How to decorate an old chest of drawers with your own hands. Restoring a chest of drawers with your own hands is a very exciting activity. Or their halves

A chest of drawers is a convenient and functional piece of furniture. Of course, the shortage of furniture is a thing of the distant past, and today you can purchase almost any furniture in stores. However, sometimes it is not advisable to throw away old things. Often, restoring a chest of drawers gives excellent result, much better than buying a new thing. It also happens that the need to restore old furniture is dictated by the canons of the style in which the interior is designed. This applies to such style solutions, like Country, Provence or Scandinavian direction. Or maybe you just want to realize your artistic abilities by making a beautiful and functional thing yourself? In any case, the tips from this article will help you restore the appearance of your chest of drawers, spending a minimum of effort and money.

Points for and against"

Many people make the mistake of considering furniture repair and restoration to be synonymous. This is not true:

• Repair involves removing peeling paint, sanding, applying a new layer of paint, and securing loose elements.
• Restoring an old chest of drawers is a much deeper concept than redecorating. Moreover, with skillfully carried out restoration, an updated chest of drawers can become a truly unique, exclusive product, and therefore more valuable.

Important! Before you carry out restoration yourself, carefully inspect the item. It is quite possible that you are the owner of a truly valuable antique furniture. In this case, an unprofessional approach can only do harm. You can invite a specialist who will evaluate the product. Before the conclusion of a professional, do do-it-yourself repair or restoration is not necessary.

The process of restoring a chest of drawers with your own hands

So, you decided to restore the item yourself. The work is not easy, painstaking, almost jewelry-like, requiring significant time investment. Each stage is very important, so nothing should be missed. Here detailed master class How to restore an old chest of drawers with your own hands.

The following tools will be useful to you:

• Hammer.
• Rubber mallet.
• Set of brushes.

Don't forget to prepare the following materials:

• Wood adhesive.
• Wood putty.
• A set of sandpaper with different grits.
• Toothpicks.
• Old toothbrush.
• Tooth powder or special cleaning agent for fittings.
• Dye.

Furniture cleaning

This is a very important stage. Cleaning must be done in such a way as not to damage the surface of the product and decor:

• First, wash the product with a soft sponge and a solution of laundry soap.
• If the chest of drawers is decorated with antique carvings, then clean small parts You can use a toothbrush.
• Remove the fittings and clean with tooth powder or a special cleaning compound.
• To clean hard-to-reach places, such as crevices and corners, use a toothpick or a thin awl.
• Sandpaper will help get rid of stubborn dirt. At the same time, you can’t put too much pressure on it.

Important! The surface must be thoroughly sanded before painting again.

Preliminary preparation

Once the dresser has been cleaned of dirt and dried, it is time to replace the damaged parts. It's quite difficult. You can try to find them in an antique store or contact a carpentry shop with an order.

Professional craftsmen, by the way, can help by attaching decor to furniture.

Check that the bolts and screws are securely fastened and that there are no cracks in the wood. Remove loose or rusted bolts. They will have to be replaced with new ones. Small cracks can be sealed with adhesive, and larger cracks with wood putty.

Important! It is necessary that the tone of the putty matches the shade of the wood exactly. If wood is to be treated with stain, it is necessary to use special type putties.

Coloring

Of course, the texture of natural wood is incredibly beautiful, but sometimes, in order to organically fit furniture of an old design into modern interior, it needs to be painted. The easiest way is to paint in one tone, for example, white:

1. Remove any remaining old coating from the surface of the chest of drawers. Be careful when doing this. Firstly, there is a risk of damaging the decor. Secondly, it is impossible for coating particles to accumulate in hard-to-reach crevices and corners.
2. To level the surface, sand it thoroughly, then fill any unnecessary holes with putty.
3. After the putty has dried, rub it with sandpaper.
4. Use for coloring.

Important! Applying varnish over paint makes the surface glossy.

Replacing parts

First of all, we are talking about handles. Of course, antique handles are wonderful, but with updated furniture they look alien. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase new fittings that match the style and equip the updated chest of drawers.

