How to restore an old table with your own hands. We are restoring an old round table with our own hands. How to upgrade a kitchen table

Many people have old furniture at home or somewhere in the country. And most often these are not expensive antiques from Tsarist times, but the most ordinary wardrobes, dressers, tables and chairs. At first glance, it may seem that it is high time to throw out most of these things, but take a closer look - often these are solid wood products or maybe even forged metal that will last more than one year if they are beautifully restored. In this article we will tell you about the ways of decorating 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 is so nice to contemplate the beauty made with 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 the surface needs to be prepared first. The paint and varnish remover will help to clean the product from the previous finish.

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

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, spray.

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

2. Art painting

If a plain finish seems too boring, try decorating an old table with patterns. Drawings can be applied with a brush and acrylic paints - by hand, through a stencil or along the outlines made with 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.

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

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

Dried decoupage is covered with transparent varnish for furniture in several layers, otherwise the paper decor will quickly be erased.

4. Craquelure

Craquelure is a cracking varnish, with the help of which the product is deliberately given a look that imitates the texture of old 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 - on a water basis, they interact and a characteristic texture is obtained). The color of the veins is determined by the undercoat of acrylic paint and by the shade of the grout. Most often, powdered gold pigment or pastel is used for this purpose.

A two-step craquelure is usually complemented by decoupage or hand-painted to achieve the effect of an aged picture. One-step is more suitable for products without drawings.

5. Tiles

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

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

To give the table an attractive look, in addition to plain tiles, it is worth using patterned borders, decorative panels (perhaps even with some subjects) or stylish patchwork.

6. Mosaic

Small fragment paintings decorate many galleries, temples and palaces. They will look just as exquisite in the house, for example, on the surface of coffee tables.

Mosaic elements can be ceramic (even broken tiles are suitable), glass or acrylic.

From the materials at hand, small round wood cuts, cut CDs, colored pebbles are suitable. It is enough just 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 most beautiful option for decorating an old table that does not require fiddling with paints is gluing a film.

This available material can mimic any surface - from rare woods to marble, it can have any kind of patterns, patterns and textures.

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

8. Decorative tape

In the stores of stationery and goods for creativity, a wide selection of decorative self-adhesive tapes has recently been presented. It will take you no more than 30-40 minutes to decorate the 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 glue remains somewhere, acetone will dissolve it without any problems.

9. Epoxy resin

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

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

Also, dried flowers, leaves, shells, coins can be placed in epoxy resin, and due to the transparency of the substance, the effect of ice or amber will be obtained.

The restoration of the kitchen table allows you to renew the structure and improve its appearance. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to continue to operate the favorite piece of furniture, and it is allowed to change the color of the coating, apply a drawing. There are many design options for the countertop. It can be any image, different types of techniques are used, including decoupage, artificial aging of furniture, etc.

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Repair of table structures

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

• simple;
• with a design change.

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

The restoration of the legs and table surface with a change in design is carried out according to the described instructions, but some points may be added. For example, additional structural elements are installed: legs, wheels, wooden fringes around the perimeter, carved parts, etc. You can change the shape and size of the table top, its thickness. For comparison, such work is not performed with a simple restoration.

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

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

How do I upgrade my kitchen table?

Various techniques for decorating surfaces 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 lies in the use of special primers and in the processing methods. If you plan to update your kitchen table with your own hands, you should consider popular decorating techniques. Most of them are performed 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. They use 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 finish is restored and varnished to preserve the natural wood grain. Painting will help hide minor defects and update a 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 dyeing technique are selected individually. You can use alkyd enamel, water-based, oil paint. The choice is made taking into account the type of material. If the question of how to paint the product is being decided, you need to remember that all surfaces are covered in several layers. Paints and varnishes can be sprayed from a cylinder or applied with a roller, brush.

Decoupage

In this case, paper elements with different types of patterns are glued to the surface of the countertop. Napkins are often used for this purpose. They purchase a special glue for decoupage, while the decor will not last long, if you do not apply varnish to the surface. It is also permissible to use PVA glue. Sequencing:

• the surface is degreased;
• the tabletop is opened with 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 you need to wait until the surface is completely dry.

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

Decorating

Use a burning technique. This option is suitable for working with wood. The decor can be anything: stickers, stencils, painting. Kitchen tables are decorated in different ways, how to decorate furniture to make it look stylish, you need to consider in more detail. Artificial aging of objects is a popular method. A wooden kitchen table can also be designed like this, the design is carried out according to the instructions:

1. Surfaces are sanded. A large area can be processed with a sander, difficult areas are smoothed with fine-grain 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 table top is stained twice.
5. To preserve the effect of antiquity, tung oil should be applied immediately after staining the product. It is better not to use varnish for this purpose, since a glossy finish does not contribute to maintaining the old style. Tung oil should be thoroughly rubbed into the surface and left to dry overnight.
6. At the last stage, the kitchen stack is treated with wax and polished.

You can use different shades of paint to give the product an antique look. The secret is to apply another layer; to create scuffs, use a sponge soaked in paint or a thin brush. In this case, the shade should be different from the background. A pattern is applied that imitates cracks or a pattern of peeling paint.

Decorating with tiles

This technique has many advantages:

• 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 tiles. They also use mosaics. In any case, the mass of the piece of furniture will increase significantly. Broken tiles are also suitable for decorating the table. Using different sized pieces will give the result a mosaic effect.

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

The table can be decorated so that it competes with any designer item.

New life can be breathed in using completely different methods and techniques.

Let's consider the most common methods.

