Ways to update the old furniture wall with your own hands, examples in the photo before and after

The apartment has a Soviet-era wall, made of high quality natural wood. But over time, the facades warped, the fittings failed, the appearance became unpresentable. It’s a pity to throw away this piece of furniture, so many people have the question of how to update an old furniture wall with their own hands and they study photos before and after restoration.

Before starting any work, you need to prepare everything you need - buy material, tools. The list consists of the following:

  • Furniture fittings;
  • Putty material for wood;
  • Facades, if necessary;
  • Paint or stain (preferably spray);
  • Construction knife;
  • Building hair dryer;
  • Screwdriver;
  • Sharp scissors;
  • Iron;
  • Film furniture self-adhesive;
  • Wax for furniture of different consistency;
  • Candle;
  • spatulas;
  • Rags, clamp;
  • PVA glue;
  • Varnish for wood;
  • felt-tip pen;
  • Edge for processing end faces.

This is not the whole list of materials and tools, since there are several ways to update old furniture, each option has its own, specific set of necessary tools.

Update types

If you don’t know how to update an old furniture wall with your own hands, before and after photos can be found on the net. In addition, we present several ways, by applying which, you can give a second life to any furniture.

Restoration of an old wall

If old furniture is dear to you as a memory, but its appearance has suffered greatly over time - chips, creases, deep cracks have formed on the plane - it can be restored. After spending a minimum of time, you will receive an updated piece of furniture. For repair work, a standard set of material and tools is used. For a quality repair, it is enough to perform the following actions:

  • The working surface must be cleaned and washed with a solution of soap and water, dried well - this will help increase the adhesion of the material to the wall facade;
  • To save the plane from deep scratches, they are poured with melted wax. After the fill has hardened, you need to take a felt-tip pen to match the wood, put strokes on the wax that will imitate the structure of the wall material. This is not difficult to do, it is enough to continue an existing drawing. After that, a clean rag is taken, which is carefully carried over the hardened wax, slightly smearing the dashes. As soon as the desired result is achieved, the plane is covered with furniture varnish;
  • If strong scuffs are visible on the facade, they are painted over with varnish of the desired shade from a can;
  • If there are cracks and delaminated sections on the facade, you can update the old wall with the help of elementary means - PVA glue, a medical syringe and a fixative. It is necessary to draw glue into the syringe, inject the required amount of the composition into the crack. Then press the split and remove excess glue. Using a clamp, press the area, leave to dry for 24 hours;
  • Are there many chips on the facade? The same melted wax will help to cope with them. First you need to trim the edges of the chip with a spatula, and fill it with wax. Once the wax has dried, sand the area well with a clean, dry rag. Then perform the same steps as when repairing scratches and varnishing.

After such processing, the wall will not change its design, but its appearance will become much more attractive.

Removing dirt and dust from coatings

We process cracks with wax

Repairing chips with glue

We paint over scuffs

Transformation of the wall with furniture varnish

If the interior in your apartment has changed, and a simple restoration does not suit you, then you can radically change the old furniture with your own hands. There are several ways to update furniture, the choice of which will depend on artistic skills, preferences and the amount of free time.

The easiest way is varnishing. The process is not complicated, subject to the procedure and restoration technology.

The set of tools is standard, but for a good result, you need to follow the following algorithm:

  • Take a picture of the wall before work begins. This will help in the future to collect it after the update without confusion;
  • Disassemble the structure. It is necessary to remove the fittings and doors;
  • Wash the wall and all components with soapy water;
  • Remove dust, soot deposits in the corners with a toothbrush or toothpicks. This stage should not be ignored, since the quality of the final result depends on the preparation;
  • Check the condition of the facades. If the surface is not badly damaged, then it will be enough just to cover it with varnish;
  • If the facades are in a deplorable state, they have a lot of chips and deep scratches - the old coating is removed without residue. To make the work go faster, you can use special compounds that help remove varnish, or use a regular spatula;
  • As soon as all the exfoliated areas are removed, the old varnish is removed, you can proceed with the restoration with wax - how to do it is described above;
  • Sand the surface with fine-grained sandpaper and remove dust;
  • Cover the facade of the wall and all components with 3-4 thin layers of furniture varnish. It is worth remembering that when applying a thick layer, streaks may form that will spoil the appearance of the wall;
  • As soon as the varnish coating dries, the wall should be assembled, the fittings should be replaced with new elements.

By updating old furniture in this way, you can add a few more years of life to the wall in your interior.

Removing dust and dirt

We remove cracks

Removing old varnish

Lacquering in several layers

Installing new handles

Application of self-adhesive wallpaper

Today, there are a lot of materials that can be used for restoration. Updating old furniture with self-adhesive wallpaper is one of the easiest options. It is easy to work with this material, and it is inexpensive. In addition, the range is so large that you can choose the material for every taste. The film is waterproof, so it can protect the wall from environmental influences. The algorithm for performing work is as follows:

  • Prepare as in the previous method - remove the fittings and disassemble the structure;
  • Clean the facades, wash, after drying, treat the surface with white spirit, for degreasing;
  • While the facades are drying, we cut the material. Film sheets should be 10 mm larger than the original size on each side. This is necessary in order to eliminate gaps in the finish;
  • The surface on which the material is planned to be glued must be moistened. Attach the film to the upper edge, carefully separate a small strip of the protective layer. The film is glued gradually, slowly moving down;
  • After gluing, you need to level the material with a soft rag, moving from the center to the edges;
  • As soon as the entire wall is pasted over, you need to heat the iron and iron the plane through the fabric - this will help the film to adhere tightly to the surface;
  • Return the doors and fittings to their place, stick the edge tape.

It is not necessary to use a film under the tree, you can choose any color. A competent design combination of different shades will help to make a real masterpiece out of an old wall.

Dismantling furniture

We clean the surface

We moisten the coatings

We glue the film

Collecting back

Restoration with staining

Repainting the old wall will change its appearance beyond recognition, while the main outlines will remain unchanged. You do not need artistic skills, as well as a special tool. The work is not difficult to do, just follow the basic rules:

  • The wall is completely disassembled and the fittings are removed - this makes the restoration process much easier;
  • The old coating must be completely removed, obvious flaws must be repaired with wax;
  • Sand the surface after it dries with sandpaper or a soft cloth;
  • Staining is done in several layers, while you need to make sure that there are no sagging and smudges. As soon as the staining is completed, we leave the structure to dry, after which the wall should be assembled.

If during the work an influx formed, which was detected after drying, it should be cleaned with sandpaper and additionally covered with paint. For a complete understanding of the staining system, see the master class for beginners on updating furniture with your own hands.

Work technology

Carrying out work for any type of restoration has one common technological sequence - preparation and updating itself.

Preparatory work

Before you decide to remake old Soviet-era furniture, you need to understand that such a process is justified only if it is made of wood. It is not advisable to update old furniture made of chipboard, since the service life of these structures is not long, and perhaps the wall is no longer suitable for restoration. So, there are preparatory measures that must be carried out before any restoration:

  1. Clean the surface of dust and dirt, while dismantling all the decor and accessories;
  2. Be sure to remove the old layer of paintwork. This can be done with a sandpaper with a large grain, or with a grinder. A solvent solution can also be applied;
  3. Grout deep cracks with a special material;
  4. Fill chips and dents with wax and sand;
  5. Prime the surface with wood compound. It is desirable to use acrylic compounds that fill all microscopic cracks.

The preparation stage is very important, since the final result depends on the quality of surface cleaning.

Removing dust and dirt

Removing old paint or varnish

We overwrite deformations

We prime the surface

Update instructions

Before restoring old furniture, you need to decide on the design that you want to get. Consider the most popular update method at the moment - decoupage. The preparatory work has been carried out with success, it is possible to proceed with the restoration. The algorithm for performing the work is simple and will not cause difficulty even for a beginner:

  • Cut out the desired pattern, or take special napkins for decoupage. If you are working for the first time, take pictures of medium size relative to the surface on which they will be superimposed;
  • Apply PVA glue to the plane, you can apply the composition for the blend. Do not smear the entire wall at once, as the glue may dry while you are pasting over one area, so you need to work in stages;
  • When gluing a picture, you must strictly monitor the fit of the edges to the surface. Drawings can be glued overlapping each other, so the decor will turn out to be voluminous and original;
  • If you have to paste over the corner, then the material just gently bends around the corner, you do not need to cut anything. Smooth the picture with your fingers or with a rubber spatula to remove air bubbles and leave to dry;
  • The next step is varnishing. Apply a thin coat of clear furniture polish with a brush or lint-free roller and allow to dry. The process is repeated 3-5 times;
  • After the last layer of varnish has dried, you need to rub the surface to a shine, this can be done with a soft cloth. Polishing should be done without pressure in a circular motion.

In the photo before and after you can see how to update the old furniture wall with your own hands. If you follow the instructions and apply design methods for decorating furniture, you can get an excellent result that will become the pride of the apartment owners.

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