Sooner or later, even the best quality chairs fail. It would be a pity to throw them away, because they have already become part of the interior, are loved and hold many emotional memories. If this is the case, then it is worth thinking about the practical refurbishment of old furniture and its repurposing into new interior items. What can come out of the most ordinary old chairs?
In the interior of a country house or house, decorated in a rustic style, objects with history look special. They give the space a special retro gloss and create a real touch of antiquity, which is so necessary in interiors of this type. This is where towel holders made from the backs of old chairs would be appropriate. It won’t be difficult to create them, but they will fit colorfully into the design picture. You can safely decorate kitchens or bathrooms with such decorative items.
Are the chair's legs wobbly or broken? No problem! This does not mean that his life is over. If the body itself is strong enough and has an attractive appearance, then its best purpose is to become garden swing. You should first sand the piece of furniture, soak it in an antifungal solution and paint it beautiful color. The paint must be resistant to temperature changes, precipitation and strong sun.
In the same garden it would be appropriate to place an unusual flowerpot, also made from an old chair. Sometimes it happens that after renovation, all the furniture is completely changed, but there is no desire to get rid of the old one. In this case, the garden and even the interior of the house can be decorated with stylish flower stands. You just need to refresh the chairs with paint, cut holes in the seats and place large pots of flowers there (it can even be small tin containers).
Today it is fashionable to decorate the kitchen with items that are found in popular cafes or restaurants. These also include slate tablets, on which menus or pleasant wishes to visitors are usually written. The most interesting thing is that making such a decorative item is not at all difficult, and it will not require any special expenses. All you need is the back of an old chair and chalkboard paint. By the way, young parents should also take this idea, because children love to draw with crayons.
It's amazing how many different and interesting items interior design can be achieved using only old chairs. In addition, such old furniture with a new life can stylishly diversify the interior. Here, for example, coffee table from a chair, which is also perfect as a bedside table.
Shelves are never superfluous, no matter where they are - in the bathroom, living room, kitchen, hallway or even in the garden. Creative hanging shelf will come out of the top part of an old chair and will always delight not only with its functionality, but also attractive design.
We have also made a selection. It's worth a look!
Don't rush to throw it away old furniture. From a life-worn and moth-eaten “four-legged friend” you can get a real work of art with just a little effort and imagination. Today you will learn how to update old chair with my own hands to add freshness and novelty to your home interior.
Method number 1: decorating a chair with paint
Not only a real “old man’s” Soviet chair, but also a wooden “Viennese” one and a folding one country house options easily transformed with paint.
Dyeing technology
To paint old chairs you will need:
- acrylic paint;
- flat synthetic brushes (separately for varnish, paint and putty);
- gloves;
- putty;
- white spirit (for metal);
- varnish remover (for varnished models);
- matte varnish or wax;
- fine and medium grain sandpaper.
Restore old chairs according to this scheme:
- The first step is to prepare the furniture for painting: wash it, sand it with sandpaper. The surface should remain slightly rough.
- It is better to degrease the iron model with white spirit before painting.
- Treat varnished furniture with a special varnish remover.
- Mask all cracks and scratches on the surface of the legs and back with furniture putty.
- After this, paint the entire surface of the furniture in 2-3 layers, waiting for each layer to dry completely. Open the product with varnish.
Interesting! If you want to achieve an interesting scuffed effect, then initially apply dark paint to individual areas, and then cover them with wax. Paint the entire area with the desired shade in 2 layers, and then use fine-grain sandpaper to go over the previously marked areas to “expose” the dark areas.
- If you haven't decided what color to paint your furniture, you can't go wrong with a bright white shade. This color is universal and goes well with all bright upholstery materials.
New! Chalk paints are a newfangled type coloring matter, which are not yet very common in stores, but we recommend using them because of their bright colors and super-fast drying.
- Use masking tape to paint individual areas of the surface.
Method number 2: seat reupholstery
Restoring old chairs with your own hands using the reupholstery method is the second most common technique after paint.
Interesting! Even if the stool does not have a comfortable soft seat, you can make it yourself.
Washing process technology
To work you will need:
- thick upholstery fabric;
- furniture stapler;
- screwdriver or screwdriver;
- meter tape;
- self-tapping screws;
- overlocker for finishing edges or sewing machine.
