it into the mixture and rub it over the damaged surface until it shines. The job of removing scratches from a wood surface is not difficult. Now consider how to restore furniture with more serious damage.

We prepare materials

We apply gasoline to the coating

Coating the surface with wax

Repair of chips and deep cracks

Chips and deep cracks on the surface of furniture are considered quite serious damage, and it is much more difficult to repair them. If there is no confidence in the quality of this work, contact a professional. Restoration of furniture by a private master will not be cheap, but it will be done with high quality and with a guarantee. We decided to do it ourselves - pay attention to what tool and material will be needed:

Stain of the desired color;
White spirit, for dissolving the varnish coating;
Special primer for wood;
Putty mixture for wood;
Sandpaper of different fractions from 100 to 3000;
Scotch masking;
Brushes and rollers.

The algorithm for performing work looks like this:

In case of incomplete restoration, the surface on which there is no damage is pasted over with adhesive tape;
The damaged area is treated with white spirit to remove the old varnish;
The primer is applied to the tree and left to dry completely;
The chip is puttied with a special compound so that a small tubercle appears on the surface;
As soon as the putty is completely dry, it is cleaned with sandpaper;
Wipe the area with a damp suede cloth and apply the stain of the desired color.

The work must be carried out carefully so that the stain does not get into the undamaged area, otherwise the tree will darken and a complete restoration will have to be carried out. Once the stain has dried, you can varnish the repaired area. Lacquer for furniture restoration is applied with a brush, if the area is small, or with a roller.

It is necessary to cover the surface in several layers, while each subsequent one after drying is skinned sandpaper abrasiveness of 800 units. The last layer must be polished with a special polish.

If you do not know how to properly restore, then you can purchase special books that describe the entire process in detail. You can also use online tutorials.

Treat with white spirit

We apply a primer

Apply putty inside the cracks

Sandpaper processing

Coating with stain

What to do if the veneer is stratified

Veneered products need a special approach. Means and tools for furniture restoration are the same as for restoration wooden products, and the methods for eliminating defects are different:

Veneer restoration begins with an inspection of the object. If blisters appear on the surface, then you need to take a syringe with a thick needle, into which you draw PVA construction glue. Gently pierce the swelling with a needle and squeeze the glue inside. Lay a piece of clean cloth on the site, put the load. If the veneer is stuck unevenly, this place should be heated with an iron or a bag of hot salt;
A small loose piece of veneer should not be cut off evenly with a knife, it is better to break it off. The uneven edges of the crease are much easier to join. Then the fragment should be cleaned from the old glue, apply a new layer of adhesive and attach the part to the fracture site. Put a rag and put a load;
If repair of scratches is required, then it is carried out in the same way as during restoration. wooden furniture: small ones are covered with a furniture pencil, deep ones are poured with wax. After drying, the restoration wax is sanded, polished and varnished.

Restoring luxury furniture on your own requires special care and patience. Do not rush - coat with the composition, wait until dry, sand and spread again, and so on several times. Methods are different, in some situations you have to use several methods to achieve the desired effect.

We examine the coatings

We tear off the damaged section of the veneer

We close up the cracks

Complete refinishing of the paintwork

If with the help of putty and varnish it is not possible to recreate the former beauty of the furniture, you need to restore the wooden or complete restoration of Soviet furniture with your own hands. The work is carried out in stages, the sequence of which must be strictly observed.

Cleaning the surface from the old coating

Before you start removing furniture varnish or paint from the surface of the furniture, you need to purchase a special remover. Restoration Italian furniture from precious woods, a very responsible occupation, therefore, emulsion-based washes are used. This material is non-toxic, harm to wood is minimal. It is worth noting that the ignition of these washes tends to zero, which is a plus if the work is carried out in an apartment. So the restorers modern furniture it is recommended to use this material.

Work with washes:

As soon as the wash hits the lacquer, the process of corrosion begins. You need to apply the material with a special flute brush and wait. Polyester varnishes will come off after 2-3 hours, alcohol compositions in 30 minutes;
Before applying the wash, the polyester coating must be sanded with coarse sandpaper so that the composition penetrates as deep as possible;
After applying the material, all furniture must be well wrapped with paraffin-impregnated paper and secured with twine or twine;
Remains old paint or varnish can be removed after the time indicated on the package with a remover. A simple spatula can be used for cleaning;
Further, the entire surface is degreased with a solvent.

After carrying out these actions, the furniture is left for several hours to dry. Then you should walk along it with sandpaper along the fibers and wipe it from dust with a damp cloth.

We process the surface with sandpaper

We apply a wash

Covering furniture with paraffin paper

Removing old paint

Degrease the surface

What material to use for varnishing

When choosing a means for varnishing furniture, you need to focus on the advice of professionals, for example:

Lucky on water based used for the restoration of furniture at home in children's rooms. They do not have an unpleasant smell, they dry quickly, do not cause allergic reactions. There is a small minus - after drying, they become dull, which some do not like;
Alkyd varnishes are advised to be used by people who do not have experience in varnishing surfaces. They are easy to use and fit right the first time. Even if there was a smudge during application, it is easy to wash off;
Polyurethane compounds are the most difficult to apply: firstly, they require special equipment to apply, and secondly, they have bad smell. But it is worth noting that such a coating will last much longer than all of the above materials;
Furniture restoration (a master class can be viewed on our resource) is carried out using furniture oils. A swab is used to apply the composition.

