Many people have stored at home or somewhere in the country old furniture. And most often these are not expensive antiques from tsarist times, but the most ordinary cabinets, chests of drawers, tables and chairs. At first glance, it may seem that most of these things are long overdue, but take a closer look - often these are solid wood products or maybe even forged metal, which will last for more than one year if they are beautifully restored. In this article, we will talk about ways to decorate tables - kitchen, dining, coffee, work - different in size and shape.

However, many of the options presented are equally suitable for other interior items. Perhaps these examples will inspire you to turn nondescript shabby furniture into a real work of art, because it's so nice to contemplate the beauty made by your own hands!

12 Ways to Give New Life to an Old Table

1. Painting

The best way to update a dilapidated table is to paint it, but first you need to prepare the surface. A paint remover will help clean the product from the previous finish.

If there is rust on metal legs or accessories, it should be abundantly soaked with vinegar, Coca-Cola or a special agent, and wiped with a hard scraper after 15-20 minutes.

The wood is sanded with sandpaper, dust is removed, then impregnated with an antiseptic and a primer is applied. All chips, cracks and irregularities are rubbed with acrylic putty on wood.

For painting, you can use alkyd enamel, acrylic or epoxy paints, varnishes, aerosol compositions for metal. You will also need painting tools - a brush, roller, sponge, sprayer.

To give the table a more spectacular look - it can be painted not entirely, but only individual parts. To do this, you will need masking tape or stencils.

2. Art painting

If a monochromatic finish seems too boring, try decorating old table patterns. Drawings can be applied with a brush and acrylic paints - manually, through a stencil or according to outlines made using tracing paper.

A table with artistic painting will perfectly complement the interior in ethnic or rustic style, and images of animals, fairy-tale and cartoon characters will appeal to children.

3. Decoupage

For such a decor, you will need a brush, patterned paper napkins, PVA glue and clear furniture varnish.

Pictures are carefully torn off or cut out with scissors, the lower layers of paper are removed, then the resulting thin applications are placed in the designated place, and smeared with glue on top, trying to avoid wrinkles and tears.

If some element cannot be attached the first time, it must be immediately wiped with a sponge moistened with warm water, and try again with the same fragment.

The dried decoupage is covered with a transparent varnish for furniture in several layers, otherwise paper decor rub off quickly.

4. Craquelure

Craquelure is a crackling lacquer that is deliberately given a look that mimics the texture of antique paintings. It can be one-step (the composition is applied in one layer and cracks as it dries) and two-step (two mixtures are used - one based on epoxy resins, the second - water-based, they interact and a characteristic texture is obtained). The color of the veins is determined by the bottom layer of acrylic paint, as well as the shade of the grout. Most often, powdered golden pigment or pastel is used for this purpose.

Two-step craquelure is usually complemented with decoupage or hand painting to achieve the effect of an aged painting. One-step is more suitable for products without patterns.

5. Tiles

It happens that after the repair there is a small margin ceramic tiles. It can be used to decorate an old table - just tile it wooden base. The laying technology in this case practically does not differ from the decoration of walls or floors.

The ceramic surface is ideal for a table in the kitchen, terrace, porch, gazebo or even outdoors.

To give the table an attractive look, in addition to plain tiles, you should use patterned borders, decorative panels(perhaps even with some plots) or a stylish patchwork.

6. Mosaic

Pictures from small fragments adorn many galleries, temples and palaces. They will look just as elegant in the house, for example, on the surface of coffee tables.

Mosaic elements can be ceramic (even broken tiles will do), glass or acrylic.

From improvised materials, small round cuts of wood, chopped CDs, colored pebbles are suitable. You just need to come up with an interesting pattern and attach the pieces to the table with glue or liquid nails.

7. Self-adhesive film

The simplest and beautiful option old table decor that does not require fuss with paints - sticking a film.

This available material can imitate any coating - from rare woods to marble, it can have any patterns, patterns and textures.

Self-adhesive film is sold in rolls, and it is easy and pleasant to use it.

8. Decorative tape

In the shops of stationery and art supplies, a wide selection of decorative self-adhesive tapes has recently been presented. It will take you no more than 30-40 minutes to decorate an old table with multi-colored tape, and a new bright thing will appear in the interior.

If you want to change the finish, the adhesive strips can be removed just as quickly, and if there is glue left somewhere, acetone will dissolve it without any problems.

9. Epoxy resin

Epoxy resin is a liquid substance that quickly cures in the open air, turning into a hard transparent plastic.