DIY chest of drawers decoupage at home

This art came to us from France. If you do everything carefully, you will get a unique, non-standard and very beautiful thing. So, follow this algorithm:

1. Paint the prepared furniture white.
2. Wait for the paint to dry completely.
3. Cut out patterns from paper napkins. Stick them on the surface of the chest of drawers. PVA composition is suitable for gluing.
4. After the glue has dried, coat the surface with varnish.

Another restoration option

This option is for the restoration of an old chest of drawers with drawers: three large and two small.

From tools and materials you will need:

• Composition for removing a layer of old paint.
• Chisel.
• Sandpaper set.
• Self-tapping screws.
• PVA glue.
• Matt putty.
• Decorative moldings made of polyurethane foam.
• Paraffin.
• Wallpaper.
• Acrylic dye on water.
• Transparent varnish on water.
• Decorative handles.

Preparatory stage:

• Unscrew the old knobs on the chest of drawers.
• Next, using a special composition, free the surface from the layer of old dye.

Important! If the paint layer is thick, you can also use a chisel.

• Sand the furniture thoroughly until the grain of the wood becomes visible.
• In places where the surface is uneven, apply putty and level it. After drying, sand the surface with sandpaper.

Important! Avoid applying strong pressure to avoid damaging the mastic layer. The result should be a perfectly flat surface.

• To ensure the new handles fit into place, fill the old holes and then use a drill to drill new ones.

Important! It is very convenient if you have to attach fittings to special screws. There is no need to drill holes for them.

• Dilute PVA glue with water and treat the surface of the product. You can use any primer instead of PVA.
• After glue solution When it dries, you can start decorating the chest of drawers with your own hands.

Decoration:

1. First of all, install the frames for the drawers and sides. Frames can be made from polymer moldings. The main thing is to carefully and accurately take measurements so that the frame looks neat.
2. Secure the frames with screws and cover the caps with mastic.
3. After this, carefully paint the frames with acrylic composition. For example, coffee, white or beige colors look beautiful.
4. Cover the surface inside the frame with wallpaper to match.
5. The last step is to cover the entire structure with several layers of varnish.

After you have restored your chest of drawers, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with other options for updating furniture.

They say that Italians throw used furniture onto the street before every New Year. Thank God we have not yet reached such a level of civilization. Eastern European peoples have always lived difficult lives, which is why we are more inclined to keep old things. However, let's not delve into the jungle of history. Today we have a very interesting creative activity ahead of us – restoring a chest of drawers with our own hands. This is much more productive and modern than littering nature with another pile of broken boards.

Restoration of a chest of drawers - very exciting activity

If your chest of drawers is grandma's, even better. Soviet furniture is distinguished by the same indestructibility as the ideology of that time. All we have to do is make some upgrades in the form of decor. Appearance chest of drawers can be changed beyond recognition by using inexpensive materials and some good taste.

Initial stage of work

Let's consider three options for decorating the same chest of drawers. We need to prepare something like this sample list tools and materials:

• Sanding machine or sandpaper.
• Screwdriver.
• Electric jigsaw.
• Hammer, hacksaw, file.
• Putty knife.
• Metal meter ruler, pencil.
• Paint roller, small paint brushes.
• MDF board 6 mm thick.
• Finishing nails.
• Wood putty.
• Acrylic paints.
• PVA glue.
• Self-tapping screws, metal corners.

We are preparing the front of work. We release and remove the drawers, dismantle the old handles. Next comes the sandpaper. Cleaning off the dresser old varnish and sand the surface with fine-grained paper. A sander will speed things up.

We check the reliability of furniture joints. We disassemble the loose tenon nodes and remove the old glue. Do not try to force the joint apart or scrape the glue off the wood with a knife. Craftsmen came up with this method: you need to put a rubber hose on the spout of the kettle and let it (the kettle) boil. Next, direct the steam stream to Right place. The glue softens quickly, all that remains is to carefully clean it off.

Now we coat the groove and tenon with PVA glue, connect the knot and tighten it with clamps. You can strengthen the connection with long screws or metal corners.

