Paint and Restore Furniture and Give it a Second Life

We all own furniture that's screaming for a change or special attention. In this article, we'll suggest some tips to help you paint and restore your furniture. You'll be able to transform old pieces into completely new ones.
Paint and Restore Furniture and Give it a Second Life

Last update: 05 March, 2022

Before you learn how to paint and restore your furniture you should know that making a change doesn’t have to be expensive. If you have old furniture that’s damaged or even if you just want to change your look, in this article you’ll find some ideas on how to do just that.

Caring for furniture may seem simple, but many times we neglect to do this. We bump into it, put heavy objects on top of it, and scratch it. Sometimes furniture falls into a state of disrepair with peeling paint and lose knobs or handles. If you want to increase the useful life of your furniture, it’s necessary to give it the care that it deserves. 

If you want to paint and restore an old piece of furniture like a chest of drawers, for example, the first thing you need to do is sand its entire surface. Then you need to clean it with a damp cloth. After you’ve done this, your furniture will be ready for its new coat of paint or stain.

Painting a piece of furniture

You can choose to paint your furniture and then varnish it. Or, simply, if you want to maintain the original wood color, choose a matte, satin, or gloss varnish depending on the finish. Apply several layers of stain with a medium brush. You should always do this in the direction of the grain of the wood.

The main function of varnish is to protect the wood against any possible damage. It serves to provide greater strength and give off a nice visual finish at the same time. There are satin, matte, and gloss varnishes. So choose the one you think will suit your furniture the best.

restore a table

Restore a piece of furniture

If you want to restore a piece of furniture, these are the materials and techniques you’ll need:

Paint

If you want to change the way a piece of furniture looks, we recommend that you use a neutral color that matches the spaces in your home. For example, if it’s a bedside table, you can play with colors. You can paint most of the surface black, white, or gray. And you can highlight other parts of the furniture with warmer or contrasting colors.

The combination of white furniture with details of pastel colors inside the drawers or doors is a trend. By doing this, you can play with other colors or use white accessories that match the new piece of furniture.

You can also choose to dye to wood and age your furniture with a sander to achieve a vintage look. This technique is ideal for older furniture since you won’t need to do that much work to age it.

Change hardware, handles, and knobs

Both bedside tables, cupboards, and dresser drawers endure daily use. The knobs or handles on this furniture will eventually loosen, so you should try to adjust and tighten them when necessary. If you want to make a change in your furniture but don’t want to use paint, there’s a wide variety of knobs and handles with colorful designs and fun shapes.

These knobs and handles come in wood, glass, and acrylic varieties and they come in many kinds of shapes. You can even get wooden handles and paint them whatever color you want. You can also restore the handles you already have.

Use the decoupage technique

This is an original technique that gives a vintage look to any piece of furniture. It’s called decoupage and it consists of applying paper to a piece of wooden furniture using napkins, newspapers, or fabric. Choose the patterns that you like the most and then finish with varnish.

Decoupage is a very simple technique. You’ll need vinyl glue to stick the paper to the surface and a medium brush. Try to stretch the paper or fabric across the surface and don’t use too much glue. Using extra glue will leave clumps or wrinkles on the material.

Remember that maintaining your furniture takes time and energy. Take care of your furniture and don’t expose it to humidity or sun. Clean dust from it every day. You can also wax your furniture with a lightly moistened cloth. If your furniture is outside, cover it when it’s raining and do as much as you can to protect it from the sun.

Take care of your furniture as best as you can. If you want to keep the furniture that a loved one gave you and you want it to last forever, you can! With the necessary care and attention, you’ll be able to keep your most precious pieces in your home for years to come. years.

Paint and restore furniture: the greatest benefit

Alongside renewing your aesthetics, restoring furniture helps to take care of the environment. We highly recommend this process as it’s a creative way to let your ideas flow and you don’t have to be a furniture specialist.

With some imagination, you’ll save a little time and have a new piece of furniture. With the help of some paint, varnish, fabrics, and brushes, you’ll be on your way!