Grandmother left you antique Soviet furniture of the 30s? Parents awarded the old closet from the 60's? Do not rush to get rid of them! In this article, you will learn how to restore the Soviet furniture yourself, or rather - how to update the old furniture so that it again began to please your eyes. Photos of successful experiments are attached. So…

What is the conversion of Soviet furniture by own hands

Stage 1: replacement of furniture fittings

Mostly in the old furniture annoy badly closed doors. If you are going to take up such a thing as reworking Soviet furniture yourself, then first you will have to buy new hardware, find material to seal the loosened holes (you can use filler, dowels or plugs), get a screwdriver and a screwdriver, and then work hard to fix it doors.

We advise you to take a closer look at the rest of the hardware. Sometimes a simple replacement of old-fashioned pens can be enough for cardinal transformation of furniture. As for the staggering legs at the chairs and tables, they can be put in order in any workshop.

Stage 2: Cleaning of furniture

Before proceeding with the alteration of Soviet furniture, it should be thoroughly cleaned. Restoration of Soviet furniture with their own hands begins with the removal of a touch of dirt and soot, which is recommended to perform with a conventional sponge, soap, made from any vegetable oil, and warm water. To clean the most problematic places - corners and cracks - use a soft toothbrush, for narrow slots - a wooden dowel, pointed at one end.

Stage 3: Renovation of old furniture

The worn and broken surfaces of Soviet furniture must be put in order. For grinding, use sandpaper or a special grinding tool (from someone that has it). Any cracks can be carefully sealed with putty, after drying, this place will need to once again be ground.

Tip: before shpatlevaniem and painting the surface is treated with a primer - then the grip will be better, and the applied paint or putty will lie more evenly.

Step 4: decorating furniture with your own hands

The fourth stage of the restoration of Soviet furniture with their own hands is a decorative finish. Painting, varnishing, painting, decoupage of furniture, decoration with stickers - here you have to fantasize and choose the most suitable option. Perhaps you will be inspired by the ideas given in this article.

How to update old furniture - furniture painting

Let's start with the most popular and simple way to update old furniture. Here you will learn how to paint furniture of Soviet times.

Painting of furniture must be carried out only if it is made of cheap wood (pine etc.). If your Soviet furniture is made, for example, from oak, then it is highly discouraged to paint it, since it will permanently reduce its cost.

The restoration of Soviet furniture with their own hands is usually done with oil paint. How to paint furniture correctly:

1. Apply the paint lightly with a thin layer along the wood fibers.
2. Allow to dry for about 12 hours.
3. Sand the surface with sandpaper, wipe off the dust and apply a second layer.

If you are restoring Soviet furniture of the 50s and 70s, which was made in a minimalist style, then black color, as well as pastel light colors, will suit its painting. With the help of this finish, it will be a great accessory for a modern interior.

If you want to be more creative in painting furniture, and you do not own a hand-painted, then use templates. They are sold in stores, they can also be printed from the Internet and cut out on thick paper. Before applying the pattern on the furniture, the stencil should be secured with adhesive tape.

Painting furniture - photo of old furniture before and after:

Restoration of the chest by hands:

Also read: Soviet furniture: history of development, styles and photos How to update an old cabinet:How to remake an old bedside table and chairs:

It was very fashionable to paint furniture with the help of thin lace. Just fix the lace fabric on the surface of Soviet furniture, then apply the paint. The result is amazing!

Remaking old furniture through varnishing

If the Soviet furniture is made of valuable woods, as we said above, it is better to cover it with a fresh layer of varnish than paint over with paint. How to update old furniture through varnishing?

Firstly, when the alteration or restoration of Soviet furniture is done by oneself, it is best to use oil varnishes. They are suitable for all types of wood and form very strong, shiny and waterproof coatings. The only negative - a long period of drying (up to 12 hours). For comparison: varnish shellac dries in 1-2 hours, and nitro-lacquer - and at all for 30-40 minutes.

General rules for altering old furniture:

1. The varnish can be applied by a brush or a piece of a dense fabric without a pile, folded in 2-3 times;
2. The varnish is applied in 3-5 layers, and after the application of each new layer it is necessary to increase the drying time;
3. Surplus varnish should be pressed against the edge of the can, the brush can sometimes be washed in a solution of alcohol.

Remaking of Soviet furniture with their own hands on the photo:

How to renovate old furniture with the help of a lacquer varnish

Also we want to give you an example of a special way of varnishing, which is done with the help of a special lacquer - craquelure.

For the alteration of old furniture today there are a lot of varieties of cracks lacquer: with the effect of patina, gilding etc. The most common is applied thickly over the main paint layer, after which it is covered with a different color to highlight the cracks. Also, the craco lacquer can consist of two components: the first is applied to the aging of the surface to be treated, the second is used to create decorative cracks.

Restoration of Soviet furniture with the help of craquelure is perfect for lovers of antiquity and country style. As, however, our next method is decoupage.

Decoupage of Soviet furniture with their own hands

Owning the technique of decoupage will help you turn old Soviet furniture into a real designer masterpiece. Decoupage of old furniture is performed using the following tools:

• Sandpaper of fine granularity;
• Alcohol;
• Primer;
• Brush and glue for decoupage;
• Roller or sponge;
• Material for decoupage - newspaper clippings, old postcards, letters, drawings, pages of books etc.

In search of inspirational ideas and materials for decoupage, the Internet will help you. For example, we especially like these 2 examples of how to update an old commode by decoupage method:

Did you choose the right pictures? Then you can proceed with the renovation of Soviet furniture by yourself with decoupage. This process consists of the following steps:

1. Surface preparation by nest;
2. Cleaning with a cloth dampened in alcohol;
3. After the surface has dried, apply a primer (3-4 layers);
4. If the materials for decoupage are only applied in places, then the furniture must first be painted to make a background;
5. If the furniture will be glued completely (for example, newspapers), then immediately after the primer has dried, start applying glue;
6. Thin paper can be applied directly to the glue, and the denser must first be thinned out by punching and soaked in water;
7. Wet paper is blotted with a towel on both sides and is applied to the glue;
8. After gluing all the materials, you should walk on the surface with a roller or a sponge to remove any glue residues;
9. The last step is applying the varnish to the dried surface.

Original furniture in the styles of Provence or vintage is ready!

Photo of old furniture before and after decoupage:

How to update an old wall

Those who are interested in redesigning furniture with their own hands - here are ideas for you how to update the old Soviet wall with decoupage and new paint:

Liked? Then read: Furniture Restoration - Top 25 Best Ideas on Pinterest!