Furniture, like any other object in this world, ages and gets old. Even furniture in your homes that have been sturdy enough to last for decades, would also lose its beauty at some point. Conventionally, most people would want to replace them with a new one, who would want to keep something that gets less and less useful, and would eventually get defective anyway? But for people who are on a budget, or people who want to preserve furniture of sentimental value, certain alternatives have to be considered. You actually don’t need to replace your old furniture with new ones. Preserving your furniture can be done simply by painting them, reviving or even surpassing the lost luster that it once had. Here are a few helpful suggestions when painting you old furniture:
Ask first all of the members of the household if it is okay for the furniture to have a paint job. There’s nothing worse than having your family heirloom lose its antiquity unintentionally. If it is okay for them to have the furniture reworked, then you can start getting those materials needed in repainting old furniture.
First and foremost, you have to strip the old furniture of all aspects of its former self. Chip away bulky and excess old paint and dirt in the furniture by scrubbing it off using a wire brush or a stiff scrub brush. Make the former paint finish dull by using a sandpaper to scrub the old paint off the furniture. Remove all hinges and other parts that are not part of the main body of the furniture and put them together in a container for reattachment later. Then wash the entire furniture using soap and water, and make sure to wipe off all residues using a clean damp cloth.
Second, you should know some common ways of applying paint onto a surface. If you want a “store bought” look into your furniture, then spray paint is highly recommended. Be careful though, spray paints need a lot of free space to be able to work with them properly. Spray paints also demand proper ventilation and well a protected work area, so it’s best if you use them outdoors.
Preserve the paint on your newly painted furniture by coating it with polyurethane. If you have sanded your furniture well before applying paint to it, then applying a coating of polyurethane shouldn’t a problem. Just remember to apply at least two coatings of polyurethane for maximum furniture protection. As for certain painting styles, like the famous “shabby chic”, you would still have consult certain specialists if you want to successfully apply any of these techniques in painting your old furniture. With proper execution of these techniques however, you should have your furniture last until your next paint job.
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