How to restore furniture with your own hands, step-by-step recommendations
Each house has its favorite home decoration, which over time has lost its appeal. The restoration of furniture will help to prolong the life of your favorite furniture, make it attractive and bright. The complexity of the process depends on damage to wooden surfaces and how much you want to transform the old furniture. You should not think that it is simple to restore furniture, as this process is laborious and will require your accuracy and perseverance.
Scratch repair
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 coated, then it is enough to treat the scratch with an appropriate agent:
- Ethyl alcohol is used for varnish based on alcohol or varnish;
- Solvents 646 and 647 are well suited for nitro coatings. You can also use acetone;
- Sandpaper treats surfaces coated with polyester or nitrocellulose varnish. After stripping, you need to apply a special paste for polishing and re-varnish.
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 a stroke. In construction stores, a furniture bar is presented in a large assortment, it is available and easy to use:
- Shake the bottle until a homogeneous mass is formed;
- Apply one layer to the scratch with a brush;
- As soon as the first coat dries, apply a second. There can be several layers;
- Leave to dry for 10-15 minutes;
- Polish the area with a soft flannel rag.
The scratch restoration process is now finished.
Shake the strokeApply the composition with a brush to scratchPolish the surfaceHow to apply wax pencils for restoration
This material is sold in all hardware stores. It is easy to use and not expensive. The pencil is convenient to use when restoring carved objects, as it is easy for them to penetrate into inaccessible areas of the decor. Do-it-yourself baroque furniture restoration is done 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.
Polishing the surface with a soft cloth to shine.
Draw a pencilPolish the coatingHow to use furniture wax
There is another very common tool - wax for furniture. It can be hard or soft. The first version of the material must first be melted and filled with damaged areas. Restoring soft wax is much easier to use, they rub the area with a lot of scratches. And in fact, and in another case, after the wax hardens, the surface is subjected to high-quality polishing. Also, furniture is restored from particleboard (particle board), on which many scratches and scuffs have formed.
Heat the waxApply wax to furnitureWe polish the surface of a rag.DIY mastic
If the above materials are not at hand, then you can make mastic for the restoration of the furniture wall. To do this, take:
- 30 g turpentine;
- 20 grams of alcohol;
- 40 gr of wax;
- Petrol;
- Soft coat.
It is not difficult to prepare the mixture: melt the wax in a water bath, into which turpentine is gradually introduced, with constant stirring, then pour alcohol into the container. Take a wool rag, soak it with gasoline, dip it into the mixture and rub it over the damaged surface to a shine. The job of removing scratches on a wooden surface is not complicated. Now consider how to restore furniture with more serious damage.
We prepare materialsApply gasoline to the coatingCoat the surface with waxChipping and deep crack repair
Chips and deep cracks on the surface of the furniture are considered quite serious damage, and it is much more difficult to eliminate them. If you are not sure of the quality performance of this work, contact a professional. Restoration of furniture by a private craftsman will cost a lot, but it will be completed with high quality and with a guarantee. Have decided to do it yourself - pay attention to what tool and material will be needed:
- Stain of the desired color;
- White spirit, for dissolving the lacquer coating;
- Special primer for wood;
- Putty mixture on wood;
- Emery paper of different fractions from 100 to 3000;
- Masking tape;
- Brushes and rollers.
The algorithm of the work is as follows:
- 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 on the wood and left to dry completely;
- The chip is puttied with a special composition so that a small tubercle appears on the surface;
- As soon as the putty is completely dry, they clean it with a 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 fall on the undamaged area, otherwise the tree will darken and will have to undergo a complete restoration. As soon as the stain dries, you can varnish the repaired area. Varnish 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, and each subsequent one after drying is sanded with sandpaper with an abrasiveness of 800 units. The last layer must be polished with a special polish.
We process with white alcoholApply primerPutty inside cracksSandpaper ProcessingWe cover the stainIf you do not know how to properly restore, you can purchase special books that describe the entire process in detail. You can also use master classes from the Internet.
What to do if veneered
Veneered products need a special approach. Means and tools for furniture restoration are the same as for restoration of wooden products, and methods for eliminating defects differ:
- Veneer restoration begins with an examination of the subject. If blisters appeared on the surface, then you need to take a syringe with a thick needle into which to collect PVA construction glue. Gently inflate the distention with a needle and squeeze the glue inward. Lay a piece of clean cloth on the site, put the load. If the veneer is not sticky unevenly, this place should be heated with an iron or a bag of hot salt;
- A small peeled piece of veneer should not be cut off exactly with a knife, it is better to break it off. The uneven edges of the crease are much easier to dock. Then the fragment should be cleaned from the old glue, apply a new layer of adhesive and apply the part to the fault point. Put a rag and put the load;
- If scratch repair is required, then it is carried out in the same way as in the restoration of wooden furniture: small ones are covered with furniture pencils, and deep ones are filled with wax. After drying, the wax for restoration is sanded, polished and varnished.
