How to restore chairs at home. Chair restoration. How to make a stool at home. How to convert a chair into a coat rack

In almost every house you can find a few old chairs, appearance which leaves much to be desired. Don't be in a hurry to throw them away. Restoration will help to breathe a second life into an old, but favorite piece of furniture.

Restoration gives the chair a second life and creates unique furniture.

Just a little effort, and old chairs or armchairs will turn into real works of art and will delight their owners for many years.

Give a second life

Restoring chairs with your own hands is not so much a difficult process as painstaking.

Before proceeding with the case, it is necessary to carefully inspect the product. Based on the results of the inspection, it will become clear what to do: just drag the seat of the chair, update the paintwork, or carry out a more serious repair.

If the chair is loosened, then the cause should be sought in the spiked joints. Over time, the wood shrinks, the connecting elements begin to hang out in their nests. To eliminate this and strengthen the structure, it is necessary to increase the size of the spike, seal the sides and replace the power jumpers.

Scheme of assembly and constriction of the chair.

Restoration of a paint and varnish covering will demand smaller efforts. Old paint will have to be removed, the surface of the parts sanded and coated with paint or varnish. For high-quality performance of work, the chair must be disassembled: remove the seat, unscrew the back and legs. If the design of the product is complex and has many small parts, then during disassembly, a diagram of the location of each part should be drawn up. This will facilitate the assembly of the chair after the restoration is completed.

The easiest way to update old chair— Replace the upholstery. Replacing old and worn fabric can change the appearance of furniture beyond recognition. If necessary, updating chairs with your own hands can be done in any one way or include all of the listed types of work.

Preparing for Recovery

Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare tools and materials. If the chair needs serious repairs, then you will need:

Before restoration, the old chair must be disassembled.

1. Screwdriver.
2. Screwdrivers.
3. A hammer.
4. Mallet.
5. Clamps.
6. Clamps are metal.
7. Sandpaper of various grain sizes.
8. Construction stapler and staples.
9. Acrylic paint and brushes.
10. Scissors, pencil or felt-tip pen, cardboard, tailor's centimeter.
11. Foam rubber.
12. Thick fabric for upholstery.
13. Bucket, rag and dishwashing liquid.

The first step towards restoring a chair is to clean it of dust and dirt. To wash it well, you need warm water, soft cloth and some dishwashing liquid. This solution will help to quickly clean the chair not only from dirt, but also from part of the old varnish. The washing procedure should be carried out promptly so that the wood does not come into contact with water for long, and then everything must be thoroughly dried.

The next stage of restoration is dismantling. First you need to remove the back and rear legs. The main thing here is to follow the rule: the assembly of the chair must be carried out in the reverse order. Only in this way will all the holes coincide with each other. In addition, all parts and fasteners must be marked. This will also make assembly easier.

Tools for restoring chairs: batting, upholstery fabric, stapler, staples, foam mounting adhesive, cardboard, screwdriver, scissors.

If the heads of the screws that fasten the parts are hidden in the sockets and they are covered with wooden plugs, then they can be removed using a chisel. If it does not work, then you need to use a drill, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the plug, and drill it out. The opened screw is turned out with a screwdriver. A drop of technical oil applied to the screw will facilitate the work.

If the chair was fastened with epoxy resin, then removing it will help hot water. Wet a rag or napkin and put it on the place of gluing. Repeat the procedure until the glue is completely softened. Then you need to scrape it off with a knife and dry the parts. Hot steam will help soften the glue in tight joints. To do this, a rubber hose is put on the spout of the kettle, a jet of steam is directed to the connection.

Processing and assembly of parts

In order to qualitatively restore the chair, it must be carefully examined. All details must be processed with sandpaper. Glue the large cracks found and tighten them with clamps. Glue the smaller ones and secure with paper tape. Excess holes and chips on the parts should be filled with a slurry of glue and small sawdust. You can continue to work only after the glue is completely dry.

To facilitate work with sandpaper, it must be cut into narrow strips and glued to wooden bars 20-40 mm wide and 300-350 mm long. Paper must be used with different grain sizes. The surface after processing should be even and smooth. A grinder will help to facilitate the work and significantly reduce the processing time.

Be sure to check all connections. If the legs of the chair are inserted directly into the seat and eventually become loose in their nests, then to strengthen them, it is enough to wedge them. At the ends of the upper narrowed parts of the legs, a cut is made and a wedge is driven into it. Thanks to this technique, the end diameter will become larger and it will sit more tightly in the socket, which must be pre-lubricated with glue.

