Medusa

How to Up-cycle Old Furniture

<p><&excl;--more--><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Up-cycling&comma; the trend of revamping old items into new improved versions of themselves is a popular way to improve the look of your home without buying new items&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Eco friendly and cost effective&comma; re-designing old furniture is a wonderful way of making the most of what you have or indeed what others don&&num;8217&semi;t want anymore&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Old furniture can be found cheap and even free from many sources&semi; keep your eyes open when you see skips in front of houses as these can be good sources for old chairs&comma; tables and even sideboards&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;459" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-459" style&equals;"width&colon; 300px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignleft"><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;thediscoveryblog&period;com&sol;how-to-up-cycle-old-furniture&sol;6240432704&lowbar;a9149e38e5&lowbar;z&sol;" rel&equals;"attachment wp-att-459"><img class&equals;"size-medium wp-image-459 " alt&equals;"Vintage French chairs are given a new lease of life with pastel shades&period;" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;medusamagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2013&sol;04&sol;6240432704&lowbar;a9149e38e5&lowbar;z-300x225&period;jpg" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"225" &sol;><&sol;a><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-459" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Vintage French chairs are given a new lease of life with pastel shades&period;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Look out for wooden furniture rather than more modern versions made of melamine which is not as easy to paint and won&&num;8217&semi;t last as long&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The shape of each piece which you rescue is very important as is the overall condition&semi; be wary of furniture with evidence of woodworm or with extensive damage from water or fire&period; Pieces like this are usually more trouble than they are worth unless they are a rare or very old example&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Once you have rescued a good piece of furniture&comma; clean any dust or debris from it with a dry cloth&comma; next remove any fabric or upholstery and assess the condition of the interior&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is sensible to wear a mask at this point as old paint can contain lead traces and older upholstery can consist of horse hair which will disintegrate as you work&period; Ventilate your work space well and if possible&comma; work outside&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As soon as you have cleaned and removed any upholstery&comma; it is time to begin sanding the wood down&period; Begin with a medium grade sandpaper and work with a light touch&semi; there is no need to rub hard&comma; even&comma; light pressure is more effective&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>If you have a piece which has many or thick layers of paint already present then a palm sander may be more effective than anything and they make light work of even gloss paint&&num;8230&semi;remember to wear your mask though&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;460" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-460" style&equals;"width&colon; 300px" class&equals;"wp-caption alignright"><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;thediscoveryblog&period;com&sol;how-to-up-cycle-old-furniture&sol;4055427805&lowbar;28a6f2b685&lowbar;z&sol;" rel&equals;"attachment wp-att-460"><img class&equals;"size-medium wp-image-460 " alt&equals;"4055427805&lowbar;28a6f2b685&lowbar;z" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;medusamagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2013&sol;04&sol;4055427805&lowbar;28a6f2b685&lowbar;z-300x148&period;jpg" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"148" &sol;><&sol;a><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-460" class&equals;"wp-caption-text">Fresh upholstery and a bright new paint job make all the difference to this vintage chair&period;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Once your piece is fully sanded and there are no traces of the old paint present&comma; it&&num;8217&semi;s time to grab a paintbrush&excl; When it comes to painting furniture it is necessary to use a water based primer to begin with&semi; this will ensure that your finished piece looks good and is able to withstand a few knocks&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Eggshell paint makes a good all round choice in terms of your finished piece and two layers should be ample&period; Wait until your primer is fully dry before you add any paint to the piece and paint carefully&comma; less is more&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When you have finished painting and the piece is dry&comma; you can think about adding a fresh cushion to seats or some new knobs to bedroom furniture&period; A set of bright knobs is a lovely way to update a vintage dressing table or wardrobe&period; If you are feeling particularly creative you could paint a simple design on bedroom furniture or add transfers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When it comes to furniture there is no need to spend hundreds of pounds&semi; great quality older furniture may be bought cheaply or rescued from all kinds of unlikely places&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Keep your eyes open and use your ingenuity to see beyond chipped paint and faded upholstery and your home will reap the benefits&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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