How to restore an old table with your own hands?
It is not uncommon for a favorite piece of furniture to lose its original appearance, and there is simply no financial means to buy a new one. In such cases, furniture restoration can help. Let's take a closer look at how to restore a table at home, what is important to take into account and what steps should not be skipped.
Acrylic paints
If your old table sadly looks at the world with chips and cracks, standard painting with acrylic paints will do. The work is quite labor intensive.
- Old varnish and paint must be thoroughly cleaned
- Sand the rough edges with sandpaper or a grinder
- Damage to the surface should be repaired with wooden or polyester putty.
- After the patches have dried, sand again
- If the surface is well preserved, it is enough to cover it with stain and varnish.
- If not, prime and apply acrylic paint.
Do-it-yourself table restoration: ways to update the tabletop, photo
Content:
Everyone has dreamed of discovering artistic talent at least once in their life and trying themselves as a restorer or decorator. Restoring a table is a unique opportunity to combine business with pleasure. Firstly, this is a good way to save on buying new furniture, and secondly, restoring an old table with your own hands is doubly pleasant. It is noteworthy that restoration technology is available to everyone, even non-professionals. The result is an exclusive product that has no analogues. How to restore and transform an old kitchen table? How to cover a wooden tabletop? Tips, recommendations, photos, as well as a unique new master class on restoration from designers will help you make a real masterpiece from an outdated piece of furniture.
Furniture restoration is a very exciting process in itself, and with the right approach it is also very useful, allowing you to significantly save on purchasing new furniture
Summarize
Surely the dear reader understood that throwing away a good old table-book is an unaffordable luxury. After all, some of the ways to decorate it can be done literally “on your knees”. Even the most complex restoration methods are quite accessible to a novice master who has no experience in such work.
An updated table-book will not spoil the interior, but will save space
Update methods
How to update your kitchen countertops with your own hands? What are wood countertops in the kitchen covered with? Beginners have many questions and, as a result, difficulties in the restoration process, which plunge them into a stupor. Of course, any remodeling and restoration of kitchen furniture may ultimately not lead to the result that was originally planned. However, here you should remember that it’s never too late to get rid of your old table and buy a new one, but it’s still worth a try.
You can restore your kitchen table yourself or update it in the following ways.
- Painting through tulle involves painting the product with paint according to the stencil principle. To do this, the fabric is spread on the table in such a way that there are no tubercles. Next, you need to paint the entire surface using spray paint and let it dry, then remove the tulle. As a result, a beautiful lace pattern is formed on the table.
- Remodeling the table may involve restoration using ceramic tiles. This coating is not only attractive, but also practical, since it can withstand various types of influences. These can be whole blocks or multi-colored fragments in the form of a mosaic. If there are no tiles, glass shards can be used as restoration material.
- You can update an old table using self-adhesive film. Modern manufacturers offer inexpensive models with original designs. For restoration, it is enough to paste over the surfaces of the product - and it will be transformed before your eyes.
- If the table is made of solid wood, you can use the burning technique as an idea for restoration, but this requires certain work skills, as well as special equipment in the form of an electric burner.
- Decoupage is a very fashionable way to transform furniture and give it a completely different look. This does not require special artistic skills, because the basis is taken from ready-made photos on paper or a napkin, which are attached to the table.
Finishing the countertop with mosaic
Veneering the kitchen table top
Replacing old countertops with laminated ones
If the craftsman has the ability and equipment to work on wood, a complete replacement of the countertops is a good option. To do this, you should purchase the required amount of material and cut parts of the tabletop to the size of the old ones. But here you will have to worry about purchasing an edge strip. Gluing it is quite simple - now you can buy an edge with an already applied layer of a substance that melts under the influence of temperature. Therefore, you just need to lay it along the side of the element and heat it with an iron.
New laminate countertops look great
Product restoration
Restoring a tabletop involves returning it to its original appearance without visible changes in design. Many private craftsmen and companies offer their restoration services, but due to the high cost, this option is not available to everyone. The restoration process is long and painstaking, however, if you want to update the kitchen table with your own hands, you can do it at home. Before repairing the countertop, you need to prepare the following materials:
- glasses, respirator, gloves;
- sanding machine or coarse and fine grain sandpaper;
- art or paint brush, roller;
- impregnation and putty for wood;
- wood glue, liquid nails;
- acrylic or alkyd paint, stain, countertop varnish or wax;
- antiseptic and primer.
When the necessary tools are at hand, you can get to work.
Preliminary repair
Before covering a wooden tabletop, you should pay attention to the underframe and the general condition of the table: whether the legs are loose or whether some parts are missing. The new life of an old table begins first of all with the elimination of these defects, since the functional component is important for any furniture. It must be disassembled, the old coating removed from each part, sanded and put back together, secured with glue or liquid nails. Many restorers insist that the integrity of the table should not be damaged, as it will quickly become unusable.
The tabletop that has come unglued will have to be sorted out and re-glued
Here, each case is individual. For flimsy structures, assembly can really be disastrous. A hammer drill may destroy the surface or cause chips. If the furniture is good quality and massive, then you should not be afraid of this. If assembled correctly, the product will become more durable and stable. After work, it is important to ventilate the room, since accumulated dust can subsequently settle on the kitchen table top. Dust stuck to the surface after painting will spoil the appearance, so general cleaning will not hurt.
Old paintwork is removed mechanically or using a special remover
Primary processing
A wooden table, like chipboard countertops, requires mandatory impregnation with an antiseptic, which will protect against pests and fungi. This substance will not allow woodworms to attack the product in the future. After treatment, it is recommended to leave the table to dry for at least a day. Next, you need to remove the old coating using a sanding machine. You can also use coarse-grit sandpaper at the beginning and fine-grit sandpaper at the end of sanding.
Kitchen countertop restoration
Before covering a wooden tabletop, you should carefully inspect the surface for damage and chips. Small cracks up to 3 mm are sealed with putty and then sanded again so that there are no tubercles. Large chips can be repaired using veneer. You must first make a stencil of the desired size. In order to make it correctly, you should cover the surface of the chipped part of the table with paint, then press it with paper. A clean place, untouched by paint, is the necessary stencil. Next, you need to cut the veneer along the contour and glue it to the surface with wood glue. Press the part tightly and leave to dry for 10–12 hours. How to cover the countertop after cosmetic repairs? Alkyd or shellac primer for wood. This will ensure even paint coverage. The primer should be applied in 2 layers and wait until completely dry after each treatment. After this, the surface can be sanded again.
Painting tables
Now you can start painting directly. Since restoration requires restoration of the original appearance, the correct shade should be chosen. Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of color palettes, but it is not always possible to find an absolutely identical option that was used before restoration. You can purchase several types of paints, mix them and arrive at the desired color. How to cover a wooden tabletop so that it lasts for many more years? There are a lot of options here, but the most common is water-dispersed acrylic paint. It is non-toxic, dries quickly and is quite moisture resistant.
Using a brush, apply a thin layer, leave to dry, then apply a second coat and also let dry. For dark shades, it is recommended to repeat the procedure three times. If the table will be placed outside, care must be taken to protect the surface from moisture and precipitation. Alkyd paint is suitable here. Despite the pungent toxic odor, it is successfully used for exterior decoration. It is moisture resistant and is not afraid of direct sunlight. The most budget option is oil paint based on drying oil. This material is suitable for restoring the tops of coffee tables that are not actively exposed to mechanical stress. Please note that after dyeing, the product will be ready for further processing after 3-4 days.
Applying spray paint to a countertop surface
Materials and tools
The restoration process may require various materials and tools.
Let's take a closer look at their list and purpose:
- To restore tables with a wooden surface, you will definitely need a sanding machine or coarse sandpaper. Using these tools, you can make the surface smooth, removing all roughness;
- To give the surface a fresher look and a different color, you will need completely ordinary paint. It’s quite easy to find out which variety you can paint a table with, since the scope of application is almost always described on the packaging of any manufacturer;
- It is best to apply various patterns and ornaments with acrylic paint, since it is very durable and will stay on the surface of the furniture for a long time.
To repair any individual parts of the table, you may need various construction tools:
- For example, using a hammer, screws and simple nails, you can firmly secure the table legs;
- To attach panels made of plastic and MDF, you will need to acquire a special glue, which is also called liquid nails and is often used in repairs;
- To work with wooden parts, you need to have a small saw or jigsaw with you, with which you can cut the necessary part from a piece of solid wood.
We must not lose sight of various small details that greatly simplify the restoration process. So it’s better to have a large ruler or tape measure, a bright marker or pencil, construction tape, brushes to remove dust and sawdust, protective equipment and a damp cloth.
Decoupage
A book-table using the decoupage technique will bring a touch of romance to the interior, when delicate floral elements seem to be scattered on the table. Decoupage can be done at the priming stage, after repairing cracks and chips, or after painting with white or other light paint.
- Mark the proposed locations for placing images.
- Cut out the necessary elements from a paper napkin or special paper for decoupage.
- Place them face down in a flat vessel with water for 30 seconds.
- Place the soaked picture in the same position on a polyethylene file and roll up the unnecessary paper.
- Together with the file, lower the image to the selected location, the file on top.
- Carefully level and remove the file.
- After applying all the elements, if there was no painting, decorate with it.
- Acrylic varnish coating is the last stage.
Lace technique
Treat the book-table as in the previous case, but apply the design using tulle curtains or curtains. For this:
