Do-it-yourself restoration of an old chest of drawers

Many hobbyists transform old items, breathing new life into them. By spending a little money and personal time, you can restore the chest of drawers yourself, making it more modern and suitable for the interior of the room.

Let's tell you how you can do it yourself.

Materials and tools

Before carrying out restoration work at home, you should prepare the necessary tools. In this case, the process will go faster.

Materials and tools that will be needed for work.

• Sandpaper, it is better to use fine-grained sandpaper.
• Sander.
• Brushes or roller for painting.
• Paint and tray.
• Putty for woodworking.
• Appliques and stickers (in case of additional decoration).
• PVA glue.

It is also recommended to prepare new fasteners and a drill for their installation. With new fastening fittings, the chest of drawers will last much longer.

Reference. The list may vary depending on personal preferences in furniture restoration.

Preparing a chest of drawers for restoration

The final result directly depends on the preparatory process. The chest of drawers that we are restoring should be thoroughly prepared for transformation. This will speed up the restoration process and help extend the life of the product.

• First of all, you should empty all drawers of other things and objects. Old handles and fasteners must be unscrewed. If desired, they can be left, treated with paint to obtain a new, more attractive color.
• We carefully wipe the surfaces of the chest of drawers from dust and dirt. To do this, use a special detergent for cleaning wooden furniture.
• If the drawers are decorated with carved elements, dust may accumulate in the openings and cuts. For more thorough cleaning, you can use a toothbrush.

Advice. It is better to avoid modern alkaline cleaners. This may damage the finish of the dresser. A solution with laundry soap is suitable for cleaning.

• Using a sanding machine, we sand the surface of the chest of drawers, carefully removing the old coating. In hard-to-reach places we use sandpaper.
• If the fasteners are loose, they can be unscrewed and treated with PVA glue for reliable fixation. The slats for moving boxes can also be replaced with modern runners.
• We treat the surface of the furniture with the first layer of primer. Leave for at least 12 hours until completely dry. After this, apply a second layer and leave for another 12 hours. In this case, work should be carried out outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.

Important! The drying time for the primer can be up to 24 hours. It depends on the chosen composition. The necessary information is indicated on the packaging.

Preparatory work is a rather lengthy and labor-intensive task. For a high-quality and effective result, you should perform all points one by one. Otherwise, the process will not have the desired result and will be in vain.

Options for restoration work

In order to return furniture to an attractive and bright appearance, there are several methods.

Coloring

The most popular type of restoration is staining. Painting work is the simplest method for changing the image of furniture. New paint will help refresh the chest of drawers and fit it harmoniously into the interior of the bedroom or living room.

The chest of drawers can be painted a different color, use several combinations, and apply bright designs of a different shade on top of the main paint.

Important! All work is carried out exclusively in the fresh air.

Operating procedure

Before painting, it is necessary to clean the surface of the chest of drawers from the old coating. Here you can use acetone or a special cleaner. Using a brush, apply the cleaner to the surface. Experienced craftsmen use cling film, which they cover the surface for 5–10 minutes. When the air supply stops, the cleaner or acetone works much faster.

Important! When working, do not forget about a respirator and gloves to avoid injury.

After the required time has passed, remove the film. After such “preservation” the paint easily comes off the wood. In hard-to-reach places, you can use a spatula or brush soaked in acetone.

At the second stage, you need to prepare the chest of drawers for painting. For this we use grinding machine. With its help, it is easy to remove the remnants of the old coating and level all surfaces. In hard-to-reach places we use fine-grained sandpaper. After sanding, we treat the chest of drawers with putty.

After preparation, you can proceed directly to coloring. Pour the paint into the tray; a small roller or brushes (optional) will do the job.We treat the surfaces with paint and let them dry. It is recommended to apply two layers of paint to obtain a more saturated shade. We fix the result by treating it with varnish. The inner surface of the drawers can be finished in white or beige.

Aging

Nowadays, furniture made using the “aging” technique is very popular. If desired, a painted chest of drawers can be decorated using the antique imitation technique.

After processing, the paint is erased in some places using sandpaper. When the desired result is achieved, the surfaces are covered with wax. You can use a regular candle. The chest of drawers is ready. It will become the main decoration of the room and will attract the attention of every guest.

Additional decoration

The decoupage technique is also not inferior in position. With its help you can achieve a complete renovation of your furniture.

In this case, additional elements are used for decoration. These can be applications, stickers, logos of various brands or popular music artists. Drawings and applications are chosen at your own request.

You can also use collages made of colored paper, cuttings from newspapers and magazines, or photos as decoration.

Many craftsmen also use unnecessary rolls of wallpaper, lace or scraps of fabric. When decorating with additional fittings, you can fully reveal and show your imagination.

After the preparatory process and painting, you can begin to design the fittings.

• We cut out the decoration elements and approximately place their position on the surface of the chest of drawers.
• We treat the wrong side of the pictures with PVA glue, and we do a similar action with the chest of drawers.
• Place the drawings on the surface and let dry.
• In order for the fittings to look more natural, it is necessary to remove as much of the gluing edges as possible. To do this, you can lightly rub the surface with sandpaper.
• Large elements look harmonious on drawers, on the sides or on the top shelf. You can decorate the corners with small details.

Repair work

Antique pieces of furniture need more than just updating their appearance. To update, you will need to perform various repairs.

Restoring fasteners and fittings will have a positive effect on the appearance and significantly extend the service life.

Another option is remodeling. The chest of drawers can be transformed with the help of several auxiliary slats and the drawers can be redesigned. With this approach, the product undergoes a thorough transformation and radically changes its appearance.

Antique handles, if they are tightly installed and not damaged, can be slightly updated. All you need for this is bright paint. Gold or silver look especially impressive. After painting, carefully paint the handles using a thin brush.

For more comfortable use, you should replace the old guides with new runners. We remove the old runners and mark the location of the new ones. Using screws and a screwdriver, we secure the runners to the surface of the boxes.

Useful tips

• When repairing and restoring, it is necessary to first change the fasteners, and then begin to decorate the appearance.
• Removing the old coating during the preparatory process is necessary. If you ignore this point, the restoration process may be in vain.
• Don't forget about protective measures. Working outdoors, wearing gloves and a respirator will help protect against serious harm to health.
• Apply primer, paint or varnish only after the previous layer has dried. Otherwise, streaks or cracks may appear. Then the work will have to start again.

A small but roomy chest of drawers has become an integral part of the design of any room. However, many products are not attractive in appearance or price. In this case, you can use a little skill and restore the old chest of drawers. Such a piece of furniture will stand out for its uniqueness and originality.