The surface to be varnished must be smooth. Before applying furniture varnish, buy two soft brushes. After applying the first layer of varnish, take a new tool.

Restoration of cabinet furniture at home can be done independently, only subject to a strict sequence in the process:

Take off old layer finish coating;
clean the surface;
Apply primer;
Putty chips and scratches;
Sand after drying;
Apply stain;
Apply furniture polish.

This plan will help you avoid making mistakes when working on the restoration of wooden interior items.

Removing old paint

Cleaning up

We prime

We putty chips

We grind the coating

We cover with stain

We apply varnish

Technology of work with upholstered furniture

Restoration upholstered furniture produced according to the following algorithm:

Perform a complete disassembly;
Wooden elements should be sanded well along the fibers and wiped with a soft, damp cloth to remove dust from the product;
Coat the parts with primer on wood and allow to dry well;
Best for coloring spray paints because they lay down much more evenly. In this case, three coats of paint will be enough. As soon as the paint dries, a layer of protective furniture varnish is applied to the surface;
Remove the upholstery and pull out the filler. To choose the method by which the restoration of upholstered furniture will be carried out, you need to know the features of the updated product. For example, if we take into account the restoration of chairs, then it is enough to stretch a new fabric on the seat. In the photo you can see the product before and after restoration. If an armchair or a sofa is being restored, then it will be necessary not only to change the upholstery, but also the filler;
According to the old pattern, cut out the filler. You can use sheet foam rubber, which is in stores in a large assortment;
Cut out fabric pieces. To do this, lay out the old upholstery parts on a new canvas and make the corresponding elements;
Stick filler on interior items. To do this, you can use PVA construction glue;
Lay the sheathing and with the help of a construction or furniture stapler, fasten it with reverse side products. The fabric should be of medium tension, while the staples should be every 3-5 cm from each other;
The last stage of work will be the assembly of furniture.

It is worth noting that textile workers use a special restoration kit, which has everything you need for high-quality upholstery of upholstered furniture. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the restoration of upholstered furniture with your own hands. If everything is done correctly, the result can be a product in interesting design that will delight you for more than one year.

Video

No matter how carefully we handle furniture, scuffs, scratches, stains still appear sooner or later. They are usually easy to remove. The main rule is that you need to know exactly how and with what you can get rid of a particular type of defect.

The wooden surface just lost its luster.Preparation: looking for a care product for the appropriate tree species, the composition should contain orange oil. We take a clean sponge, moisten it a little and heat it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Be sure to wear rubber gloves coated on the inside. Procedure: We spray the product from the spray gun onto a dry, clean surface, then wipe it with a hot sponge.
Removing scuffs or stains on wood surfaces. Procedure: just wipe these places with a banana peel. This method helps only with minor defects.
Significant defects (more severe abrasions or stains).Preparation: we purchase retouching markers of a suitable color (they can be found in stores furniture fittings), denatured alcohol and wax. Procedure: first we clean the surface, for example, with dish detergent and water; after drying, wipe with alcohol - we moisten the swab with alcohol and rub the brightened places well. Almost always the color is restored. Of course, alcohol will not cope with the deepest scratches, we paint over them with a marker of the optimal color. To add shine, the surface is waxed and polished from above. soft cloth.
Small irregularities, can be leveled with a nail file. It is sometimes easier to work with than sandpaper.
Slight swelling of wood from moisture. This refers to cases when a leaking vessel was placed on the surface and it is necessary to quickly get rid of the defect. Preparation: mix salt and olive oil into a paste. Procedure: The mixture is applied to the damage and gently rubbed in a circular motion. We leave for 30 minutes. Salt draws out water, and olive oil restores elasticity to the fibers.
Chip restoration. Preparation: we get putty, suitable for both special for wood and automotive. Procedure: We select the desired color, for this it is easiest to buy a light putty and add color to it if necessary. We cover the chip and smear a little putty on the adjacent surface. After drying, smooth with fine sandpaper.

How to restore the varnish coating and polishing?

Restoring the lacquer layer is a very time-consuming matter and in each case has its own nuances. The only universal task for any restoration is cleaning and removing fat from the surface. The method described above detergent for dishes, it is quite suitable for solving our problem. After wet cleaning, it is necessary to wipe the coating with a clean, dry cloth and wait for the final drying. Only after that you can proceed to the next steps. Further steps depend on the condition of the furniture, the complexity of its defects, color, etc.