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Ways to transform the table

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

We will look at some of the decoration methods in this article in a little more detail. In addition, you can turn an old table into a modern and original design element using a regular LED strip. fits perfectly 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 eliminated. We check all the bolts on the legs and table top, tighten them.
The best option would be to disassemble the table in detail, clean it from 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 by hand. This allows you to identify all problem areas that were not visible before.
Removing old paint and varnish is a very laborious and time-consuming process. We clean the surface with fine-grained and medium-grained sandpaper.

Note! The wood should be sanded along the grain. Incorrect processing results in hard-to-remove defects.

Step 3. Any cracks and deep scratches found must be repaired with. Dry the patches completely. Then we clean and grind the surface again.

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

Step 5. Grinding the table surface again.

Step 6. If the countertop has no scratches, chips or cracks, you can treat it with a water-repellent impregnation and cover it with several layers of stain or varnish. This will give a unique fresh wood effect.

Step 7. If the state of the surface is unimportant or the subsequent decoration of the table is planned, it is necessary to paint it. Choosing a water-based paint. Apply with a large brush (it is better if it is not a painting, but an artistic one). When the paint dries, apply a second coat. 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 to three coats to avoid light gaps.

Countertop 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 a glass countertop, an excellent solution is a bright and airy painting with stained glass paints.

Painting with tulle or any other lace looks very nice. To apply an openwork pattern to the surface of the table, you need to attach the tulle to the table top (it is advisable to fix it with tape from the back side).

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! On the glass tabletop, the painting is applied from the inside out, the front side remains smooth.

Mosaic

First we lay out the frame mosaic elements with tile glue. 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). Laying tiles of different colors would be an interesting solution. From above the tile is covered with a special grout. To avoid showing the ends of the tiles, you can attach plastic corners to the edges of the table 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, eggshells, etc.

Potal

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

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

We carefully put the sheets of potted on 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 gold leaf pattern will be.

Note! The particles of the sheets that are left over from decorating the countertop can be collected and used again in powder form.

Painting in different colors

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

All other colors are applied one by one using a roller or brush. After that, the masking tape is removed.

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

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

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

Photo gallery

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

Restoration of wooden surfaces

No matter how carefully the furniture is handled, scuffs, scratches, stains still occur. They are not difficult to eliminate. The main thing is to know how and with what.

Restoring polish

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

You can simply refresh the faded polish on furniture with do-it-yourself mixtures:

1. Two parts each of linseed oil and turpentine and one part vinegar. All mix, apply 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. After absorbed, grate.
3. A more shiny surface will be if the beer is boiled with a piece of wax, cooled and applied slightly warm to furniture. When the composition is absorbed, the surface is rubbed to a shine.

A few more recipes in the video.

How to remove polish from furniture

Quite often you have to remove the polish: this is not the most fashionable finish. Modern furniture is most often painted with opaque or tinted paints, and the surface is matte. In any case, the polish must be removed. There are several ways. Since varnishes are different in composition, they have to be selected empirically. But one of the methods should work.

How to paint polished furniture

If the old furniture was prepared for painting, it must be cleaned of dust, wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry. After that, level everything with putty, smooth out all irregularities, wait until it dries. Take sandpaper and sand again, first with medium, then 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 coated instead of primer. After drying, you can paint.

You can paint with a roller or brush. Usually several coats are necessary: \u200b\u200bdo not try to apply a lot of paint at once, as drips may appear. Better to apply several thin coats. So the surface will be flat and uniform. Another trick: for even 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 heated a little and then applied with a spray gun or brush. When warming up, you need to be careful: vapors may flare up.

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

If the varnish coating is 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 even penetrate the varnish layer. Therefore, the paint will be well applied and hold for a long time. But such soils have a drawback: they are expensive. But they significantly save time.

Some secrets of wood coloring (including brushing and painting 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 the veneer is swollen after being hit, you put PVA glue into a disposable syringe, pierce the bubble, and inject glue into the cavity. Put a piece of thick fabric on top and place the load. If the surface is uneven (convex or concave), use a bag of dense fabric with heated sand as a load.

If the veneer is glued with alcohol glue, the swollen part can be returned 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 work, try repeating the operation with a damp cloth (wet and wring it out well). There is a chance that the wood will swell and become more elastic. For reliable fixation of the bulge, you can insert PVA there, and then heat it with an iron.

If the bulge is cracked, you can also try to seal it with heating (through a rag). If it doesn't work, tear off the peeled piece. Do not cut, but break off: on the veneer, fractures after restoration are less noticeable than cuts. Therefore, you break off the lagging piece. From the place of damage and a piece of veneer, clean off the old glue (with sandpaper or a nail file - depending on the size). Further, the repair of the veneer on the furniture is standard: they smeared it with PVA glue, laid it down, aligning the fracture lines, laid a thick cloth 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 melted furniture wax is applied to it (with a spatula). After drying, the wax is ground, if necessary, using fine-grain sandpaper, 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, wait 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 the furniture will look much better as a result.

We only use fabric and paint to decorate the table. You see the result. Like?

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

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

Since we did not want to repair the mechanism that made the table folding, and there was no need for larger furniture, the sliding structure was abolished. We just securely fastened the table, and the gap was sealed with putty so that nothing betrayed the fact that the table was once a sliding table.

You don't have to do exactly what we do, especially if the sliding pieces of the furniture are intact. 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 stripping step again.

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

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

We decided to decorate with fabric. This is because we could not find large enough drawings among the options for decoupage blanks. And the plans were to pick up large sketches. Fortunately, we came across a fabric with an interesting plant plot, they decided to use it in business.

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 a paint color 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 using a suitable type of glue. Make sure the fabric is smooth. That is why we leveled the table surface so carefully.

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

The finishing stage will be the treatment of the table with varnish intended 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 the new restoration.