We check the surface of the chest of drawers for chips, scratches and other defects. All of them need to be puttied. We use for this good putty on wood. Instead of a spatula, you can use a small (about 8x10 mm) piece of thick, hard rubber. In this case, the composition will lie more evenly, and the rubber will not leave such obvious marks as a metal tool.

The process of preparing a chest of drawers

After the putty has dried, we smooth out the slightest irregularities with fine emery cloth. Remove dust, prime the surface with diluted white paint and dry. Now you can think about how to decorate the chest of drawers in accordance with the interior of your apartment.

The design of such a chest of drawers will be appropriate in any room. Try not to overuse bright colors, the variegation will quickly get boring. A cheerful hot pink color is suitable for a nursery, but common room it will cause a clear imbalance.

A universal option for restoring a chest of drawers

The drawers and side walls of the furniture are lined with figured overlays. Having measured the indicated surfaces, we select optimal sizes overhead parts. Using a jigsaw, we cut three rectangles for the drawers from the MDF board (if you have more drawers, then we cut them for everyone), and two rectangles for the side walls. You can make a template and cut according to it, you can make corner roundings with a compass.

We remove wide chamfers from the edges of MDF parts using a grinding attachment for a drill or a milling machine. You can do this with a file, but machine processing is better.

We mark the location of the linings on the front of the drawers. On back side We apply glue to each rectangle, lay it exactly according to the markings and nail it with thin finishing nails.

The process of decorating drawers and side walls of a chest of drawers

After drying the linings, we decorate the chest of drawers with our own hands, painting it (along with the linings) in a beautiful dark blue color. You can choose any other shade that is more suitable for the decor of your home. When the paint dries, apply transparent paint to the decorative overlays. craquelure varnish(aqueous composition to create an aging effect). We paint the varnish layer with a lighter tone.

In order not to touch the dark blue surface, we delimit the edges of the decorative parts with masking tape. Upper layer light paint will crack under the influence of varnish. A darker tone will show through the cracks, turning the overlays into an interesting vintage element. Task number one, how to restore a chest of drawers with my own hands, brilliantly solved.

Solution for a children's room

In the second option, we paint the surface of the chest of drawers in yellow. Let the paint dry and begin to create a collage of bright stickers.

Solution for a children's room

For these purposes, you can use self-adhesive film with pictures, print photographs on glossy paper, cut out beautiful appliqués from children's magazines. Using a fine-toothed saw, we make the edges of the pictures patterned. We glue the pictures onto the chest of drawers using PVA glue. Choose any order for gluing: chaotic or by topic. For example, touching pets will be collected on one box, exotic fish on another, funny cartoon characters on the third.

We make a collage of bright stickers.

We will attach wooden frames to the side walls, creating the effect of completeness of the decor. We cut the blanks to size from slats with a section of 5x16 mm. We cut off the corners, sand them and paint the planks red. Try not to choose borderline colors (red - orange, blue - purple), the furniture will look inexpressive. We mark rectangles on the side walls and cover them with appliqués. We frame the composition with planks, gluing and additionally nailing them onto small finishing nails.

Dresser handles can be decorated in the form of animal figures. We cut out a suitable picture, put it on plywood and trace it with a pencil. We cut out the resulting outline, clean the cuts and paste the picture onto the plywood. We attach such handles to the chest of drawers using gaskets.

All applications glued to the chest of drawers should be covered with transparent varnish - this will extend the life of our design delights.

Let's continue updating the chest of drawers with our own hands. The noble restraint of the finishing lines and the mysterious hieroglyphs on a dim background will immediately highlight the piece of furniture in the interior of the room. To create this beauty we will need 8 linear meters of profiled slats and stencils for hieroglyphs. It doesn’t hurt to first find out what these symbols mean, so as not to get into trouble with an expert Japanese language. For pictures you can take suitable ones paper borders to the wallpaper.

Restoration of a Japanese-style chest of drawers

First we paint the chest of drawers in some pastel color, adding to white paint a little bit of pigment. Suitable pistachio, peach, pearl, ice-lilac.

Next, we determine the parameters of the overlay patterns. We cut out from decorative paper strip required sizes. We fill the hieroglyphs through the template, cut them out and paste them onto the strip in the required order. We glue the resulting tape to the front of the drawers and to the sides of the chest of drawers.

We fill the hieroglyphs through the template, cut them out and paste them onto the strip in the required order.

We cut out profiled strips of the required length. We cut off the ends of the slats at an angle of 45 degrees using a miter box. We fasten the frame as usual, gluing the strips onto PVA and further strengthening the connection with nails.

Transforming an old chest of drawers does not require any significant financial costs, but it brings a lot of joy. Involve the children in the activity; they will happily cut out and paste pictures. This is how, with common efforts, you can update old furniture, freshen up your decor, and make your life better and more comfortable.

From time to time, apartment and house owners have to decide the fate of old pieces of furniture that no longer fit into the new interior. If you throw them away then the right decision there will be restoration. Of course, resuscitation of a set of pressed sawdust and plastic will cost more than purchasing a new one, but if you have furniture good quality, then you can try to give it a second life. This article will focus on a chest of drawers; you can restore it yourself. You can use one of the methods presented in the article for this.

Preparation of tools and materials

To carry out restoration work, you should prepare:

• sander;
• putty knife;
• brush;
• screwdriver;
• paint roller;
• self-tapping screws;
• screwdrivers;
• wood glue.

If grinder no, then it can be replaced with sandpaper. Material of different grain sizes should be prepared. can be replaced with a wide flute. If connections become loose, you should prepare fasteners and glue. Restoration of a chest of drawers must be carried out using certain materials, including:

• primer composition;
• enamel;
• wood putty;

In order for painting to be an easy process, you need to take care of the availability; it can be replaced with mounting tape.

Preparatory work

First, you need to inspect the chest of drawers. It is important to strengthen loose hinges; nails should be replaced with self-tapping screws. Connections need to be lubricated good glue, rust can be removed using special solution. The old coating can be cleaned when restoring a chest of drawers with sandpaper or a grinder.

If traces of woodworm are found in the wood, the material should be treated with an antiseptic. It is important to inspect the piece of furniture for damage. Defects can have varying degrees of complexity. If there are dents or chips, they must be coated with a primer. The composition is left until it dries, and then the defects should be treated with putty. It is applied in several layers, waiting for each layer to dry.

If the dent is repaired with a thick layer, the material will not hold firmly, and after drying it will become completely covered with cracks. Therefore, application should be carried out thin layer. Deep scratches and cracks can be repaired with furniture wax, the main thing is to choose it from the wide variety available on the market. Thus, wax can be:

• colored;
• transparent;
• soft;
• hard.

After heating, the product is rubbed into the damage. If on final stage The chest of drawers will be painted, you should choose a clear wax. Small defects should be removed with sandpaper and then decorated with primer.

Dyeing process

The next stage of chest of drawers restoration involves applying paint. Once you have dealt with the damage, the surface can be prepared for applying a decorative layer. The puttyed areas are cleaned with sandpaper, and at the next stage you can apply a primer in several layers, in this case the paint will lie as evenly as possible.

First, you can use a metallic color composition. Further using masking tape you need to limit those parts that will be intended for applying a different color. You can use black. The contrast will be very impressive. New fittings are installed taking into account the selected shade.

Restoration using the craquelure method

Restoration of a chest of drawers can be carried out using the technology of applying craquelure varnish. This technique does not involve large expenses, but it will transform the furniture. When dry, this composition forms peculiar cracks, which allow you to create the effect of an antique. To carry out the work you will need:

• acrylic paint;
• primer;
• matte acrylic lacquer;
• one-component craquelure varnish;
• wide brush.

It is important to choose the right craquelure varnish; its consistency should be liquid. The viscous composition is rather difficult to apply, and after drying it does not look very attractive. The varnish should not be stirred before application, as the resulting bubbles will ruin the effect. It is better to first test the technique on other surfaces. The room should be dry and warm. To prevent small debris and dust from settling on the applied layer, wet cleaning should be done.