Scratches and scuffs on dark furniture we can paint over with iodine, while achieving the desired shade by the number of applied layers, or by diluting it with water. Or use furniture markers.
Deep and whitened scratches cannot be painted over in this way. There are options for this:
- We prepare a special mastic (mix melted wax and turpentine in a ratio of 4: 3) and apply with a soft cloth for polishing.
- You can use a shoe polish of a suitable shade.
  First you need to paint over the scratches, and only then restore the coating.
Remove any stains with gasoline. Wipe the dirt vigorously with a soft cloth soaked in clean gasoline, which will help remove any stains, but you may have to walk several times. Eventually the stain will disappear. After using linseed oil mixed with denatured alcohol, polished to a shine.
Wipe white circles from hot cups, plates or other objects with alcohol. It is also possible with several attempts. Polish with linseed oil and denatured alcohol. In especially severe cases, hot stains will help remove a mixture of drying oil and alcohol.

How can I refresh or renew the polish?

Option 1 Necessary: linseed oil, turpentine and vinegar in a ratio of 2:2:1. What to do: mix all the ingredients, apply with a swab or sponge, wait until it is absorbed and polish. Option 2 Necessary: oil and beer in a 1:1 ratio. What to do with mix and wipe the furniture, polish after absorption. Option 3 Necessary: beer and a piece of wax. What to do: boil beer together with a piece of wax, wait until the composition cools down and becomes warm, after which we apply it to the furniture. When the mixture is absorbed, rub the surface to a shine.

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 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 its application, it is necessary to cover the treated surface 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 Therefore, it is necessary 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. All narrow gaps and cracks must be expanded so that it becomes possible to fill them with putty.
2. For deep defects, such as chips and cracks, apply the starting putty and wait until it hardens.
3. Then it is necessary to clean the hardened coating to remove serious irregularities, and apply a thin, even layer of finishing putty.
4. Using the latter, also eliminate scratches and other minor defects on the surface of the furniture.
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 your own hands with sandpaper or a grinder to get rid of small scratches and roughness. Therefore, the grain of the abrasive should be minimal.

If you plan to use a clear coat, choose finishing putty under the color of the tree. 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 options decorative finishes.

If your furniture is made of precious woods, such as mahogany or oak, think about the choice finishing material don't even have to. 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. To without special costs authentically imitate wood, 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. Prime the product acrylic varnish in two layers.
2. Cut the wallpaper to fit the furniture.
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

Most simple 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, great solution furniture will be decorated with craquelure. 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. Coat the surface of the wood with several coats of acrylic primer, dry between coats.
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. After the paint has dried, apply craquelure varnish.
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.

If your old Soviet furniture has lost its former luster and is rather tired, but you don’t want to throw it away, try to restore furniture sets with your own hands using a master class. With a quality restoration, your friends and acquaintances will not even know that such furniture has served you for a long time.

Of course, hauling furniture with your own hands is a huge job, but you should not worry, since nothing is difficult to do. There are very simple techniques for updating furniture with your own hands, which everyone will master. Let's start with the most common restoration methods.

If you want to paint old lacquered furniture, clean it of dust, wipe it with a damp cloth and wait for it to dry. Then level the surface with putty and leave to dry. After the workpiece is ready for further work, clean its surface, then apply the primer with another layer and wait for the surface to dry. When the furniture is dry, start painting.
You can paint with a brush or roller. Apply several thin coats, do not need a lot of paint, otherwise streaks will appear. To achieve uniformity, apply paint along, and then across.

First you need to paint the surface inside, joints and edges, and only then start painting outer surface. This is done in order not to get dirty and not to disturb the structure of already painted surfaces.

If the varnish on your furniture is not broken, and it is also free of defects, you can start painting without performing corrective work. Use a spray bottle to save time.

Do-it-yourself restoration of old wooden furniture

No matter how you take care of your furniture, scratches, various stains and scuffs will still appear on it. They are pretty easy to fix if you know how to use them.

If you want to give wood furniture its former shine, try to find a product that contains orange oil. Apply the polish to the sponge and warm it up in microwave oven by programming it for thirty seconds. Then spray the product on the surface of the furniture and wipe it with a heated sponge. Be sure to use rubber gloves to avoid mechanical damage skin and burns.
To get rid of stains and scuffs, use a banana skin by rubbing defective places on furniture with it. If the damage is minor, this is the best remedy.
In order to eliminate more serious stains, you will need retouching markers and wax, which can be purchased at furniture stores accessories. First, clean the surface with detergent diluted in water. When the furniture is dry, it should be degreased with alcohol applied to a sponge or swab. Often these actions will help restore color. However, deep scratches cannot be removed with alcohol, and for this you need a marker of the appropriate color. Polish the surface of the furniture with wax and a soft piece of cloth to give it a sheen.

To remove irregularities, use a nail file, it is much more convenient to use than sanding paper.
Places where the furniture is swollen must be treated with a salt solution and olive oil. Apply it to the places of defects and rub in circles. Leave for half an hour for the solution to work. Salt neutralizes water, and olive oil will return the furniture fibers to their former elasticity.
Chips on the surface are easily removed with putty. You can use wood putty or regular putty for cars. For more confidence, buy a light putty and dilute it with color. Cover the chip and a little of the adjacent surface, when dry, carefully level with a nail file or sanding paper with fine grit.