Restoration of luxury furniture on your own requires special care and patience. Do not rush - coat with a composition, wait until it dries, sand and coat again, and so on several times. The methods are different, in some situations you have to use several methods to achieve the desired effect.
Inspect CoatingsWe tear off the damaged veneerClose up cracksFull renewal of the paintwork
If using putty and varnish it is not possible to recreate the former beauty of the furniture, you need to perform the restoration of 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 of the old coating
Before proceeding with the removal of furniture varnish or paint from the surface of the furniture, you need to purchase a special wash. Restoration of Italian furniture from precious woods is a very responsible occupation, therefore, emulsion-based washes are used. This material is not toxic, the harm to wood is minimal. It is worth noting that the fire at these washes tends to zero, which is a plus if work is carried out in the apartment. So, restorers of modern furniture advise using this particular material.
Work with washes:
- As soon as the wash is on the varnish, the erosion process begins. Apply the material with a special flute brush and wait. Polyester varnishes will come off after 2-3 hours, alcohol compounds in 30 minutes;
- Before applying the polyester coating, the polyester coating should be sanded with sandpaper with coarse grain so that the composition penetrates as deep as possible;
- After applying the material, all furniture should be well wrapped with paraffin-soaked paper and secured with twine or twine;
- Residues of old paint or varnish can be removed after the time indicated on the packaging with a wash. For cleaning, you can use a simple spatula;
- Further, the entire surface is degreased with a solvent.
After these steps, the furniture is left for several hours to dry. Then you should walk along it with sandpaper along the fibers and wipe it off with dust with a damp rag.
We process the surface with sandpaperApply a washWe cover the furniture with paraffin paperRemove old paintDegrease the surfaceWhat material to use for varnishing
When choosing a means for varnishing furniture, you need to focus on the advice of professionals, for example:
- Water-based varnishes are used for the restoration of furniture at home in children's rooms. They have no unpleasant odor, they dry quickly, do not cause allergic reactions. There is a slight minus - after drying, they become dull, which some do not like;
- Alkyd varnishes are recommended for people who do not have experience in varnishing surfaces. They are easy to use, lie down exactly 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 be applied, and secondly, they have an unpleasant odor. But it is worth noting that such a coating will serve much longer than all of the above materials;
- Furniture restoration (a master class can be viewed on our resource), is produced using furniture oils. To apply the composition, use a tampon.
The surface for varnishing should be smooth. Before applying furniture varnish, two soft brushes are bought. After applying the first coat of varnish, take a new tool.
Restoration of cabinet furniture at home can be carried out independently, only subject to a strict sequence in the process:
- Remove the old topcoat;
- To clean the surface;
- Apply primer;
- Putty chips and scratches;
- Sand after drying;
- Apply stain;
- Apply furniture varnish.
This plan will help not to make mistakes when working on the restoration of wooden interior items.
Remove old paintWe cleanGroundPutty chipsGrinding coatingWe cover with a stainApply varnishTechnology of work with upholstered furniture
Restoration of upholstered furniture is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Make a complete disassembly;
- Wooden elements need to be well sanded along the fibers and wiped with a soft damp cloth to remove dust from the product;
- Coat the parts with soil on wood and allow to dry well;
- For painting, it is better to use aerosol paints, since they lie much more evenly. In this case, three layers of paint will suffice. 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 restoration of upholstered furniture will be carried out, you need to know the features of the updated product. For example, if you take into account the restoration of chairs, then just pull on a new fabric on the seat. In the photo you can see the product before and after restoration. If the chair or sofa is being restored, then you will have to not only change the lining, but also the filler;
- Cut out the filler according to the old model. You can apply sheet foam, which is in stores in a large assortment;
- Uncover the elements of fabric. To do this, lay out the old upholstery parts on a new canvas and make the corresponding elements;
- Stick filler on the interior. To do this, you can apply PVA construction glue;
- Lay the sheathing and use a building or furniture stapler, fix it on the back of the product. 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 the textile workers use a special set of restoration, which has everything you need for a quality banner of upholstered furniture. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the restoration of upholstered furniture with your own hands. If you do everything correctly, the result may be a product in an interesting design that will delight you for more than one year.