Chests in the old days were part of almost any interior. Often they are stored for years in houses or dachas, waiting in the wings. Restoring the chest will help breathe new life into it. Such a thing will rightfully take its place in the house and fit perfectly into any environment. It just takes a little imagination.
Types of chests
Old chests are very different. Depending on the functional purpose and appearance, they can be classified:
- To fit. Chests can be both large enough and small decorative chests. The use and placement of such items will vary greatly.
- In appearance. They can be with a straight or rounded lid, with or without legs, with locks, handles and decor. Chests for home use were lower and elongated. On travel and trips, they replaced modern suitcases, so the shape was different, more convenient.
- The quality of the materials from which they were made. Ancient chests could be wooden, with metal elements orall-metal, thick fabric or leather, wicker, etc.
- By purpose: decorative or functional chests.
These products, which are, in fact, cabinet furniture, also differed in style. For example, rustic chests were larger, more spacious, simpler and more rough. The road ones, on the other hand, were smaller and more accurate. Depending on the interior of the house, classic or decorated items were used. The restoration of the chest will help to adapt it to any space.
How to use an old chest
Despite the originality of such an item in the interior, chests are very functional. Often, even covers are used as an additional surface for various items. But do not forget about the storage space inside the chest. If desired, special drawers can be placed inside, which form compartments and make the space more functional.
Placing the chest in the interior
The purpose of the chest may differ, depending on the place where it is planned to be placed:
- In the living room, it can easily replace a coffee table. Inside you can store, for example, photo albums, board games, etc.
- In the bedroom, this is a nice extra surface to sit on. And you can store bed linen, bathrobes or home clothes in it.
- In a child's room, a chest can be an unusual place to store toys.
- Onon a veranda or terrace, the chest can easily serve as a table or bench. You can place warm, cozy blankets in it for outdoor recreation.
These are just some of the options for using the chest in the interior. But in any case, such an item will look very stylish and will definitely become an accent in the design of the room.
Possible methods of restoration
Restoration of the chest can be done in many ways. It depends on its condition and the final result that needs to be obtained. The main methods of restoration are:
- Decoupage. In this case, the product is decorated with a pattern or pattern cut out in advance. The decor is usually attached to the object, and the surface is varnished for reliability.
- Coating with various varnishes.
- Painting a product with paints.
- Using a variety of fabrics and upholstery materials.
- Decorating a product with various accessories for chests: handles, locks, metal plates, forged items, etc.
- Wood carving.
- Attach wheels if possible without ruining the look of the chest. This is convenient for moving an object, especially a large and heavy one.
For the restoration of wooden products, additional materials may sometimes be required to strengthen the frame. It depends on the condition of the chest.
Preparation of necessary materials
Any product can be brought back to life at home. For thisit is necessary to think over the method of restoration, prepare tools for wood and all the necessary materials in advance. For work you will need:
- grinder (if any);
- screwdriver or screwdriver;
- screws and fasteners;
- acrylic stain of desired color or primer;
- acrylic lacquer;
- paint brushes;
- wood putty;
- abrasive skins;
- decorative elements to decorate the product;
- painting tape to protect the decor during painting and processing.
Additional woodworking tools may be needed to strengthen the product. For example, a hammer and nails.
Do-it-yourself chest restoration
When everything is ready, you can get to work. Usually the process begins with the preparation of accessories for chests. It must be cleaned of dust, dirt and rust. Next, the fittings are glued with masking tape to prevent varnish or paint from getting in.
If desired, locks and handles can be removed with a screwdriver before the end of the restoration process. Or they can be completely replaced.
Next comes the grinder. With it, the surface of the tree is cleaned of old paint or varnish. This method will completely update the tree and reveal its unique structure.
If the product needs to be prepared for a new painting, then you can simply remove the bumps and cracks in the old coating with an abrasive skin.
Sometimes cracks appear in wood. Regardless of theirsize, you can level the surface using putty. It fills the cracks and leaves to dry completely. After that, such places are additionally polished.
When the surface is ready, you can apply a primer. If the surface is well sanded, then stain can be applied. It will give the product color, but retain the pattern of the tree. The more layers of stain, the more intense the color.
If paint is used, then it must be applied after the primer has dried. Then let the product dry.
The final step is to apply varnish. It is desirable that there are 2-3 layers. This will provide additional protection for the tree.
At the end of the restoration of the chest, you can return the fittings or prepared jewelry to their place.
Recommendations for restoration
The restoration process was not so difficult. The main thing is to do the work carefully and follow some recommendations:
- Vintage items with beautiful ornaments are recommended not to be completely painted over, but only to update and refresh the drawing. This will give a special charm to the chest.
- All restoration work is best done indoors (especially painting).
- Water-based paints and varnishes are recommended as they dry faster and have little to no smell.
- Wooden products should not be placed in rooms with high humidity.
- It is desirable to apply the coating, starting from the internal, rear and hard-to-reach surfaces. And then paint the front side toavoid smudges and bumps. This is especially important at the final stages of work.
