Furniture is not only essentials, but also a way to create comfort and coziness. Due to getting used to its appearance and color, it can sometimes be quite difficult to purchase a new headset. At the same time, many refer to the lower quality of new furniture compared to the old one, and therefore they are in no hurry to part with the usual furnishings. Many people know that there are many effective ways to eliminate the shortcomings of old furniture and restore damaged surfaces. In addition, its restoration will help not only to preserve the familiar look of the interior, but also significantly save finances in the family. And today we will talk about how to restore old furniture at home.
Wooden furniture repair
Before proceeding with the elimination of external defects, the product itself should be repaired. Check the strength and availability of connectingfasteners, restore stability. If there is such a need, then glue the dispersed parts. It should be remembered that the glue does not harden immediately. Therefore, it takes time for the product to stick together and fix in the grooves.
Attention should also be paid to the condition of the plywood. Over time, small bubbles may appear on its surface, and sometimes parts of the plywood even break off. Bubbles are pretty easy to remove. You will need wood glue and a disposable syringe. Fill the syringe with glue and pour it into the bubble. Some people prefer to fight bubbles with a hot iron, which is also very effective.
When replacing a broken part, you should first of all align the edges, and then cut out a piece of plywood of the required size and fix it with any furniture glue.
It's quite common for old objects to make an annoying squeak. Ridding your favorite chair or cabinet of this shortcoming is very simple. You can make cloth pads according to the size of the junctions of the fasteners. An equally effective option would be to impregnate creaking places with hot drying oil.
In the event that the metal parts of the furniture creak, they should be lubricated and tightened tighter than the nuts. When restoring cabinets, door hinges need to be replaced. If the old screw sockets are too loose, wooden plugs with glue should be driven into them.
Preparatory work for removing external defects
How to restore old furniture at home? First of all, hermust be carefully prepared. All parts should be washed with warm soapy water, places with carvings and patterns should be cleaned with a soapy brush. The most stubborn places are cleaned using “null” sandpaper. In this case, it is necessary to work very carefully, without pressing or rubbing. Then the surfaces should be dried with a soft cloth and left to dry completely.
Removing old paintwork
How to restore furniture with your own hands? To remove old varnish from furniture coatings, some have successfully used white spirit. In some cases, turpentine will be required. The substance should be rubbed in until the old polish is removed. After that, you need to go over the surface with sandpaper, not forgetting to remove the resulting dust. Then a primer for furniture is applied to the cleaned surface. It will ensure that the next coat of varnish or paint is evenly applied.
Fix cracks and scratches
Old furniture tends to get cracks and scratches over time, caused by external damage and drying out of the wood.
How to restore old furniture at home and save it from such damage? An ordinary solution of iodine comes to the rescue. They can simply paint over small scratches by changing the intensity of the color.
Deep white scratches can be masked with shoe polish and cloth. And this is the easiest way. You can also mask damage using mastic. She's getting readypretty simple. Take four parts of beeswax and three parts of turpentine. Melt the ingredients and mix thoroughly. The resulting mastic is filled with a scratch and polished with a cloth. Chips on furniture can be repaired using the same wax mastic.
Fighting cracks is somewhat more difficult, but also possible. Small cracks are removed with the help of homemade mastic, and putty does an excellent job with deep ones. Suitable for this and carpentry, and automotive. Only she needs to give the necessary shade. Add a suitable water-based furniture paint to the putty to achieve the desired color.
Removing stains on furniture
How to restore polished furniture? The main problem of an old polished table, for example, is whitish spots. They appear from a hot iron or teapot, once carelessly placed on the surface.
It is difficult to get rid of such stains, because they are caused by a change in the degree of transparency of the varnish. If the damage is shallow, then it will be enough to rub the stain with alcohol. In case of deep damage, mastic is used to polish the car body. A small amount of the product is applied to the stain and carefully rubbed with a soft cloth. The abrasive included in the mastic removes the top damaged layer, and the beeswax polishes the stain.
Restoration of surfaces with wax paste
Wax paste for furniture restoration can be prepared with your own hands, or you can buy it inspecialized stores.
Of course, you need to remember that dark wax is used for dark woods, light - for light ones. If you wish, you can use homemade wax mastic. How to cook it, we have already written.
The process of applying wax is as follows: a ball is made of wax, wrapped in a soft cloth (for ease of use) and rolled over the surface to be restored. Wax in this case is applied in a thin layer. Then it is rubbed with a soft cloth, removing excess. And polish the surface.
Coloring and subsequent varnishing
How to restore wooden furniture if varnish and paint are missing in some places? Before proceeding with varnishing, you should decide for yourself the question of how you will cover the damaged surface: stain or paint. Both materials are presented in a huge assortment.
The only caveat: when using paint after the surface has dried, it is necessary to carefully walk over it again with sandpaper, removing irregularities. Experts recommend taking alkyd enamel or acrylic paint for painting. The material should be applied in two to three coats, allowing time to dry.
Lacquer comes in two types: matte or glossy. Accordingly, the end result will be different. Before application, the varnish is slightly diluted and applied with the first layer. Allow to dry and then rub with fine sandpaper. Apply the next layer again and wait for complete drying.
WhenIf you wish, you can also use spray paint, but this process is quite lengthy in time. The paint must be applied in at least three layers, and the interval between applications is 10 hours. And if we talk about where to restore furniture in this way, then, of course, on the street. Or in the workshop, just make sure the room is well ventilated.
Restoration of antique furniture
How to restore old furniture at home if it is a valuable antique? To restore antique furniture, ordinary materials will not work. Here it is necessary to choose sparing means. In particular, special oil. It absorbs much faster and is much easier to apply. But it would be more prudent to entrust the restoration of antique furniture to professionals.
Do-it-yourself home furnishings, as a rule, give the owners a lot of pleasure and aesthetic pleasure. We hope that the photos of the restored furniture will inspire you to revive the old chest of drawers, and our tips will help you with this.
