How to restore an old piece of furniture?
Revamping, retyping and transforming old wooden furniture is a trend that is still very current and popular today and I am one of them! So if you’re looking for ideas to restore old wooden furniture, you’ve come to the right place!
With a little imagination, it is possible to give your old furniture a great look. Here are some important steps and ideas for retyping wooden furniture.
Ideas and tips for retyping wooden furniture:
1. Strip and sand old wooden furniture
Depending on the wooden furniture you want to retype, you will certainly have to strip and sand it. Indeed, stripping is an important step to remove old layers of paint and/or stains and even varnish.
Use a stripping product to remove all layers of paint and stain!
For it to be really effective as a stripper, it is recommended to use a stripper. Personally, I use the “Super Décapant” product, which is certainly the best.
But be careful because the stripping products are very powerful so protect your hands, your eyes and your whole body to avoid splashing on your skin.
Here are some steps to strip and sand painted furniture: (always wear protective gloves)
- Apply the stripping product to the entire surface to be stripped and leave to act for the time indicated.
- Then use a scraper to scrape the surface of the furniture to remove old layers of paint and stain.
- Once the entire surface has been scraped, use a steel wool or a slightly abrasive sponge to remove the remaining stripper and paint residue.
- Allow the surface to dry and sand with 220 grit sandpaper to begin with and finish with 400 grit sandpaper.
2. Repair cracks and holes in wooden furniture
An old wooden piece of furniture is necessarily likely to have some defects such as small holes, cracks and scratches.
So if you want to repair and fill small holes and crevices in the wood you can use wood putty. This product is ideal for filling and hiding small holes in a wooden surface.
Just apply it and let the paste dry before sanding the excess with a finishing sandpaper (be careful not to scratch the wood surface further.).
If you want a quality, ready-to-use wood filler, I recommend this one:
wood pulp
- Easy to apply paste and excellent adhesion
- Up to 1 cm per layer of dough
- Can be easily sanded and drilled
- Easy to paint, varnish and stain
Have you just found a magnificent piece of furniture in varnished or waxed wood? Well ginning might be the best way to restore that old piece of furniture.
Here’s how to shell wooden furniture:
- Use coarse sandpaper for a varnished surface and steel wool for waxed wood furniture.
- Use sandpaper or steel wool and rub the surface following the natural scratches of the wood.
- Always rub in rectilinear movements and area by area. (never circular motion).
Video that shows the steps to shell the wood:
No matter what type of furniture you want to refinish and makeover painting is an important step.
Before painting wooden furniture, it is important to strip and sand the furniture properly as explained earlier in the article.
Once the furniture has been cleaned and sanded, here are the steps for successful painting:
- Apply a coat of primer (undercoat) to the entire piece of furniture.
- Let the undercoat dry well and apply a first coat of the desired color.
- Let the first coat of color dry and apply the 2nd coat of paint.
- Replace the doors, drawers, hinges and handles on the furniture.
For a durable finish over time, it may be interesting to apply a varnish to the last coat of paint on your wooden furniture.
Now it’s time for ideas and photos of revamped and restyled furniture!
5. Revamp a piece of furniture
Personally, I love the look of craft furniture, you know furniture with a multitude of small drawers!
I myself am looking for this piece of furniture but in the meantime here are some ideas and photos to retype and completely revamp a professional piece of furniture:
6. Wallpaper and fabric on wooden furniture
If you like both the retro and modern look then why not use wallpaper or pieces of fabric to customize old wooden furniture?!
Here are several ideas for customizing different wooden furniture that you have at home:
7. Revamp a piece of furniture with patterns
A final idea for revamping a chest of drawers, a bookcase, a wardrobe or other wooden furniture is to paint graphic patterns.
To do this, you can use painter’s tape or stencils to create and outline the patterns and shapes on the surface of the furniture you want to paint.
Here are some ideas for furniture and designs to paint:
If you are looking for good tips and products to maintain lacquered furniture, it’s here: Tip for cleaning lacquered furniture.