After completing another renovation, many people face the issue of arranging the room. Often, old furniture may not match the style of the interior, its color scheme, or simply become boring after a long time of use. Buying a new set can hit your pocket hard, so a wonderful constructive solution to this issue will be self-restoration.

Kitchen fronts update
Updating your kitchen fronts and countertops yourself will help give old furniture a new life

Benefits of DIY Upgrade

Kitchen set covered with film
Kitchen set restored with self-adhesive film looks stylish and unusual

There are many positive aspects to updating the appearance of furniture yourself. First of all, it is a big money saver, since the cost of restoration materials is much cheaper than ordering a new kitchen set. Do-it-yourself work will allow you to create a unique interior, bringing all your personal design ideas to life. The modern range of construction solutions will help you update your kitchen set in different ways, for every taste and wallet size. You can update any of the elements of the kitchen interior, you just need to choose the most suitable option for a specific setting.

Updated kitchen facades using film
Updated kitchen interior after restoration of kitchen facades

Selecting a restoration method

Beautiful Kitchen Cabinets
Beautiful Kitchen Cabinets Decorated Using Decoupage Technique

In order to decide on the method of updating the details of the kitchen furniture, it is important to understand how serious changes in appearance are needed in the final version. The simplest option is to cover the facades with film. This will help change the color, as well as hide the defects of the old kitchen furniture that have formed as a result of use. In case of serious mechanical damage to the surfaces, it is possible to replace individual parts (facades, walls, doors, shelves), as well as replace furniture fittings (handles, hinges, locks). Fashionable trends in decor are decoupage and molding of facades, which, thanks to simple operations, will help breathe new life into the kitchen set. A simple and at the same time effective solution is to paint the furniture. In any case, the choice of restoration method should be selected individually for the needs of each room.

DIY Furniture Repair -
DIY Furniture Repair – Restoration of a Wooden Kitchen

What is decoupage?

Kitchen decoupage
Do-it-yourself kitchen decoupage in Provence style

Updating your kitchen set with your own hands in the "hand-made" style is a rather modern and interesting solution. Decoupage is one of the most popular options for DIY decor. Its meaning lies in decorating furniture elements with household items. The most commonly used materials are paper, papier-mâché, fabric, glass, old wallpaper, and various household items.

Decoupage cards are suitable for kitchen decoupage
For DIY kitchen decoupage, decoupage cards are more suitable than napkins.

When decorating facades in this style, it is important to properly pre-treat the surface. Wooden elements must be sanded, plastic elements must be thoroughly washed and degreased (with alcohol or solvent), and metal elements must be completely freed from corrosion. Among the advantages of this method, it is worth highlighting its low cost and the unlimited flight of fantasy that can be brought to life.

Kitchen facades decorated using decoupage technique
Even a beginner can decorate boring furniture fronts or hide local damage with decoupage designs

Molding and painting

Facades with moldings
You can transform a minimalist kitchen with solid facades into a classic one by gluing moldings or carved details onto them and then painting them.

Molding is a type of facade decoration with the addition of additional elements. The added elements are cut out of wood to fit the dimensions of the facade being processed. You can do this yourself or order the necessary parts from specialists. This method is suitable for wooden surfaces, to which a new pattern can be adapted without much effort and specialized tools.

Restoration of kitchen fronts
Restoration of kitchen fronts using painting

An integral part of molding is the subsequent painting of the facades of the product (or covering the surface with several layers of varnish). This method of giving the finished furniture a solid and uniform appearance is the most rational and accessible. The surfaces to be painted must first be sanded and thoroughly degreased.

Cabinets complemented by shaped brackets
Before painting the furniture, wall cabinets can be supplemented with shaped brackets.

Tabletop restoration

Tabletop restoration
DIY Kitchen Countertop Restoration

The table is the main work surface in the kitchen, which is why it wears out in the shortest possible time. Often, it is the tabletop that becomes unusable, because of which there is no reason to change the entire set. In this case, an excellent solution would be to restore not the entire kitchen set, but only its individual part.