An old soft chair is restored in this way:
- Turn the product over, placing it with the seat on work surface. Use a screwdriver or screwdriver to unscrew soft part from the product frame. If it is screwed not with screws, but with nails, then pull them out with pliers.
- Measure the width and length of the seat, add 7 cm to each value, and open the part from the new fabric. Finish the edges of the fabric piece sewing machine or overlocker.
- Place the pattern face down on your work surface. Place the seat on it with the wrong side facing you. Make sure that the distance of future pattern bends is the same on all sides.
- Fold and staple two opposite sides of the upholstery fabric to the seat. At the same time, slightly stretch the material. The staples of the stapler are attached in increments of at least 10 cm, and the corners are not yet secured.
- Do the same with the other parties.
- Lastly, pull the corners into the center of the seat and also secure with staples.
- Place the seat on the frame and re-screw it with self-tapping screws. If it was initially held in place with nails, then it makes sense to replace them with self-tapping screws.
- The soft seat can be decorated with beautiful furniture nails around the perimeter.
- Select upholstery material so that it matches the style of the stool. So, classic jacquard does not look good on modern designer furniture, and an old wooden chair with a back and patterns looks strange with upholstery with a geometric print.
- Often, chairs look perfect if their style uses the same fabric from which the curtains or drapes in the room are sewn.
The match looks harmonious.
Method No. 3: sewing a cover with gathers in the corners
The clear advantage of sewing a cover is that this method is much cheaper than reupholstering a seat.
It is enough to purchase 2-2.5 m of fabric, make the pattern correctly and sew it.
The fabric is selected on the basis of resistance to wear, since products are constantly subject to increased stress, especially in the dining room and kitchen.
To sew a cover for an old chair, follow these steps:
- First of all, you need a pattern. For measurements you will need masking tape, paper or newspapers.
- Attach a large spread of newspaper to one or another part of the product, mark the outlines of the furniture on the paper, and remove the excess with scissors.
- Prepare the second part and attach it to the first, gluing it with masking tape. Having assembled the pattern completely, cut it in the places where the seams will be. Thus, you will have a more or less accurate pattern specifically for your product shape.
- Remember to leave seam allowances and take into account the directional direction of the fabric, especially if it has a pattern in the form of stripes or large flowers. Pay special attention to the back. It happens that in order to recreate exact bends you will have to cut out a separate part along its side. If you do not have the goal of conveying all the delights, it is enough to make wide allowances of 5-7 cm along the side cut of the back.
Important! It’s better not to make the cover on the back very narrow, otherwise you simply won’t be able to put it on the chair. Cut the back wide or flared, then fold the excess and tie a pretty bow at the back. If you like a “tight” cover, then install a twisted zipper in one of the seams.
Method No. 4: Decoupage a chair with paper
Remaking old chairs with your own hands does not always require drastic changes. Sometimes a new chair can be made from an old one if you disguise it minor defects, scratches and stains with an original fashionable print or beautiful patterns.
Decoupage will help you. Take:
- multi-layer napkins with the desired print;
- PVA glue;
- a pair of brushes;
- scissors;
- matte clear varnish;
- roller
To make original ones out of old chairs designer furniture, follow this algorithm:
- Clean the furniture, paint as described in method No. 1.
- Separate the top layer of the napkin with the pattern, cut out the desired size fragment from it.
- If you want to change the entire decor of an old chair: from the back to the legs, then chaotically tear the napkin into 10x10 cm pieces.
- Lubricate generously with PVA glue right place future decor. Place a cut piece of napkin on the desired area of furniture, smooth it with a brush with the remaining PVA, removing bubbles and smoothing out the wrinkles with a roller.
- The top layer of PVA should be as thin as possible. Leave it to dry for a day.
- Finally, cover the entire surface of the furniture with clear varnish in 3-4 layers, allowing each layer to dry.
As you can see, remaking an old chair is not as problematic as it might seem at first glance.
Creative furniture decor solutions
- To old stool got a vintage touch, you can paint it pink, blue or cream. Gold or silver paint is useful for painting. On top of everything, apply craquelure varnish to the entire area. The antique effect is created by small cracks from the varnish.
- An old stool will be saved by upholstery made of multi-colored straps. Intertwine them according to the “basket” principle and secure them at the bottom with self-tapping screws.
- Let your kids get creative with acrylic paints. Cover the result with varnish. You will not only receive designer furniture, but also possibly a future family heirloom.
Now you know how to restore an old chair, turning it into an exclusive thing for mere pennies. If you have other modernization ideas and restoration experience, share with readers in the comments.
Video: Restoration of an old chair
Is it time to update your old favorite chairs that have completely lost their presentable appearance? Don't rush to throw them in a landfill! Simple tools and a few hours of time will help you change even the most shabby furniture beyond recognition. In addition, this is a good saving, because the new set will cost a lot of money!
1. Scuffs and brushing
The easiest way to make shabby furniture look stylish and eye-catching is to age it even more. Such chairs will complement classic interiors, Provence, boho, shabby chic, Scandinavian interiors and even loft. The fashion for retro and antiques regularly returns with short breaks.
To make ordinary decorative abrasions, first paint the chair with colored paint: bright or pastel, to match your interior. After drying, thoroughly treat the surface with wax or paraffin and cover it with another layer of paint of a different color on top. As you begin to remove the wax with sandpaper, the bottom layer will begin to show through.
The technique of creating real mechanical abrasions on wooden furniture is called brushing. First, choose and mark the places where they will look as natural as possible - corners, edges, edge of the seat, protruding reliefs. Treat the surface hard wire brush which will remove the old paint coating and soft wood fibers.
2. Glazing
Glaze – interesting technology staining, which is well suited for old furniture made of different materials. The bottom layer of paint shines through the translucent top layer, resulting in interesting game colors and tints.
In your work you can use acrylic, oil, watercolor and any other dyes, including coffee or strong tea. Dilute them with water to the desired consistency and paint the chair with a synthetic brush or sponge. You don't necessarily need a uniform, dense coating, because the essence of glazing is just the opposite.
3. Staining
The staining technology is only suitable for massive wooden chairs, where it will help to completely play up the natural texture. Pick up suitable shade stain and apply it parallel to the grain. With dense and hard paint, the paint will be erased by itself, but soft and delicate ones will absorb it completely and darken. The wood pattern becomes even more expressive, especially if you repeat the procedure several times.
4. Patination
For metal or wrought iron chairs with backs, try patination, which creates a characteristic plaque antiquity. A special bitumen varnish fills all the recesses and surface relief and emphasizes them. Shellac gives a hint of copper, old bronze or gold, and is also suitable for wooden chairs.
Acrylic patina is the simplest painting with the right shade. The waxy patina gives the surface a characteristic satin sheen. Chemical patina looks the most natural, but is the most difficult to work with. In fact, it simply accelerates natural oxidation processes tenfold.
5. Craquelure
Complex coloring with a network of cracks on the surface is called craquelure. This way you can transform chairs, refrigerators, radiators, and any other old furniture and equipment. You only need special paint and varnish.
First, the surface of the chairs is painted or pigmented dark color, and the top is covered with light or colored paint. When both layers are dry, apply craquelure varnish on top, under which the top layer will crack. This is a two-step craquelure, but there is also a one-step one, when the base itself is visible in the cracks, and not the bottom layer of paint.
6. Splashing
Another way to paint old chairs in an unusual way is with an abstract splash of colored paint. It's good for bright ones creative interiors, like pop art, loft or grunge. Such furniture looks as if it was just brought from an art studio.
Eat different technologies splashing: you can shake off the brush, soak it with a sponge, paint with a toothbrush, knock drops off a spatula. There are no mistakes here, because this coloring is a chaotic abstraction. Just take care in advance to cover the furniture, floor and surrounding objects with oilcloth and newspapers.
7. Dry brush
Dry brush technology is an intermediate step between creating scuff marks and chaotic coloring. The method comes from painting and is now actively used by restorers. You only need a flat synthetic brush and paints.
Do not wet the brush before work, but immediately pick up a little paint and brush it over the base. Don't press too hard - you don't want thick coverage or continuous lines. Synthetic hairs will leave jagged streaks, making the paint look like it's scratched all over.
8. Stencils
If you don’t know how to draw, but want to decorate an old chair with beautiful images, use stencils. Buy ready-made art kits at the store or print and cut them out yourself. Laconic geometry is good in minimalism and Scandinavian style, floral and plant motifs - in Provence, bright cartoon characters - in the children's room.
9. Restoration
If you want to restore an old chair to its original appearance and replace worn upholstery, it’s not complicated. First, clean the surface of the old coating and treat it with a transparent or tinted compound. Loose bolts can be easily strengthened with an additional washer, rusted fasteners can be completely replaced, and weak grooves can be filled with universal glue.
To completely replace the seat, cut a piece of new plywood to its size and shape. Cover it with a sheet of foam rubber 3-4 cm thick and cover it with upholstery fabric. Secure the entire structure with a glue gun or stapler with furniture staples.
If you come across antique chairs with springs, finding the same ones now is not an easy task. But you can completely remove rusty and inelastic parts and replace them with other modern fillers. It is recommended to do the same with horsehair and sea salt, which were used for the volume of seats in the old days.
10. Decorative pillows
If your chairs and stools did not initially have soft seats, you can always make them yourself. The mechanism is the same: cut out a suitable frame from plywood or MDF, cover it with foam rubber, and screw it onto the chair frame with self-tapping screws.
There is another option - sew a separate decorative pillow from padding polyester and any other filler. And in order not to screw it to the base, make ties and tie them around the legs and back. Such a pillow can always be removed, washed and replaced without disassembling the entire structure.
11. Chair covers
If you want to completely hide or transform an old chair, cover it with a custom-sized cover. For sewing, choose dense and wear-resistant fabrics that are unpretentious to regular cleaning. For example, jacquard or other variations of sofa upholstery.
Delicate linen, lace or airy translucent covers also look good. They will ideally complement Provence or shabby chic and decorate the room for the holiday, but are of little use for everyday use. You will have to remove and wash delicate fabrics too often.
12. Decoupage
Decoupage is an easy way to cover an entire chair with your favorite designs or to disguise individual cracks and defects. You will need paper with the selected print, brushes and PVA glue, scissors, water, a roller and acrylic or polyurethane varnish for the finishing coat.
Wrapping paper, cards, posters, old wallpaper, newspaper and magazine clippings, and multi-layer napkins are suitable for decoupage. Cut out the necessary fragments from them and separate the top layer with the pattern. If you want to completely cover the entire chair, it is better to chaotically tear the drawings into small pieces and create an interesting papier-mâché effect.
Treat the sanded and painted surface with PVA glue, apply the design and smooth it with a roller or brush. There should be no bulges, folds or air bubbles left. Thick paper first lightly moisten it with water to soften it for easier translation of the picture.
Using the same principle, you can cover the entire chair with fabric or various patches. Such furniture will complement eclectic and ethnic interiors, boho and other styles with an abundance of handmade items. It is enough to apply a layer of matte or glossy protective varnish on top.
13. Self-adhesive film
To avoid fiddling with PVA glue and brushes, explore the range of self-adhesive decorative films. These can be simple patterns, photo printing, textured coatings. There are collections with sparkles, luminous elements, and a mirror effect.
To mark the film, you will still need to disassemble the chair and first draw out some kind of patterns. But this is the most difficult stage of preparation. Therefore, it is enough to just carefully and evenly cover the chair, immediately expelling all air bubbles and straightening the folds.
Decor of old chairs - photo ideas
It is impossible to go through all the methods of restoring old chairs in one material. After all, you are not limited by anything except your own imagination. You can even combine several techniques in one or design a set of chairs in different ways, but maintain their shape and configuration. Then they will become an independent interior decoration: look and be inspired!
Many things lose their attractive appearance over time and therefore need updating. You can put some effort into restoring your furniture and giving it an amazing look. People especially repurpose old chairs. There are many ways to restore them.
Species
To update an old chair yourself, you need to decide on the type of restoration. There are several ways to help restore outdated furniture. To update wooden products or chipboard surfaces, you can apply the following methods:
- Decoupage- This is an opportunity to decorate furniture by gluing some motifs or pictures cut out of paper onto it. To preserve the renewed surface of an object, a special varnish is used that protects the paper from external influences. Decoupage allows you to choose an interesting design and transfer it to old furniture, thereby updating the interior.
- Adhesive tape or film helps update old furniture without much effort. Decorative self-adhesive film may have a design that imitates natural stone, wood, leather and ceramics. She is not afraid of water, temperature changes and direct sun rays. With its help you can completely transform a faded chair.
- Artistic painting- This is a way of decorating objects with different colors. There are several types artistic painting: Khokhloma, Zhostovo, Gzhel and Mezen painting. But restoration using this method requires skill and care.
- Craquelure- a technique for creating visually aged wood. Cracks form on the coating, through which the main tone is visible. To achieve this result, use special plaster, varnish or paint.
The technique itself does not require serious preparation and precision of application.
- Painting– the easiest type of restoration, for which you only need to thoroughly clean the product. The paintwork will keep the chair attractive for a long time.
- Lamination- a method that uses decorated paper, which is glued to the surface of the chair using synthetic melted resin.
- Veneering– is a renovation of furniture using a thin layer of wood, which is glued to the surface using a one- or two-component composition. And to give the veneer aesthetics, you can cover it with varnish or wax.
In addition to updating the aesthetic appearance of the chair, sometimes more serious intervention may be required - it may be necessary to replace or repair a broken part of the structure. In some cases, it is enough just to restore the connecting parts, and in others, to completely replace the part.
To restore a wooden or metal high chair, you may need to replace the old upholstery. To do this, it is necessary to prepare materials that will help restore the product. Upholstery requires care and precision combined with mastery of tools.
How to disassemble it yourself?
It is not difficult to disassemble a chair with your own hands, since its design is known to almost everyone. First you need to unscrew the back, and then the legs. And the product is assembled in reverse order so that all the grooves take their places. If the chair is secured with glued spikes, the attachment points are wetted hot water or sprayed with steam from a steam generator.
If on wooden structure If there are cracks, they are filled with a mixture of glue and sawdust or glued and clamped until they are completely fixed. In case of damage to the tenon fasteners, the old plugs are replaced and the drawer joints are glued together. To do this, you need to make a small hole, pour glue into it and wait until it dries.
If the old chair is wobbly, then you need to remove the legs from the special grooves and wedge their upper part. Due to this, they increase in size and stay in the grooves better.
Update high chair occurs on the same principle as for an adult, but sometimes the hinges or the rotating mechanism need to be replaced. Typically, children's structures consist of many parts that are designed to protect the child's position. For greater strength, all connecting places must be glued.
To disassemble a folding chair, simply remove the axial pins that connect the backrest and seat, and then remove the seat. Metal-based structures are easier to disassemble - you need to unscrew the seat and the soft part of the backrest.
If the chair seat is installed on a spring block, it must be replaced with new springs. It is not necessary to remove the entire block for this.
Recovery process step by step
After disassembling the structure and restoring damaged parts, it is necessary to remove the old paintwork. After this, the main stage of restoration begins.
A primer is first applied to the cleaned surface of the chair, which completely matches the color of the product. After waiting for complete drying, the primer is sanded off with sandpaper to obtain a thin layer of coating. After this, the product is coated with paint or varnish, wait for it to dry and apply another layer.
Each material is painted in a special way. For example, an anti-corrosion agent is first applied to a metal frame, and after complete drying, it is covered with the main color. Transparent varnish is applied in several stages, and if a coloring composition is used, it is better to resort to metal enamel.
Wooden frame first treat with wax, carefully distributing it over all areas. Instead of wax, you can use an oil primer, which is applied with a brush. The product is then coated with several layers acrylic paint. These recovery steps allow you to quickly and easily renew your chair without using special protective masks and gloves.
Plastic chairs It is extremely undesirable to paint, since plastic tends to bend, and this will lead to cracking and peeling of the paint. Therefore, it is a priority for them to sew covers or pillows.
Last stage renovation consists of creating beautiful upholstery. Having removed the old upholstery, a seat base is cut out of a foam cushion, which is then attached to the surface using glue. For additional fixation, you can use paper clips. Having stretched the fabric well over the entire seat, it is secured from below with furniture clips. Depending on personal preference, the fabric may have a bright pattern or no pattern at all.
To remake a seat with springs, first fix the batting, and then a layer of foam sheet. The fabric is attached according to the same principle as with one layer of foam rubber, but it is pulled with greater emphasis to smooth out the spring relief.
Many people think about which paint is best to paint in order to preserve the effect for a long time. For wooden products, you can use stain or paint and varnish, and for iron structures– enamel specially designed for metal.
Viennese
To repair Viennese chairs yourself, you first need to evaluate them general condition. The amount of damage may depend on operating conditions.
The most important damage that can be assessed at home is instability. This occurs due to weakening of the tenon joints. To bring the product into normal condition, it is necessary to increase the size of the tenon, install seals on the drawers and replace the power bars. After this, the paintwork is replaced and the seat is restored.
To restore an outdated structure, you need to prepare basic materials and tools. To work, you need to get a hammer, a furniture stapler, a self-tapping screw, paints and varnishes, solvent, brushes, glue, scissors, cloth and sandpaper.
The renewal process begins with cleaning all surfaces of the product from dirt and dust. After this, the analysis of the chair begins. First, remove the seat and backrest, which are usually held on with screws. Then the remaining parts are removed step by step. It is important to check the strength of all connections. If any attachment point does not hold well, then it is not worth disassembling.
Disassembled elements must be replaced immediately to avoid errors during the assembly process. All parts are sanded with sandpaper to thoroughly remove old varnish. This is necessary so that the furniture can be repainted so that the new layer fits perfectly on the chair.
Next, be sure to inspect the places where the elements are glued. The top of the legs, which are attached to the grooves, must be wrapped in several layers of bandage, covering each layer with glue. If the leg wobbles very much, then a hole is made in the end, into which a small wedge is then driven. This will increase the width of the end, and the leg will hold firmly in the groove.
For drawstring structures with a weakened seam, you need to make a hole on the inside and use a syringe to inject an adhesive into it. You can also resort to matches coated in glue and insert them into the socket when assembling the chair. In this case, the ends must be adjusted with great precision so that no gaps form between them and the drawers.
Assembly of the structure begins with complete gluing of all tenon joints. Excess glue should be removed with a napkin. The product dries for about a day, and for maximum fixation you need to place some heavy object on the seat.
To update the seat, you need to get rid of the worn upholstery and eliminate any surface imperfections. If you need to change the foam rubber, then you need to draw markings on the new foam rubber sheet and cut out the part. The fabric with which the seat will be upholstered must be larger than the resulting seat. It is placed closely on the surface and with back side secured with paper clips.
The chair itself can be decorated in Provence style. That's all for this wooden parts painted, and after drying they are processed with a sanding machine.
To fix the effect, you need to coat the structure with varnish.
Updating details
You can decorate a chair in various ways. Any materials can be used: paper, fabric, laces, paints, napkins, etc. It all depends on the imagination of the master and on the level of his skill. Naturally, if a person does not know how to work with complex equipment, then he should not resort to it. We need to start with something more understandable.
Using sisal
For this method, you can use either a wooden or metal frame. To work, you will need a large ball of sisal rope, thick upholstery fabric such as velvet, a stapler, superglue, scissors, nails, a hammer, a pencil and a measuring tape.
You need to start the repair by removing the old upholstery from the seat and backrest. Then the back parts are wrapped with sisal, smoothly moving to the legs. This must be done so that the rope fits tightly around the part and each subsequent row fits closely to the previous one. The material must be fixed with glue.
Having finished wrapping all the elements, you need to create decoration on the back. To do this, the rope is wound in several layers in 2-3 rows, first between the upper and lower crossbars, and then between the side ones.
Having made a pattern for the new upholstery, you need to secure it to the seat. Small nails or a stapler are suitable for this.
Wool yarn
To resort to this option, you will need a design on metal frame with mesh back and seat. To work, you need to prepare scissors, multi-colored wool yarn, a crochet hook, a wooden strip, a screwdriver and screws.
In this case, the mesh plays the role of a canvas, so double threads need to be threaded through it in a diagonal direction. Moreover, each row can have a different color. You can use two contrasting colors or several similar shades.
You can strengthen a damaged mesh with a few stitches of yarn. Then you need to cut out a strip that will follow the shape of the seat and secure it with screws.
Decoupage from sewing patterns
This option is well suited for antique wooden products with a hard seat. To work you will need patterns from magazines, glue, a brush, acrylic varnish, scissors, fabric, thread and a needle.