It will be more difficult to restore chairs with crossbars between the legs and drawers under the seat. In such designs, a tenon-groove connection and sizing are used to fasten parts. When the seam weakens, you need to drill a hole with a small diameter from the inside and drop a few drops of glue there with a syringe. When the spike is weakened, it must be strengthened with thin wedges. Matches or wooden chips that are dipped in glue are suitable for this purpose. They need to be hammered into the nest along with the spike.

If the chair is very loose, then in addition to gluing the joints, it is necessary to strengthen the structure with wooden bars. They should be attached with screws to the sides, which are used to connect internal corners frame. Bars and tsargs should be perfectly fitted to each other. Even the smallest gap between them will cause the entire structure to skew.

Now you can begin to assemble the chair frame. All parts must be installed in their places. In order for the adhesive to grab, it is necessary to provide sufficient pressure. Tighten the elements to be glued with clamps or cords. A bucket of water can be placed on the seat. This will provide the necessary pressure. With such a load, the chair must stand for at least 24 hours. Excess glue should be removed immediately with a damp cloth.

Soft seat replacement

If the chair has a soft seat that needs to be replaced, it's time to get started. First you need to remove the old fabric and padding. If on wooden surface there are defects, they must be eliminated.

Marking should be done on the new foam rubber. The old seat is applied to the foam rubber and outlined with a felt-tip pen. To cut straight, you need to take a sharp knife. Then make a pattern on the fabric, taking into account allowances for hem and foam rubber. Next, lay the pattern face down on a flat surface. Foam rubber is placed on top, and then the seat. The allowances must be wrapped on the wrong side, pulled and aligned with the front side. Align the folds in the corners, bend the edges and attach the material with a stapler. If it is not at hand, then you can use small carnations, which have wide caps. Fix the updated seat on the frame with metal corners and self-tapping screws. If the chair has a soft back, then it is restored in the same order as the seat.

A fully restored and transformed chair will serve its owners for many years.

If you find that an old chair is completely worn out, do not rush to throw it away. Often old pieces of furniture bring with them pleasant memories of people and events in the life of your family. Yes, and what's the sin to conceal? Previously, furniture was made for centuries ...

Do not rush to throw away the old chair. If you update its upholstery, you can get a stylish, beautiful and durable piece of furniture. The restored chair may well serve not only you, but also your children. And we'll tell you how to do it!

How to update an old chair? Precleaning

To begin with, the surface of the chair must be cleaned of the old coating, whatever it may be. If there is a soft seat upholstery, it must first be removed. To do this, it does not necessarily require "male power". Try turning the chair upside down and you will see that the seat is held in place with screws that need to be removed. To do this, you need to arm yourself with a hammer (for knocking out the seat) and a screwdriver (straight or Phillips).

Now you can start removing the old coating. To do this, you can use the usual "sandpaper" of different grain sizes or a grinding sponge. It is important to sand the surface of the wood well. This will help to easily apply the coating of your choice in the future. Needless to say, this job is not easy. But it is possible to simplify the process a little by periodically moistening the surface to be treated. So, you can get rid of the dust.

Just do not be afraid that the old varnish becomes viscous from moisture. This is fine. After the chair is completely dry, you need to once again sand the entire surface well with fine “sandpaper”.

How to update an old chair? Process step by step

Now it all depends on your imagination. If you decide to varnish the surface of the chair, then you need to use a colorless primer so that the texture of the wood is clearly visible through the protective layer. You will have to use a primer layer in any case, even if you decide to paint the chair in the future.

The fact is that the paint lays down better and lasts longer if the surface is pre-primed. It is necessary to cover the surface with varnish in two layers. It is important that the first layer is well dried before applying the second. The varnish can be applied with a brush or sprayed on the surface.

You can paint the chair in any color. Now furniture is considered very fashionable. white color. And the upholstery of the seat can be chosen in contrast. Today, there are many ways to show originality, for example, using a stencil. Let it be flowers or any other ornament.

Another way to cover the surface of the chair is a balm from beeswax. The surface is also pre-sanded and primed with drying oil, then covered with a thin layer of balm with a cloth. After twelve hours, the surface is polished with a brush.

Now you can start restoring the upholstery. The old one must be removed. Previously, it was attached to the seat with ordinary nails. You will also have to get rid of the foam rubber. It is necessary to cut out a new one according to the old standards. The fabric needs to be cut with a margin for hem. Upholstery material can be very different: as a special fabric for upholstered furniture, and ordinary linen or thick cotton. It is better to fasten the fabric with a furniture stapler. But if you don't have one, don't worry. You can use ordinary nails by nailing them with a hammer. It is important to remember that the material must be well stretched on all sides.