Repairing minor scratches
Small scratches and dents on the tabletop are filled with wood filler

When updating the table covering, it is worth paying attention to the combination of the material's wear resistance and its combination with the rest of the room's furnishings. Countertops made of artificial stone, marble and granite look like an interesting option. They are more expensive than chipboard products, but due to their much longer service life, these costs pay off quite quickly. Chipboard is much less resistant to moisture and mechanical impacts than stone, which is a very important aspect for the kitchen.

Polishing the countertop
Polishing a table top with a felt wheel

A simpler option is to cover the countertop with tiles or mosaics (preferably in a color scheme that matches the rest of the interior). This method is simpler, as it does not require dismantling the old countertop, as well as measuring and ordering a new one.

Mosaic for decoration
Porcelain or ceramic mosaics can be used to decorate not only furniture

Change of facade color

Restoration of kitchen fronts
Restoration of kitchen fronts using painting

In order for the kitchen to sparkle with new colors, it is enough to change the color of the furniture facades. It is not difficult to do this, since modern building materials with their range offer many options for implementing this idea.

Painting furniture with a roller
By using a roller when painting furniture, the texture of the facade is not damaged

The most practical and affordable of them is pasting the facades with a special film. The choice of colors and patterns will allow you to select a material for absolutely any kitchen design. You can choose any shade of film, as well as many patterns that copy natural ones (stone, wood, metallic, etc.). Ease of use, affordable price, good moisture and wear resistance have made self-adhesive films one of the most popular materials for restoring old furniture.

The back walls of the cabinet covered with film
If the fronts of the furniture have glass inserts, you can decorate only the back walls of the cabinets with film.

When gluing, it is necessary to prepare the facade in advance. It is important that it is without unevenness and roughness, because otherwise the film will not lie smoothly and beautifully. Special skills are not required for this work, you just need to be careful and patient.

Design with self-adhesive film
The fastest, most cost-effective and easiest way to restore kitchen furniture is to cover its surfaces with self-adhesive film

Rattan inserts are becoming increasingly popular, covering the facades with which will also help to transform the appearance of the furniture for the better. Before facing, it is necessary to measure and cut the material, which is then attached to the facade using a construction stapler. Rattan can cover both the entire surface and only its middle. If necessary, the staples can be covered with decorative strips. Before attaching the canvas, it must first be soaked in water.

Facade with rattan inserts
Restored facade with rattan inserts

If there is no obvious mechanical damage on the material being processed, painting is an option. This method is great for facades, but not for work surfaces. You can paint in any convenient way, but when working with a spray gun, the paint layer is more aesthetically pleasing than with a paint brush or roller.

Photos of the kitchen before and after restoration
Photo of a kitchen with film facades before and after painting with paint

Necessary materials and tools

The surface is treated with a grinding machine.
It is better to process the surface of the panel with a grinding machine, and the relief milling will have to be cleaned manually.

Materials for renovating old kitchen furniture are widely available and can be purchased at any hardware store. Among the most common consumables and tools needed to perform these jobs are:

  • self-adhesive film;
  • paint (various types from acrylic to primer);
  • moldings;
  • materials at hand for decoupage;
  • wood varnish;
  • ceramic tiles or mosaics;
  • glue (for working with wood, as well as a construction mixture for laying tiles);
  • fasteners (screws, nails, plugs);
  • fittings (handles, hinges, etc.);
  • marking tool (ruler, tape measure, marker);
  • cutting tool (scissors, stationery knife);
  • construction stapler;
  • painting tools (spray gun, brushes, roller);
  • sandpaper or grinder with a special attachment (for cleaning the surface);
  • drill;
  • hammer;
  • circular saw or jigsaw.

It is worth noting that the process of restoring old furniture is not only relevant, but also quite exciting and accessible.

MDF and chipboard are porous materials
MDF and chipboard are porous materials that require priming before painting.

When asking yourself how to update a kitchen set with your own hands, you should start from your financial capabilities, the scope of your imagination and the surrounding interior of the rest of the room. There should not be any particular difficulties with this type of work even for a person who does not have special design skills, as well as special materials and tools.

Ends of furniture doors
The ends of furniture doors are painted especially carefully.
Replace facades with new ones
You can decorate your kitchen in a new way by replacing the facades with new ones

Video: How to update an old kitchen

50 DIY Kitchen Furniture Restoration and Upgrade Ideas: