Old furniture can be very interesting even in contemporary design. Besides their retro look, the old pieces of furniture are characterized by the quality of materials and manufacturing process, most of them being handmade out of natural wood, with different patterns that are no longer created.
Reconditioned furniture adds value to your home by the fact that, on the one hand, you save the money that you give on new furniture and, on the other hand, you can keep the pieces of furniture that have a sentimental value for you.
The first step in renovating a piece of furniture is cleaning and surface preparation. Use a solution of 3 liters of warm water, 2 tablespoons of turpentine and 2 tablespoons of linseed oil. Wash the furniture with a soft cloth soaked in the solution prepared before. Turpentine will remove residues, producing a matte finish effect.
Another method for cleaning the furniture is wiping it with a solution of 80 % water and 20 % ammonia. Depending on the type of wood, ammonia may have the effect of lighting or darkening the color of the furniture. If your piece of furniture looks great, no sanding is required.
You can remove fine dust furniture with a dry cloth or special detergent for furniture, and then you can apply lemon oil, which you can buy at any drugstore or natural foods store. The stains and scratches will be removed and the furniture will acquire a new luster.
If the piece of furniture that you want to restore is scratched or does not match the rest of the house and you want to change the color, you need to call in a polishing technique. It is advisable to first measure how much you have to polish. That's because some furniture is damaged only at the surface. In this case you can remove the layer of varnish or wax furniture using a special solvent that you can buy in any store.
It's good to know that once you started sanding, you will need to apply the same technique all over the furniture. You can use a sanding machine or a piece of sandpaper. If your furniture shows more pronounced holes, cracks or large scratches it is advisable to cover them with a kit before painting. Also, you can fill the holes using a powder obtained from grinding of other pieces of wood mixed with varnish.
If your piece of furniture has a very thick coat of varnish, you can apply a solvent for paints and varnishes before starting the sanding process. After sanding, wipe the dust and vacuum the surface very well. Apply a new coat of varnish or wax. Finally, after the varnish dries, it is best to apply lemon oil to enhance the furniture’s luster.
Moreover, you can use reconditioned furniture in very original ways. Here are some examples!
If you have a table that has a broken leg or half of its surface is scratched, do not rush to throw it away. Recondition half of the table! Cut it and sand it well, then put it against a wall. It is ideal to put a few flower pots on it. In addition, it is a creative idea that will definitely be noticed by all your guests.
The wardrobe can be converted into an electronic TV, DVD and sound system support. If you have a cabinet with many drawers, you can use it as a cupboard for appliances. If you remove one or two drawers, the DVD and audio system will fit perfectly.
But what can you do if you have changed the furniture in the bedroom and you have no plan for the old furniture? The socks and underwear cabinet can be used as a kitchen worktable. If you have a spacious kitchen, this cabinet can be put face to face with the countertop.
This accessory will be very helpful when you prepare large amounts of food or when you need many ingredients.
All in all, there are many ways in which you can recondition or use old furniture. Just let your imagination free and be creative! The result will be a unique piece of furniture, made specifically to meet your needs!