Cracks in wood filled in this way look very unusual, and if luminescent powder is added to the liquid phase, they will glow brightly in the dark.

also in epoxy resin you can put dried flowers, leaves, shells, coins, and due to the transparency of the substance, you get the effect of ice or amber.

Restoration of the kitchen table allows you to update the design and improve it appearance. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to continue to exploit the beloved piece of furniture, and it is allowed to change the color of the coating, apply a pattern. There are many table top design options. It can be any image, different types of techniques are used, including decoupage, artificial aging furniture, etc.

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Repair of table structures

To restore the product to its former attractiveness, they resort to two methods of restoration:

  • simple;
  • with design changes.

The next step is to decorate the piece of furniture. In this case, work is performed on prepared surfaces. Repair of the product without the need to change the design is carried out taking into account the type of material. For example, if the kitchen table is made of metal, the following types of work are performed:

  1. Dismantling of the countertop is required.
  2. The old coating is removed.
  3. Puttying of individual sections or the entire surface of the product is carried out, which is necessary when the table is old.
  4. Grinding. It is carried out using sandpaper of coarse, medium or fine grit. It is chosen taking into account the degree of roughness of the coating. For example, to eliminate significant defects, coarse sandpaper is used. However, in any case, before proceeding to the next step, the kitchen table structural elements are processed with fine-grained sandpaper.
  5. After grinding, priming is performed. Apply special formulations. It is important to choose a tool designed to work with the type of material from which the table is made.
  6. Coloring is done with a roller or brush. You can proceed to this stage if the decor technique has already been selected. Applying varnish after priming will improve adhesion to the surface. To obtain a uniform coating, staining is performed several times. First, the primary processing is carried out, then it is required to allow the first layer to dry. After that, the procedure is repeated 1-2 more times.

Restoration of the legs and the surface of the table with a change in design is carried out according to the instructions considered, but some points may be added. For example, they install additional structural elements: legs, wheels, wooden fringe around the perimeter, carved details, etc. You can change the shape and size of the tabletop, its thickness. For comparison, with a simple restoration, such work is not performed.

If the wooden or metal legs become loose, you can replace the fasteners. In the case when the holes for the fasteners have increased over time, you will need to use self-tapping screws bigger size.

An alternative option is to change the attachment points of the legs. Old holes in the countertop need to be puttied. These works are carried out on preparatory stage immediately before finishing painting. It is possible to replace the countertop by choosing a different material: glass, chipboard, chipboard.

How to update the kitchen table?

Various surface decoration techniques are used. When choosing the material from which a piece of furniture is made, it does not always play an important role. The difference in the process of finishing a wooden and metal table is the use of special primers and processing methods. If you plan to update the kitchen table with your own hands, you should consider popular decorating techniques. Most of them are carried out using paints and varnishes, but there are also those that are realized using ceramics, tulle, etc.

Painting

This is the most common way to update pieces of furniture. Apply paint and varnish, it all depends on the type of material from which the product is made. For example, a painted kitchen table with a peeling coating is restored and varnished to preserve the natural wood grain. Painting will help hide minor defects and update the product made of metal, plastic, wood.

You need to choose a color. If the color scheme of the interior is bright, muted tones should be used, and vice versa, they emphasize the design, highlighting the kitchen table with bright colors. The pattern and coloring technique are selected individually. You can use alkyd enamel, water-based, oil paint. The choice is made according to the type of material. If the question is how to paint the product, you need to remember that all surfaces are covered in several layers. paints and varnishes can be sprayed from a can or applied with a roller, brush.

Decoupage

In this case, paper elements with different types of patterns are glued to the surface of the table top. Napkins are often used for this purpose. They purchase special glue for decoupage, while the decor will not last long if varnish is not applied to the surface. You can also use PVA glue. Sequencing:

  • the surface is degreased;
  • the countertop is opened with an acrylic primer twice, each layer should dry well;
  • grinding;
  • coloring with a background shade;
  • the drawing is glued to the table, it is straightened in the direction from the center to the edges, it is better to leave the napkin to dry in natural conditions;
  • then acrylic varnish is applied, it is advisable to repeat the procedure 3-4 times, while waiting for the surface to dry completely.

Decoupage of the kitchen table can be done not only with the help of napkins - for this purpose, wallpaper and other paper-based materials are used.

decoration

Use the burning technique. This option is suitable for working with wood. The decor can be anything: stickers, stencil, painting. Kitchen tables decorate in different ways, how to decorate furniture to make it look stylish needs to be considered in more detail. A popular method is the artificial aging of objects. A wooden kitchen table can also be designed this way, the design is carried out according to the instructions:

  1. Surfaces are sanded. A large area can be processed with a grinder, complex areas are cleaned with fine-grained sandpaper.
  2. Wood dust is removed from the surface.
  3. They artificially create defects on the countertop: indentations from heavy objects, scratches, etc.
  4. The tabletop is stained twice.
  5. To preserve the effect of antiquity, tung oil should be applied immediately after processing the product with stain. It is better not to use varnish for this purpose, because the glossy finish does not contribute to maintaining the style of antiquity. Tung oil should be thoroughly rubbed into the surface and left to dry overnight.
  6. At the last stage, the kitchen stack is waxed and polished.

You can use paint of different shades to give the product an antique effect. The secret is to apply another layer, to create scuffs, use a sponge moistened with paint, or a thin brush. The hue must be different from the background. A pattern is applied that imitates cracks or a pattern of peeling paint.

Tile decoration

The advantages of this technique are many:

  • improving the appearance of the old table;
  • the ability to install hot dishes on the countertop;
  • ease of care;
  • long period of service.

Do-it-yourself kitchen table restoration can be done using large-sized tiles. They also use mosaics. In any of the cases, the mass of the piece of furniture will increase significantly. Broken tiles are also suitable for decorating the table. Using pieces of different sizes will result in a mosaic effect.

Do not rush to throw out the old table. It has served you for many years and will continue to serve you if you give it a little attention.

The table can be decorated in such a way that it will compete with any designer item.

New life can be breathed in with absolutely different ways and technician.

Consider the most common methods.

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Ways to transform the table

  • painting;
  • veneering (pasting the old wooden surface veneer);
  • pasting with self-adhesive film;
  • (application of the table with drawings from napkins, rice or banana paper);
  • tiling;
  • table painting using a stencil (through a fabric, paper or plastic stencil);
  • decor with potali (foil, which is glued in the form of a pattern).

Some of the decoration methods we will consider in this article in a little more detail. In addition, you can turn an old table into a modern and original design element using an ordinary LED strip. will perfectly fit into any interior.

Materials and tools


To return the old table to its former beauty, we need the following:
  • Sander;
  • paint for wood;
  • impregnation;
  • primer roller;
  • varnish (colored or colorless);
  • brushes for each type of coating.

As well as personal protective equipment:

  • protective glasses;
  • respirator;
  • work gloves.

Restoration

Step 1. First you need to inspect the table for breakages, cracks, scratches. If there are breakdowns, they must be repaired. We check all the bolts on the legs and countertop, tighten them.
The best option would be to take the table apart, clean it of dirt and dust, then reassemble it. You can add glue to all attachment points and wait until it dries (at least 15 hours).

Step 2 Next, you need to grind the table with a machine or sand it manually. This allows you to identify all the problem areas that were not visible before.
Take off old paint and varnish is a very laborious and long process. We clean the surface with fine-grained and medium-grained sandpaper.

Note! Wood should be sanded along the grain. Improper processing results in hard-to-remove defects.

Step 3 All identified cracks and deep scratches must be repaired with. Dry patches completely. Next, we clean and grind the surface again.


Step 4 Degrease the table with acetone and prime its surface. For this, a universal primer is suitable. Instead of impregnation, we prime the countertop 2-3 times, completely drying each layer.

Step 5 Sand the surface of the table again.

Step 6 If the countertop does not have scratches, chips and cracks, you can process it water-repellent impregnation and cover it with several layers of stain or varnish. This will give a unique effect of fresh wood.

Step 7 If the surface condition is unimportant or the subsequent decoration of the table is planned, it is necessary to paint it. Choose a water-based paint. We apply with a large brush (it is better if it is not painting, but artistic). When the paint dries, apply the second layer. Application should be quick, short strokes, thin layers. We dry the table for at least 4 days.

Note! Dark paint should be applied in two or three layers to avoid light gaps.

Table top decoration

painting

Painting is one of the most popular techniques for decorating interiors and household items. There are several options for painting furniture: art painting with a thin brush, painting through a stencil (template), painting with stamps.

For glass top perfect solution- bright and airy painting with stained glass paints.

The painting looks very beautiful with the help of tulle or any other lace. To apply an openwork pattern to the surface of the table, you need to attach the tulle to the tabletop (preferably fix it with tape on the back).

