Every one of us has at least one old piece furniture, such as a chair, dresser or side table, in our basement or attic that has seen better days. But, with a little bit of imagination and creativity, every piece of furniture can be transformed into a real collector's item. We have put together the ultimate guide to give your old furniture the makeover it deserves.
The location
If you’re not a handy person and don’t have a workplace at home, find a spot in your house or in your nearby area that is well lit and also properly ventilated. This will make your work much easier. If you care about the floor of your new workplace, make sure to put down some cardboard or some layers of newspapers on the floor.
Make it clean
Use some mineral spirits to see what your furniture could look like all cleaned up. Before applying your paint, first varnish all the areas that have leftover paint on with some sand paper. You need to make sure your material is clean from the start to create the perfect base. In the mood for a rustic look? Use sandpaper on the corners of your furniture after the paint job.
Test version
Not sure if your approach will work on the real deal? Practice your approach on a sample material that is similar to the material you will be using. No pieces of wood or metal at home at the moment? Try out your approach on areas of your furniture that you don’t normally see. The inside of a drawer can work perfectly for instance.
Paint it up
A little bit of paint can make all the difference. By repainting your own furniture it can look like a one of a kind piece of design. The choice of colour is entirely up to you though. Don’t forget to paint the inside parts of the furniture as well. Remember to make sure that your paint of choice matches the rest of the decoration in your house.
The finish line
Finish up your project by applying a layer of wax with a quality brush. Make sure not to push too hard on the materials when painting otherwise you could leave a mark. If you don’t have the most steady hands, add some water to the paint to make it more fluid. If your material doesn’t look patchy, your project is done to be left to dry.
What about fabrics?
Painting fabrics needs a different approach than for instance wood. If you were to use the same technique, the fabric material would become too crispy and it would stick to your clothes. If you want to prevent this from happening, use a quarter of acrylic paint, four bottles of fabric medium, fine sand paper, spray water, and of course a fresh paint brush. Now you are good to go to revive that old fabric chair that you maybe intended to throw away.
