The appearance of furniture can become unpresentable over time. In addition, it sometimes breaks and requires repair. Restoring a chair that can serve for many years is not at all difficult. Sometimes it is only necessary to update the surface - change the upholstery or make the seat more durable. Many materials for restoration are available at home - a piece of thick fabric, foam rubber, etc. A renewed chair, covered with beautiful varnish, looks no less neat than when purchased.
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The benefits of DIY restoration
A chair that is renovated at home can be decorated better than it looked before. A minimum of materials and tools are needed for restoration. Changing a holey or worn upholstery is a matter of one hour.
You can clean the wooden surface of old furniture yourself and cover it with a transparent or tinted composition, add new elements to the decor. For example, a chair is made with carved legs or a back, the seat is reinforced so that it can be used for its intended purpose for a long time.
The cost of restoration at home is minimal. Before buying a new chair, consider whether it is possible to restore the old one and save a lot of money. Restoring antique furniture is especially expensive, as it requires great care and exclusive materials. Updating furniture yourself will cost much less.
Restoration process: step-by-step instructions
If the "native" bolts connecting the support structure have become loose, they are strengthened with an additional washer. For greater reliability, you can add a little universal glue to the grooves.
A worn-out seat is renewed by replacing the base with slats and/or completely restoring the upholstery. The worn surface is freed from old material. The chair is prepared for further restoration:
- cut a piece of plywood to the size of the seat;
- glue foam rubber onto the base (width – 3-4 cm);
- fix the plywood around the perimeter;
- stretch the upholstery fabric over the finished base;
- secure the material using a stapler and staples.
It is possible not to bring the fabric to the outer sides of the seat. Then the upholstery is folded inward along the perimeter. The seat frame will be visible.
A restored chair can be additionally decorated – make the wooden surface lighter or darker, design the back or legs differently.
When renovating, you can use a variety of materials. With good carpentry skills, a restored chair will acquire an individual style. The material is taken into account - wood species, density, texture.
| Size of scratch (crack) | Means |
| Small, shallow scratches | Iodine solution |
| Small cracks | Putty (woodworking, automotive) |
| Deep scratches | Shoe cream, mastic (heated beeswax + turpentine in a ratio of 4:3) |
If the chair is antique, then it must be restored very carefully. It is necessary to give time for the applied composition to dry.
For your information. Antique chairs often have springs in the seat area, so you will need to find the same or similar ones, and remove the old, rusty and loose ones. Replace the sea grass and horsehair used in the past as fillers with foam rubber.
Necessary materials and tools
To restore the chairs you will need the following:
- quick-drying varnish (clear or tinted);
- dye;
- upholstery fabric;
- foam rubber;
- plywood;
- sandpaper;
- metal washers and bolts (screws);
- springs (for a specific type of chair).
The fabric chosen is resistant to abrasion and mechanical impact, and is quite dense. Tapestry, flock, matting, etc. are suitable. For an antique chair, a decorative material with embroidery is chosen.
Sandpaper is required to clean the furniture surface from unevenness, chips and cracks in the varnish. It is necessary to completely sand the chair (wooden structure) for a smooth application of the laminating composition.
To renew a chair, you will need the following tools:
- scissors;
- roulette;
- wood saw (to cut off excess plywood for the seat);
- screwdriver;
- screwdriver.
For major repairs, the chair can be disassembled, broken parts replaced with new ones and fastened with bolts or screws. Seat frames also often require restoration.
Important! It is necessary to use wood species that are similar in density and texture so that the chair is functional and looks presentable.
Methods of restoration by decorating a chair
There are several options for decorating the appearance of furniture. The chair can be updated in the following ways:
- coloring;
- lamination;
- decoupage.
As a decoration, you can use both the upholstery itself, choosing a fabric of an interesting color like a tapestry, and the rest of the furniture, making them carved and figured.
A plain seat is decorated with smooth embroidery or applique. This should be done before the upholstery begins.
The wooden surface of the support structure and the back are laminated, that is, covered with durable varnish in several layers. The tone of the coating is selected closer to the natural shade of the wood (light, dark or moderate). A Viennese chair or any other looks best in this design.
You can completely replace the back with a figured one, if the design allows it. In advance, select a wooden base according to density and texture, cut it to size and use a template to create the desired pattern. Round off the edges using a jigsaw, clean the edges with sandpaper.
The chairs included in the set must be designed in the same style so that they do not stand out from the overall picture - "different-sized" furniture may look good in different rooms, but at a common table, for example, when celebrating a family celebration, it looks sloppy.
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I need a craftsman to repair a wooden chair, the best would be to write to WhatsApp and I'll send you a photo of how it broke. Or by email. Metro Belyaevo.
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