You can breathe new life into an old cabinet with your own hands and make furniture that will organically “fit” into the interior using the decoupage decorating technique.
The principle of decoupage is gluing paper drawings to any household items to create a certain style. Decoupage is a type of work called upcycling - artistic decoration of old things, creating new high-quality items from them.
There are many offers to buy new furniture now, but do not rush to throw away the old, comfortable wardrobe - it is possible to transform it with decoupage even for those who have never made or repaired furniture with their own hands. Having selected materials and turned on the imagination, you can do decoupage of the wardrobe with your own hands in any style - classic, Provence, country, modern.
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Decoupage ideas
In addition to special decoupage designs, you can transform your wardrobe using any paper materials at hand:
- napkins;
- color pictures from magazines;
- wallpaper;
- colorful printouts.
It is most convenient to use napkins - the softness and thinness of the paper allow you to carefully make a beautiful ornament on the furniture, creating unnoticeable transitions from the general surface. Napkins sold in regular stores are suitable for creating a wardrobe decor in any style - you just need to choose the appropriate ornament. A large selection is provided for creating the Provence style - cozy, romantic, sophisticated images of flowers, plants, executed in pastel colors on a light background, will create comfort, fill with peace.
Thicker textures are first thinned with sandpaper. Applying several layers of varnish will help soften the transition between the plane of the main canvas and the picture.
Wallpaper is suitable for those who are just beginning to master the technique of decoupage of furniture. You can make a unique decor with it, using several different types on one plane or decorating the projections of the facades.
Decoupage of an old wardrobe is not limited to paper materials only, you can use beads, sequins, and other decorative items.
Preparation
Preparing a cabinet for decoupage is the most labor-intensive process, accompanied by dust.
To work you will need:
- Abrasive meshes: significant surface irregularities are processed with coarse-grained ones, then with medium-grained ones, and polished with fine ones for finishing.
- Grater for fixing the mesh.
- Dry cloth, sponge or brush.
- Wood putty.
- A rubber spatula is soft and will fill in all the holes and cracks.
- Roller.
- Primer – acrylic can be used for all types of finishing.
- Respirator.
- Acrylic paint.
- Roller.
- Narrow brush.
Furniture preparation
Remove all elements from the frame: handles, doors, unscrew the hinges, pull out the drawers and, preferably, remove the fronts from them - they are processed more carefully separately.
Remove the old coating with a brush (a rag will clog the dust into the cracks), put on a respirator and sand the surface of all parts. Clean off dust after each treatment.
Degrease with acetone or white spirit.
Putty: fill in large defects, remove unevenness, then level the surface with a thin layer, treat with abrasive mesh No. 100-120, for painting No. 180 and higher.
Apply a primer – improves the adhesion of the surface to adhesive and paint materials, promotes an even color tone.
After the primer layer has completely dried, paint the corners with acrylic paint using a brush and large surfaces using a roller.
To create the look of antique furniture, after the first layer of acrylic paint, coat several places on the surface of the cabinet with a paraffin candle. Then prime the cabinet again. Rub the islands previously treated with paraffin with coarse sandpaper or an abrasive mesh.
The most difficult thing to prepare for decoupage is a polished cabinet - paint does not adhere well to polish, so it must be thoroughly cleaned with coarse sandpaper.
Decoupage process
To attach the drawings you will need the following materials and tools:
- PVA glue;
- water;
- two painting brushes - one thin one for drawing, one wider one for gluing;
- napkins;
- acrylic varnish;
- acrylic white paint;
- paint colors.
Apply PVA glue, slightly diluted with water, to the prepared cabinet in the places where the pictures are located using a paintbrush. If a napkin is used as a decoration for decoupage, carefully tear off the paper around the picture. It is torn off, not cut off, so that the transitions between the picture and the plane of the cabinet are unnoticeable. Pictures are cut out, smoothing the transition to the surface of the parts is ensured in the case of their use by several layers of varnish.
Moving from the center of the napkin, carefully straighten the paper with a brush, pressing lightly, preventing it from getting wet and wrinkling. Periodically, you need to wet the drawing with diluted PVA glue.
Before gluing the wallpaper, you need to separate the backing layer of the paper, then they will become thinner and fewer layers of varnish will be required.
A regular office file will help you avoid tearing the pattern during decoupage:
- place a napkin face down on it;
- spread with PVA glue;
- apply to the cabinet surface;
- iron with a cloth or sponge;
- remove file.
Apply acrylic varnish to the napkin in at least 2 layers, the wallpaper is covered with 3 layers, the effect of “aging” the cabinet can be done with the help of craquelure varnish.
If you plan to draw artistic elements on the furniture or add any volumetric decorations, this should be done after the glue has dried.
Thick pictures can be glued using the “embedding” method:
- cover the cabinet with 2 layers of varnish, periodically during the drying time;
- apply varnish for the 3rd time, attach the design;
- Using a rubber spatula, press the paper lightly into the surface;
- After drying, cover with a layer of varnish.
Do-it-yourself furniture decoupage work is painstaking, but the result will bring pleasure. You can not only admire the cabinet, but also fully use it.
VIDEO: Decorating an old wardrobe, master class
50 photo ideas on how to decoupage a cabinet with your own hands