We paint the table in the same way as through a regular stencil, using a sponge, roller or spray paint. We select the color of the enamel contrasting with the color of the surface.

Note! Painting is applied to the glass top from the inside, the front side remains smooth.

Mosaic

With tile glue, first lay out the frame elements of the mosaic. We try to make the most identical seams. Then, from the center of the table, we begin to lay out the tiles (or pieces of tiles). An interesting solution there will be tiles of different colors. From above the tile is covered with a special grout. So that the ends of the tiles are not visible, you can attach them to the edges of the table plastic corners in the color of the tile grout.

In the mosaic technique, you can use not only tiles, but also other materials and a wide variety of objects - shells , pebbles, pieces of glass, eggshell etc.

potal

Potal is the thinnest sheets of various metal alloys that are used to imitate any surface under gold, bronze or silver. The gilding technique is often used in furniture decoration along with other decorative techniques.

To begin with, we draw a stencil on which the potal will be glued. Then we apply glue on it with a thin brush.

Sweat sheets are carefully applied to the glue. With a soft brush, carefully remove unnecessary parts of the sheet.

The thicker the brush with which we apply the glue, the thicker the sweat pattern will be.

Note! Particles of sweat sheets left over from decorating the countertop can be collected and reused in the form of a powder.

Painting in different colors

To begin with, the countertop is completely covered with one color. After drying, it is necessary to stick masking tape, creating a stencil for other colors from it.

With the help of a roller or brush, all other colors are applied one after the other. After that, the masking tape is removed.

On a colored background, you can draw or stick various pictures.

Finally, the table must be covered with two layers of clear varnish. This will add strength to the decor and protect it from external influences. Lacquer can be taken glossy or matte.

How to restore an old table with veneering, see the video:

Photo gallery









Has old furniture lost its former luster? I'm tired, but it's a pity to throw it away? All this is fixable: you can improve the appearance so that no one will think that the furniture is many years old. Do-it-yourself furniture restoration is hard work. But you don't have to do anything super complicated. Some methods are so simple that everyone can do it (we are not talking about antiques, of course).

Restoration of wooden surfaces

No matter how carefully the furniture is handled, scuffs, scratches, stains still occur. They are easy to eliminate. The main thing is to know how and why.

Restoring the polish

Restoring a layer of varnish is a difficult task. Any restoration of furniture begins with cleaning and degreasing and repairing the varnish coating too. We use detergent for dishes, diluted in water: safe and reliable. After drying, we proceed to update the polishing.


You can simply refresh the faded polish on the furniture with mixtures prepared by yourself:

  1. Two parts linseed oil and turpentine and some vinegar. Everything is mixed, applied with a swab, wait until it is absorbed and polished.
  2. Mix oil and beer in equal parts and wipe the furniture with this composition. Rub after soaking.
  3. A more shiny surface will be if the beer is boiled with a piece of wax, cooled and applied slightly warm to the furniture. When the composition is absorbed, the surface is rubbed to a shine.

More recipes in the video.

How to remove polish from furniture

Quite often it is necessary to remove the polishing: this is not the most fashionable finish. modern furniture most often painted with opaque or tinting paints, and the surface is matte. In any case, you need to remove the polish. There are several ways. Since varnishes are different in composition, you have to select empirically. But one of the methods should work.


How to paint polished furniture

If the old furniture was being prepared for painting, it must be cleaned of dust, wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry. After leveling everything with putty, smooth out all the bumps, wait until it dries. Take sandpaper and sand again, first with medium, then with fine grain. Next, apply a layer of primer and wait for it to dry.

The primer is bought for the paint that is going to be used, or the paint can be diluted with a compatible solvent and covered instead of primer. After drying, you can paint.

You can paint with a roller or brush. Usually several coats are needed: do not try to apply a lot of paint at once, as streaks may appear. It is better to apply several thin layers. So the surface will be smooth and uniform. Another trick: for uniform coloring, layers are applied in different directions - along, then across. This also applies to the application of varnish.

Some varnishes are easier to work with when they are warm. They are slightly heated and then applied with a spray gun or brush. When warming up, you need to be careful: vapors can flare up.

In order of staining: first paint internal surfaces, edges and joints, then go to the outside. With this sequence, there is less chance of getting dirty or touching the already painted surface, ruining it.

If lacquer coating even, without defects, and it needs to be painted over, you can do without removing this layer. There are special primers for difficult surfaces. Coat the surface with them, and paint after drying. They have components that penetrate even the varnish layer. Therefore, the paint will be applied well and hold on for a long time. But such soils have a minus: they are expensive. But they do save a lot of time.

