DIY antique chairs

Antique chairs look harmonious and interesting in any room. Their undeniable advantages include not only exclusivity and unusualness, but also special wear resistance and durability. After all, scratches, cracks are not visible on such products, and even traces of ingrained dirt look quite natural. Making such an exquisite thing is quite simple with your own hands.

Antique furniture in the interior

Antique style furniture has always made a lasting impression. It not only fascinates, creates a special feeling of luxury and sophistication, but also gives a special look to the entire interior. Things made of wood always add special warmth and comfort to the entire environment. This technique has always been used by the owners of restaurants and expensive hotels. Because wooden surfaces are always more attractive than furniture made from modern high-tech materials.

What materials can antique furniture be made from?

There are many different ways to age furniture. To decorate chairs with your own hands, you will need to show patience and imagination. It all depends on how the furniture will be decorated and what kind of interior it is suitable for. So that the process is not so labor-intensive, it is necessary to prepare all the materials that will be required in the process:

• Hand tools such as an awl, wood saw, planes, jigsaw, hammer, chisels, wire cutters, screwdrivers.
• Auxiliary tools and stationery: pencil or felt-tip pen for marking, as well as drills for through holes.
• Electric tools: screwdriver, jigsaw and drill.
• Measuring tools such as a tape measure or measuring tape.
• Primers, paints, brushes and degreasers.

ATTENTION! To decorate furniture, it is better to use chalk paints for creative works. They can also be replaced with regular matte paints for walls and ceilings.

Instructions for making antique furniture

There are many ways to age surfaces. Let's consider the most popular technologies:

Craquelure. This is a kind of cracking that appears after painting or varnishing. The necessary drawing can be made even on a new surface. To do this, you can glue a napkin to a hard surface and apply varnish to it, and after 30-40 minutes add another layer with sweeping hand movements. Cracks will appear deeper if you dry the product with a hairdryer.

The effect of wear. The main task here is to choose colors. It is better to take a rich, catchy shade as the main color. Next, apply light-colored paint. This way you will get the effect of the furniture fading over time. Next, you can lightly clean the product with fine sandpaper and coat it with furniture varnish.

Patination. Most often, furniture that is still durable and frequently used, but no longer beautiful, is treated in this way. First, a patina is applied, and then the surface is secured with varnish. After drying, the furniture is also protected with sandpaper. This process is more labor-intensive than others.

Brushing. It involves using a wire brush to remove soft fibers from the top layer of wood.

IMPORTANT! Using a chisel or drill it is easy to make kind of wormholes from insects and damage.

Recommendations

One of the main recommendations is to maintain naturalness. In this process, it is important not to overdo it so that the chair or other furniture looks completely unnatural or not at all suitable for use. A product made a couple of hours ago should look like it has survived more than one generation of people. Some nuances must be observed:

• Prepare the area where the work will be carried out in advance. It is better to carry out this process outside. If this is not possible, then cover valuables around with plastic wrap.
• The use of chemicals to age wooden surfaces is prohibited. On the contrary, for metal, alkalis, acids and other compounds can be used.
• It is better to stop using a brush and buy a special paint roller.
• To achieve the best effect, first of all, the wood base must be lightened, and then artificially create cracks and irregularities.
• To further protect the surface from the effects of negative factors, it is necessary to apply special wax, mastic, acrylic composition or varnish.

REFERENCE! Additionally, chairs can be decorated with vintage elements, which are sold in specialized antique stores and markets.

You can make unique antique furniture yourself. It is worth considering the material from which it is made and its further use. It should be harmoniously combined with other interior items or be its highlight.