DIY Table Decor

Purchasing furniture in every family is always an important event: it is associated with changing the design of the apartment, solid financial investments. And you want the coziness that has been created over the years to be preserved in the new interior. But it is always difficult to part with old favorite things, especially if they are associated with warm memories. However, over the years, the most beautiful and durable furniture deteriorates and becomes unusable, but if it is a pity to throw away your favorite things, you need to breathe a second life into them. And for this, you can restore it with your own hands and give it a fresh look.

DIY Table Decor

In order to decorate a tabletop, you don’t need to have any special skills: the main thing is the desire to do it yourself.

There are a great many decor options, and the result of the creative searches of the home craftsman will be limited only by the flight of his imagination, time and materials.

To begin work, it is necessary to prepare the furniture for restoration:

• it must be clean: it must be washed and freed from grease stains and pictures;
• after drying, you will have to remove all the fittings that will not be needed in the new design;
• the product is sanded, old paint and varnish are removed, chips and cracks are cleaned out.

To ensure that it goes smoothly, you need to prepare the place where the update will be carried out: remove all unnecessary things, prepare the tools that will be needed for the work.

There are a huge number of options for improving an old table with your own hands, including:

• using decoupage napkins;
• painting;
• applying a pattern using self-adhesive film;
• other ways.

Decoupage – a new look from napkins

Decoupage is a fascinating activity that allows you to decorate household items with various drawings, photographs or images prepared on special decoupage napkins. The decoupage technique allows you to use the following when decorating:

• aging effect, due to the use of craquelure (cracking) technique;
• varnish coating;
• painting.

Decorating with decoupage is carried out in the following sequence:

• the table top and sides are cleaned of old paint, varnish, and drawings until they are perfectly smooth;
• acrylic primer is applied;
• allow the product to dry completely;
• after drying, PVA glue is applied to the surface, then a napkin or other material chosen for decoration is carefully placed on it;
• the decoupage image is covered with varnish;
• dries completely.

Many craftsmen use the craquelure method, which helps to achieve the effect of aging and cracking. To do this, craquelure varnish is carefully applied to the undried paint, which is made from egg white or PVA glue. In some cases, vinegar or gelatin are used.

The cracks are of different sizes. To make the aging effect most striking, the paint is applied twice. The second layer is applied immediately after the first one has dried: then the "cracks" that appear will show through the top one.

Paint and only paint

You can also update your table with paint. True, not everyone is destined to be an artist, but don’t be upset: stencils with various patterns will come to the rescue. The patterns are applied with paint using a template, and you can fix it with paint and varnish polish.

It is possible to restore a table by decorating it with a pattern using white and colored paint, various stencils and varnish. The order of decoration is as follows:

• the surface is cleaned; if there are any irregularities, sand it;
• paint the tabletop or other parts and let it dry completely;
• prepare a stencil with a design;
• attach the template and paint it with the appropriate color (several colors);
• carefully remove it and let it dry completely;
• If desired, you can cover it with varnish.

Paint in stripes

A striped tabletop looks impressive and sometimes funny. Here there is full scope for imagination. The stripes can be:

• narrow and wide;
• long ones - along the entire length of the product and short ones, allowing you to place stripes of different sizes and colors on the surface of the tabletop;
• in a combination of two colors, for example, white and blue, or a variety of colors.

Before applying the striped pattern, the elements must be cleaned, unevenness eliminated, and only then decorated with stripes. If you want to give the furniture shine, after it has completely dried, you can varnish it.

Paint with chalkboard paint

An interesting option for updating a table is to use chalkboard paint. Initially, it was used to decorate school boards, usually dark gray. Today, it is widely used to decorate kitchens and children's rooms. This unusual paint is applied to furniture, in particular, to an old table on which children can draw without negative consequences. It is no secret that children love to make various inscriptions and drawings, but often the "victims" of their art are wallpaper, lovingly pasted by parents.

Using chalkboard paint allows you to draw on the surface of not only the tabletop, but also any part of the structure with chalk. And if you apply two or three layers of magnetic primer under the chalkboard coating, you can place magnets on the sides and drawers, which will cause complete delight not only for children, but also for teenagers.

Self-adhesive film is the laziest way

Many people think that using self-adhesive film when decorating a table is the easiest way, designed for those who want to update something, but are too lazy to do it. This is not entirely true, because working with self-adhesive film requires accuracy, attention and a little patience. In any case, it can be used by:

• those who cannot come up with something interesting to improve their furniture;
• has a minimum of time for updating;
• has no creative or manual skills.

With the help of film, you can decorate a table of any purpose. And here are many opportunities to decorate old furniture with your own hands. Another advantage is the low cost of the material. In addition, it is available in a variety of colors. The pattern on the film can imitate the texture of wood, stone, tiles, leather or ceramics.

To obtain an effective and durable design of self-adhesive film, the procedure must be carried out in the following order:

• prepare Withcountertop or other furniture elements, cleaning them thoroughly;
• remove all unevenness, repair cracks, chips, etc.;
• prime the surface;
• The most convenient way to cut the film is along the centimeter grid located on its reverse side;
• when making cuts, do not forget to leave a reserve of one or two centimeters;
• It is important to glue without haste, peeling off five centimeters at a time;
• the film must be applied to the surface by carefully pulling, pressing, and then smoothing it out to prevent bubbles from forming;
• To smooth it out gently, it is best to use a soft towel.

Depending on where the table is located and what work it is intended for, you can choose the appropriate type of film. This can be:

• single-color self-adhesive, giving the overall interior softness and nobility;
• The metallized film is durable and shiny when exposed to sunlight;
• decorative, imitating the texture of various materials;
• film with a 3D effect, creating interesting bright pictures;
• transparent, with an applied pattern; it can be used for pasting glass table tops and other glass elements of the table;
• velour, which has a soft, velvety texture that is pleasant to the touch;
• fluorescent, glow in the dark.

Restoration of a wooden table: the order of operations performed

Whatever material is used, in order to decorate a table, it is necessary to perform a number of operations that cannot be avoided:

• degrease: treat with appropriate materials or simply wash with soapy water;
• dry;
• remove old paint or varnish from the surface of the furniture;
• clean the product, remove any unevenness, chips, and cracks;
• apply primer, let dry;
• carry out decoration in accordance with the chosen method of improvement;
• varnish it if this was included in the plan to improve its appearance.

Materials and tools required for restoration

In order to update the furniture in a short time and perform all the work qualitatively, it is necessary to prepare the materials that will be needed to decorate the tabletop and other elements of the structure. They can be different, but most often they are used:

• sandpaper or sanding machine;
• paint and art brushes and roller;
• masking tape;
• tools for assembling the table: screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, hammer;
• solid and multi-colored paints;
• acrylic varnish.

Depending on the chosen method, the set of tools and materials can be supplemented and expanded.

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