Work technology

Restoring a chest of drawers with your own hands by applying craquelure varnish involves leveling and sealing cracks. The surface is primed in 3 layers and dried. At the first stage, paint of the main color should be applied, usually it is represented more dark shade, which will appear through the cracks. The layer should be allowed to dry. Next, the surface is covered with craquelure varnish.

In order for the cracks to be larger, the layer should be made thick enough. The varnish needs to be dried so that it sticks to your fingers, but does not stain them. The next step is to start applying paint. light tone. After some time, you will see a network of cracks forming on the surface. Finally, acrylic varnish should be applied on top. Restoring an old chest of drawers using this technology may involve the use of gold or bronze-colored fittings.

Two-phase craquelure technique

If there is an elegant pattern on the chest of drawers that you don’t want to paint over, you can use the two-phase craquelure technique. To work you should prepare:

• oil paint for grouting;
• sponge;
• brushes;
• acrylic lacquer;
• two-component craquelure varnish.

In this case, craquelure varnish will be used to age the surface. This mixture is applied in two stages, the second composition will be used to form cracks. In order to achieve the most effective result, you should use a varnish with a patina effect; it will darken the surface and make it a little cloudy. Transparent varnish will not affect the color of the design in any way.

Restoring a chest of drawers at home at the first stage involves preparing the surface; it should be covered with a patina layer of varnish. If there is no pattern on a piece of furniture, you can create it using decoupage. The applied layer is dried until it sticks, after which you can begin to apply the second phase of varnish, it is maintained until the same condition. Any cracks that appear should be treated with grout using a sponge. You can refine the patterns with gold powder, this will give the chest of drawers a presentable look. Restoring an old chest of drawers with your own hands involves consolidating the result; this can be done by applying a layer of acrylic varnish.

Restoration using decoupage method

This technology is very popular today. You can implement it using pictures that you can choose yourself. The most primitive chest of drawers can be made the center of the interior. To do this you should prepare:

• acrylic paint;
  primer composition;
• PVA glue;
• clear acrylic varnish;
• brushes;
• sandpaper;
• Pictures.

Instructions

If you decide to restore the chest of drawers yourself, photos of furniture “reanimated” by other craftsmen will certainly help you make your choice. After familiarizing yourself with them, you can understand which technology is better to use. If you prefer decoupage, then first you should cover the surface with a primer and paint it in the desired color, which will be in harmony with the main shade of the picture. Images are cut out and applied to the surface. The pictures are soaked in water after you mark their location on the surface of the dresser. Apply glue to the marked areas of the piece of furniture, and then attach the pictures. As soon as they dry, you should coat the base with varnish in 2 layers.

Conclusion

If you restore a chest of drawers with your own hands at home using one of the methods suggested above, then you will not want to part with a piece of furniture that was just recently being prepared for disposal in a landfill. After updating, the chest of drawers can become the center of attention in the room.

READ ALSO: HOW TO MAKE HANDLES FOR DOORS OR FURNITURE YOURSELF. TOP 17

1. Floral print

2. Add fabric to the sides of the drawers

Read detailed instructions.

3. Decorate drawers with wallpaper

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4. Use lace

Read detailed instructions.

5. Apply paint to the lacquered chest of drawers

30+ Ways to Use Leftover Paint Wisely.

6. Memorable dates on the chest of drawers

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7. Or your favorite songs

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8. Or favorite cities (streets)

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9. Caravan from a chest of drawers

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10. Use cabinet drawer handles for filing cabinets.

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11. Striped accent

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12. Use painted toys as pens

Read detailed instructions. You might also be interested - How to make handles for doors or furniture yourself. TOP 17.

13. Or their halves

14. Blue milk

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15. Paint the chest of drawers in a metallic color.

Read detailed instructions.

16. Bold Ombre Style

Read detailed instructions. You might also be interested - 33 Examples of walls with ombre effect + Master class.

17. Use a stencil to create an original design

Read detailed instructions.

18. Another option using stencils

Read detailed instructions.

19. Add a Geometric Pattern to the Top of the Dresser

Read detailed instructions.

