In many homes you can find items that have lost their original appearance, but it is a pity to part with them. Antique furniture, often passed down from generation to generation, is kept in families and is either restored independently or given to professionals. However, the process of restoring such furniture requires considerable effort and is often expensive. Because of this, old chests of drawers or cabinets continue to deteriorate, although they could please more than one generation. Correctly carried out restoration can bring new life to these items.
How to restore antique interior items: DIY repair tips
Furniture restoration requires knowledge and skills, especially when it comes to antiques. Restorers who work with antiques have experience and an understanding of the historical features of each piece. If you have furniture in your home that is a hundred years old or more, it is better to entrust its restoration to professionals. Independent attempts at repair can easily spoil unique elements and significantly reduce its value.
However, if you need to update an old family wardrobe, chest of drawers or table that was passed down through generations but does not have much historical value, you can do it yourself. These things are often precious as memories, not as antiques. Restoring such furniture is within the power of anyone who knows how to handle tools, is ready to follow instructions and prepare all the necessary materials in advance.
Restoration of antique furniture, professional approach or independent work:
- Price
Professional restoration can be a significant investment. It is worth contacting professionals if the furniture has historical value - such an investment can be justified, because over the years, antique items become more expensive.
- Quality
The restoration process requires specific skills and in-depth knowledge. Professionals know how to choose the right materials for replacement and coating, which is significantly different from the capabilities of a home craftsman.
- Saving time
Doing the restoration yourself can take weeks of painstaking work. If you're willing to temporarily turn your home into a workshop, this might be a good option.
Professional restoration is necessary when it comes to truly antique items. Specialists carefully select materials, upholstery and coatings that match the style and era of the item.
If you need to update a Soviet chair or sofa, it is quite possible to do it yourself. After restoration, such furniture will serve for many years and, perhaps, over time, will acquire its historical value.
The main stages of restoration of wooden furniture
To successfully restore wooden furniture, it is not always easy to determine all the necessary tools and materials in advance, as this depends on the type of furniture and its current condition. In some cases, a complete disassembly of the product will be required, and sometimes it is possible to limit yourself to just updating the external surfaces. It is recommended to prepare the maximum set of tools that are in the home arsenal.
The place for carrying out the work should also be selected based on the size of the furniture: large items are conveniently restored in a spacious room, and small items can be restored on the balcony, in the garage, or even outdoors.
Preparing materials for furniture restoration
The most common interior items that are subject to independent restoration are cabinets, chests of drawers, chairs and tables. The main stages of repair include eliminating cracks and chips, as well as updating the outer coating. This will require cleaning the surfaces, which is usually done with sandpaper. To minimize the amount of dust, you can use special strippers to remove old paint and varnish coatings.
To restore wooden interior items, you will need the following materials:
- Putty for repairing significant damage, such as cracks and dents. It is best to choose acrylic or silicone compounds, which are characterized by good elasticity and ease of use.
- A furniture marker or a stroke will help to mask small defects and partially fill cracks. These tools cope well with scratches.
- Furniture wax is designed to hide small chips and dents, easily eliminating visual defects.
- Paint or varnish are used to create a protective coating. If the goal is to preserve the natural structure of the wood, it is worth choosing transparent compositions.
- Furniture edging is necessary for processing the end parts of parts. It is better to use an edge on an adhesive base, matched to the color and tone of the furniture.
- The fixing varnish completes the process and protects against further damage. Both transparent and specialized coatings can be used.
If the structure needs repair, experts advise to completely disassemble the furniture and replace the fasteners. In professional restoration, original or imitation parts are used, and for home repair, corners, screws or nails are suitable. The main thing is not to damage the outer surface of the furniture.
Stages of restoration of wooden furniture
Depending on the condition of the furniture, you can determine whether a complete disassembly is needed or cosmetic repairs are sufficient. If the item does not require major changes, it will be enough to remove the shelves, drawers, fittings and glass elements.
If there are traces of mold on the interior surface of the furniture, be sure to treat all accessible parts with antifungal agents in two layers for reliable protection.
The complete process of restoration of wooden furniture:
- Disassembly. When disassembling furniture, it is recommended to sort all fasteners into separate boxes and label them. Many restorers take photos of each stage of disassembly, especially if the furniture has a complex design.
- Removing the old coating. You can use sandpaper, a building hair dryer or special removers for this. It is important to completely get rid of the old coating, otherwise the new materials may not lay evenly and look sloppy.
- Elimination of defects. When choosing materials for repair, it is important to select a color so that it matches the tone of the wood, unless there is an intention to radically change the color of the furniture.
- Preparing the surface for finishing. Remove excess leveling compounds, sand the surface and prime. Let the furniture dry for several days at room temperature.
- Applying the finishing coat. This can be paint of any color or clear varnish.
After complete drying, assemble the furniture in reverse order and install decorative elements, fittings, glass and mirrors.
Features of upholstered furniture restoration
Restoring old sofas and armchairs requires a more complex approach. When restoring upholstered furniture, it is often necessary to replace not only the upholstery, but also the internal filling. It is quite easy to eliminate chips, cracks and scratches on wooden elements. Installing new upholstery is also not difficult - just buy fabric of the right size and use a furniture stapler.
However, if you need to replace the internal filling, the task becomes more complicated. This is especially true for sofas and armchairs with curved shapes in a classic style. In such cases, it is better to entrust the restoration to professionals, since doing it yourself may be too difficult.
How to quickly update antique furniture: cosmetic restoration
There are several methods that allow you to restore the appearance of wooden interior items. These tips can be useful if you do not want to part with an old cabinet or chest of drawers, but the furniture no longer matches the style of your home or is planned to be used in the country.
- Coloring
This method allows you to solve two problems at once: update the appearance of furniture and change its color, which will make the item more harmonious in the interior. To do this, just follow a few steps: sand the surface, apply a primer and cover with paint, so that the old table, cabinet or chest of drawers shine like new.
- Decoupage
There are many stickers available in stores that are suitable for renovating old furniture. The surface can be decorated with images of natural motifs, unique patterns, geometric shapes or flowers. Once the decoration is complete, the furniture should be covered with a clear varnish and it will be ready for use.
- White varnish
This method works great for dark-toned items. The process is fairly simple: simply sand the surface and apply a few coats of white varnish. The dark wood will show through slightly, giving the furniture a sophisticated look.
There are many ways to breathe new life into old interior items. This is especially true if they have sentimental value for you and you do not want to part with them. Antique furniture is currently very popular, many people have been looking for such things for a long time or buy items with an aging effect.