Some secrets of wood coloring (including brushing and coloring in two colors) are in the article "". See the video for a few secrets of even application of acrylic paint.

If the restoration did not bring the expected result, maybe you need to change the appearance? How

How to restore veneer

Veneered furniture requires a special approach. The means are basically the same, the methods are different. For example, if after hitting the veneer is swollen, draw PVA glue into a disposable syringe, pierce the bubble, and inject glue into the cavity. Lay a piece of dense fabric on top and put a load. If the surface is uneven (convex or concave), a bag of dense fabric with heated sand is used as a load.

If the veneer is glued to alcohol glue, you can return the swollen part to its place by ironing it through a rag with a hot iron. But do not overheat the iron: the veneer can stretch. The degree of heating is medium.

If ironing through a dry cloth does not help, try again with a damp cloth (wet and wring it out well). There is a chance that the wood will swell and become more elastic. To securely fix the swelling, you can introduce PVA there, and then heat it with an iron.

If the swelling is cracked, you can also try to seal it with heating (through a rag). If it does not work, tear off the exfoliated piece. You don’t cut it off, but break it off: on the veneer, the fractures after restoration are less noticeable than the cuts. Therefore, you break off the lagging piece. The old glue is removed from the place of damage and a piece of veneer (with sandpaper or nail files - depending on the size). Further, the repair of veneer on furniture is standard: they smeared it with PVA glue, laid it, aligning the fault lines, laid a thick fabric on top and put the load to dry.

Scratches and traces of restoration on veneer are removed in the same way as on wood: they are painted over with a furniture marker of a suitable shade. If the scratch is deep, a little molten wax for furniture restoration is applied to it (with a spatula). After drying, the wax is rubbed, if necessary, fine-grained sandpaper is used, but after such processing, the restored piece is covered with a layer of varnish.

Do-it-yourself furniture restoration requires patience and accuracy. We have to act gradually and methodically: smeared, waiting for drying, leveled, smeared again, etc. Sometimes you have to try several methods: the damage is different, as are the materials used in the manufacture (glue, varnishes, etc.). But as a result, the furniture will look much better.

We use only fabric and paint for table decoration. You see the result. Like?

To proceed with the restoration, you need to clean the surface of the table. It is advisable to do this work with a grinder, but in the absence of one in the arsenal of tools, it is really possible to get by with sandpaper, only in this case you will have to work hard.

When sanding a table, we get rid of varnish and paint, which, in fact, spoil the appearance of this piece of furniture. The cleaned surface is treated with wood putty. This step must not be skipped, because otherwise the surface will not be perfectly flat. We close cracks and chips.

Since we did not want to repair the mechanism that made the table fold out, and there was no need for larger furniture, the sliding structure was eliminated. We simply securely fastened the table, and sealed the gap with putty so that nothing betrayed the fact that the table had once been sliding.

You do not have to do exactly as we do, especially if the sliding furniture parts are in good condition. But if you want to simplify the restoration, take note of our idea.

We cleaned the putty surface with a grinder, and for reliability we applied an additional layer of putty to some parts and repeated the cleaning step again.

Here we have a perfectly flat, but outwardly unsightly table. To make it change beyond recognition, you need to decorate all the surfaces of the table.

What prospects do not open up before the master, who has such a table as in the photo. How to decorate - a lot of options, from simple coloring to decoupage and other designer tricks.

We decided to decorate with fabric. This is because they could not find drawings of a sufficiently large size among the options for decoupage blanks. And the plans were to pick up large sketches. Luckily, I came across a fabric with an interesting floral plot, so we decided to use it in practice.

First of all, we primed the surface of the table. Then they painted it with white paint. White, because it is this color that imposes on us the interior of the room in which the table will be installed. Therefore, you choose the color of paint for your case.

Now we cut out a piece with a pattern from the fabric, which will become the decoration of our table. The fabric is simply glued to the surface with suitable type glue. Make sure the fabric is laid flat. That is why we so carefully leveled the surface of the table.

The result is the same decoupage, but our drawing also guarantees that the connected and masked gap from the sliding cover will not crack, because the fabric will hold the surface even stronger.

The finishing step will be the treatment of the table with varnish designed for wood.

After drying, the craft is ready. Agree, it turned out to be a very beautiful piece of furniture, which, despite its venerable age, will serve for several decades before a new restoration.


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