20. Use wood strips to line drawers

Read detailed instructions.

21. Replace drawers with baskets

22. Cover the boxes with maps of different countries of the world

Read detailed instructions.

23. Or both

24. Ombre dresser style

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25. Ombre...

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26. Another ombre option...

27. Use magnetic paint

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28. Use different shades of nail polish

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29. Strictly and tastefully

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30. Run colorful stripes along the entire chest of drawers

Read detailed instructions.

31. Sunny accent

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32. Cover the chest of drawers with newspapers. Why not?

33. Scallops

34. Charming patterns on drawers

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35. Update your dresser with gift wrap

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36. Use old rope instead of handles

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37. Funny mustachioed chests of drawers

38. Optical illusion

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39. Bright circles on the chest of drawers

40. Or triangles

41. Use nails with heads

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42. Cross stitch effect

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43. Ombre...

44. For lovers of sailing

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45. Stylized chest of drawers

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46. ​​Cover the chest of drawers with fabric

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47. Cover with foil

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48. Don't be afraid to use bright colors

49. Ombre...

50. That time when doodles look organic

51. Add brass brackets and handles

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52. Create a Colorful Texture on Drawers

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53. Marine chest of drawers

54. Let's experiment...

55. Use house numbers as handles

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56. Add miniature wheels

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57. Let's experiment...

58. Add vinyl letters

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59. Bright and colorful chest of drawers

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60. Bright geometric patterns

61. Create fancy shapes

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62. Get rid of drawers

63. Another option for geometric patterns

64. Colorful chests of drawers

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65. Leopard notes

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66. Don’t forget about the decor of the inside surfaces of the drawers

67. Color contrast

68. Mix prints

69. Let's experiment...

70. Use colored pencils as lining

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71. Sea shades

72. Use leather instead of ordinary pens

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73. Landscape dresser

74. Mirror chest of drawers

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75. For UK fans

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76. Family photo

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77. Contrast stripes

78. New legs for an old chest of drawers

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IN modern times The furniture market pleases with its diversity. You can buy absolutely any piece of furniture, referring to your taste. But what about old furniture? Will it really no longer be of any use? Many people still search for and buy antiques in order to breathe into them new life, carry out restoration and give your home elements of antiquity. It’s very easy to restore even the most ordinary old chest of drawers with your own hands using a master class, and it will become the finishing touch to the interior.

• Sanding machine;
• Sandpaper;
• Jigsaw;
• Hammer;
• Hacksaw;
• File;
• Putty knife;
• Ruler and pencil;
• Roller and several brushes for painting;
• MDF tiles;
• Nails;
• Wood paints;
• Self-tapping screws.

As soon as all the tools are prepared, the restoration of the chest of drawers itself begins, which is carried out according to a specific plan.

Step-by-step master class for beginners on updating an old chest of drawers at home

Step 1.
In preparation work zone and the chest of drawers itself is ready for restoration. All the drawers are taken out and the handles are unscrewed. Using sandpaper, the old coating is removed from the chest of drawers - this can be paint and varnish. The surface of the chest of drawers is sanded very carefully.

The chest of drawers is checked for the strength of the connection of the parts. Poorly screwed screws are removed, and if the parts of the chest of drawers were attached with glue, then it is carefully removed, again using sandpaper and a sanding machine. In order for the glue to separate well from the surface of the furniture, it must be heated. This can be done using the famous folk way: boil the kettle until steam comes out of the spout, and the spout of the kettle itself is directed to the junction with the glue. The steam softens the glue and, accordingly, it will be easier to remove.

All joints of the old chest of drawers are coated with a new layer of PVA and tightened using self-tapping screws. For greater strength, you can use metal corners.

At this stage, the chest of drawers is inspected for scratches or defects. If there are any, then they need to be puttied.

After the putty has dried, a layer of paint (the color that was originally chosen) must be applied to the surface of the chest of drawers. After the paint has dried, you can think about how to decorate the resulting new chest of drawers.

As you can see, restoring an old chest of drawers with your own hands using this master class is very simple. But to achieve perfect result watch the video: