Metal Furniture - Making it Look Like New or Vintage
You can easily change the appearance of metal furniture by painting it. You can even create a rusty look to simulate the effect of aging.
But be careful! Not all paints are suitable for metal furniture. Due to the characteristics of metal and its susceptibility to moisture and oxidation, it requires special paint.
These paints have antioxidant protection, which prevents you from having to first prime the surface. They are also resistant to water and dirt. As a result, you can use them to renovate both indoor and outdoor furniture.
However, there still isn’t a huge range of colors. On the other hand, there are several shades, such as white, gray, silver, green, blue, red, yellow, black, pearl gray, dark green, brown, and magnolia. You can get these paints so that they appear smooth and shiny or have a more vintage effect.
Also, keep in mind that there are special paints on the market that create a rusty effect. These are perfect to create an aged look.
Metal furniture – preparation and application
Whether you want to extend your furniture’s life while preserving its original look or if you want to create a new appearance, the key to getting a professional-looking result is to properly prepare the surface.
It’s very important to note that before painting a metal piece of furniture, you need to prepare a smooth surface. One way to do this is by sanding off any rust. Then you can easily detect any defects caused by aging or damage.
Most metals, particularly steel and iron, rust over time. To remove rust, you can use a wire brush. In hard-to-reach areas, such as joints or grooves, use a metal stripper.
Once the stripper has taken effect, you can remove the rust with a toothbrush. This will allow you to access parts of the furniture that are hard to reach and prepare the surface for the desired finish.
If you want to paint metal, you’ll need brushes. If you want a professional finish, we recommend two or three coats of paint. Additionally, you should add more coats to delicate areas, such as any angles or edges.
On the other hand, you can also paint metal with a special spray gun. This helps create a fine, smooth finish. However, handling this tool requires some experience. Sometimes, it’s best to hire a professional to do this.
Imitating aged surfaces
If you have a piece of metal that you want to give an aged look, we’ll give you some tips to make it look great.
Antique copper, brass, or bronze are usually characterized by a sea-green color that forms over time due to the corrosion of the metal.
However, you can achieve the same effect artificially using paint and a special paste. The result of this technique is surprising. This works well when applied to small objects, such as frames, chandeliers, or lamps.
However, this is a very laborious technique. In fact, it requires a lot of patience and a little skill. To use this technique, the base coat of the furniture has to be a bronze brown color. You get this tone by applying a coat of paint, enamel varnish, or lacquer of that color.
Then, you need to apply the paste mixed with alcohol. It’s very important to remember to add one part alcohol to two parts of the paste.
Metal furniture – decorative stripping
To achieve an aged effect on iron, you can use a decorative stripping technique. In fact, this is especially suitable for headboards. We’ll show you the steps to do this at home!
- First, remove any signs of rust from the iron surface. You can do this by rubbing it with steel wool.
- Then, put on a coat of off-white enamel.
- Once this layer has dried, you can apply Bitumen of Judea. This is an asphalt that you apply to joints and crevices of the metal to achieve the effect of antique furniture.
After reading this post, have you decided which piece of furniture you’re going to update? If you follow our tips, we’re sure it’s going to look great!