Now the seat can be inserted into its original place and fastened with screws.

How to update an old chair with a cover

There is another way to update an old chair - use a cover. It can be made from any fabric, hiding defects and imperfections without major intervention. The cover can be with a variety of frills, ruffles, bows, tassels ... You can make several options: a festive version and everyday. Show your imagination! Don't rush to throw away old furniture, try to become a designer, we are sure that you will succeed!

How to update an old chair. Decoupage paper

Do you have a dream to decorate a chair or mask flaws such as scratches and cracks? This is easy to do using decoupage. Any printed paper is suitable for this (magazine and newspaper pages, napkins, posters, cards, etc.). You need to fix the picture with PVA glue, and cover it with a transparent varnish.

Decoupage with cloth

Another way to update an old chair is decoupage material. A "new" chair will last a very long time. If suddenly threads begin to break out along the edges, they can be processed with PVA or cut off.

Other ideas

Multi-colored straps can become the salvation of an old chair. They just need to be twisted, like on a basket. To make a vintage chair, pastel paint and a pattern in silver or gold will help. Top coat everything with craquelure varnish.

Give free rein to your child's imagination. Let him paint the chair, and you just varnish his work.

How to update an old chair? A photo

Do not rush to throw away old furniture. From a “four-legged friend” battered by life and honed by moths, you can get a real work of art with just a little effort and imagination. Today you will learn how to update an old chair. with my own hands to give freshness and novelty to the home interior.

Method number 1: decorating a chair with paint

Not only a real “old man’s” Soviet chair, but also a wooden “Viennese” and a folding country version are easily transformed with paint.

Coloring technology

To paint old chairs, you will need:

• acrylic paint;
• flat brushes made of synthetics (separately for varnish, paint and putty);
• gloves;
• putty;
• white spirit (for metal);
• lacquer remover (for lacquered models);
• matte varnish or wax;
• fine to medium grit sandpaper.

Restore old chairs according to this scheme:

1. The first step is to prepare the furniture for painting: wash, sand with sandpaper. The surface should remain slightly rough.
2. It is better to degrease the iron model with white spirit before painting.
3. Treat lacquer furniture special means for removing varnish.
4. Mask all cracks and scratches on the surface of the legs and back with furniture putty.
5. After that, paint the entire surface of the furniture in 2-3 layers, waiting for the complete drying of each layer. Open the product with varnish.

Interesting! If you want to achieve an interesting worn effect, then initially apply a dark shade of paint to certain areas, and then cover them with wax. Paint the entire area with the desired shade in 2 coats, and then go over the previously marked areas with fine-grained sandpaper to “expose” the dark areas.

• If you have not decided what color to paint the furniture in, then you can not go wrong by choosing a bright white shade. This color is versatile and goes well with all bright upholstery materials.

New! Chalk paints are a newfangled type of colorants that are not yet very common in stores, but we recommend using them due to bright colors and super-fast drying.

• Use masking tape to paint individual areas of the surface.

Method number 2: seat constriction

Do-it-yourself restoration of old chairs constriction - second by prevalence reception after paint.

Interesting! Even if the stool does not have a comfortable soft seat, you can make it yourself.

Tightening process technology

For work you will need:

• dense upholstery fabric;
• furniture stapler;
• screwdriver or screwdriver;
• tape measure;
• self-tapping screws;
• overlocker for processing edges or a sewing machine.

Old a soft chair restored in this way:

1. Turn the product over, laying it with a seat on the work surface. Using a screwdriver or screwdriver, unscrew the soft part from the frame of the product. If it is screwed not on self-tapping screws, but on nails, then pull them out with pliers.
2. Measure the width and length of the seat, add 7 cm to each value, open the part from the new fabric. Finish the edges of the fabric blank on a sewing machine or overlocker.
3. Lay the pattern face down on your work surface. Place the seat on it with the wrong side towards you. Make sure that the distance of future bends of the pattern is the same on all sides.
4. Bend and fasten two opposite sides of the upholstery fabric to the seat with a stapler. At the same time, slightly stretch the material. The staples of the stapler are fastened in steps of at least 10 cm, and the corners are not yet fixed.
5. Do the same with the rest of the sides.
6. Lastly, pull the corners into the center of the seat and also secure with staples.
7. Install the seat on the frame, fasten again with self-tapping screws. If initially it was held with nails, then it makes sense to replace them with self-tapping screws.

• A soft seat can be decorated with beautiful furniture carnations around the perimeter.

• Choose upholstery so that it matches the style of the stool. So classic jacquard does not look on modern designer furniture, and an old wooden chair with a back and patterns looks strange with geometric print upholstery.

• Often, chairs look perfect if their style uses the same fabric from which the curtains or curtains in the room are sewn.

The match looks harmonious.

Method number 3: sewing a cover with gathers in the corners

A clear advantage of sewing a cover is that this method is much cheaper than seat upholstery.

It is enough to purchase 2-2.5 m of fabric, correctly make a pattern and sew.

The fabric is selected on the principle of wear resistance, as products are constantly subjected to increased stress, especially in the dining room and in the kitchen.

To sew a cover on an old chair, follow these steps:

1. First of all, you need a pattern. For measurements, you will need masking tape, paper or newspapers.
2. Attach a large spread of the newspaper to one or another part of the product, mark the outlines of the furniture on paper, remove the excess with scissors.
3. Prepare the second part, and attach it to the first, gluing it with masking tape. Having fully assembled the pattern, cut it in those places where the seams will be. Thus, you will get a more or less accurate pattern specifically for your product shape.
4. Remember that you need to leave allowances for the seams and take into account the fractional orientation of the matter, especially if it will have a pattern in the form of stripes or large flowers. Take Special attention back. It happens that in order to recreate the exact bends, you will have to cut out a separate part along its side. If you do not have a goal to convey all the frills, it is enough to make wide allowances of 5-7 cm along the side cut of the back.

Important! It is better not to make the back cover very narrow, otherwise you simply will not be able to put it on the chair. Cut the back part wide or flared, then fold the excess into a pleat, and tie a beautiful bow at the back. If you like a "stretched" cover, then install a twisted zipper in one of the seams.

Method number 4: Decoupage of a chair with paper

Remaking old chairs with your own hands does not always require drastic changes. Sometimes a new chair will turn out from an old one if you mask minor defects, scratches and stains with an original fashionable print or beautiful patterns.

Decoupage will help you. Take:

• multilayer napkins with the desired print;
• PVA glue;
• a pair of brushes;
• scissors;
• matte clear lacquer;
• roller

To make original designer furniture out of old chairs, follow this algorithm:

1. Clean furniture, paint as directed in Method #1.
2. Separate upper layer napkins with a pattern, cut out the desired size fragment from it.
3. If you want to change the whole decor of the old chair: from the back to the legs, then randomly tear the napkin into pieces of 10x10 cm.
4. Lubricate the desired place of the future decor with plenty of PVA glue. Lay a cut-out piece of napkin on the desired piece of furniture, smooth it with a brush with the remnants of PVA, removing bubbles and smoothing out the wrinkles with a roller.
5. The top layer of PVA should be as thin as possible. Leave it to dry for a day.
6. At the end, cover the entire surface of the furniture with a transparent varnish in 3-4 layers, allowing each to dry.

As you can see, remodeling an old chair is not as problematic as it might seem at first glance.

Creative furniture decor solutions

• To give an old stool a touch of vintage, you can paint it pink, blue or cream. For painting, gold or silver paint is useful. On top of everything, apply craquelure varnish to the entire area. The effect of antiquity is created by small cracks from the varnish.

• An old stool will be saved by upholstery made of multi-colored straps. Weave them according to the “basket” principle, and fix them from below with self-tapping screws.

• Let your kids get creative with acrylics. Cover the result with varnish. You will not only receive designer furniture, but also a future family heirloom.

Now you know how to restore an old chair, turning it into an exclusive little thing for mere pennies. If you have other modernization ideas and restoration experience, share with readers in the comments.

Video: Restoration of an old chair

Before updating an old chair with a backrest with your own hands, you need to examine the condition of the furniture. Before restoration, the strength of the fastening of the legs, back and seat is checked. If they stagger, then they need to be tightened or re-glued. The next steps will depend on the type of restoration work to be undertaken.

Similar articles:

How to update a chair with a back

In most cases, old chairs require overhaul. Furniture is cleaned of paint and varnish, chips, cracks and potholes are repaired on it. Objects from the array are covered with impregnation or stain so as not to overlap the texture of the wood. Furniture is also repainted in other colors.

To update a chair with soft elements, you need to remove the old upholstery and replace the foam rubber. If necessary, install new springs in the seat.

chair painting

The easiest way to reconstruct wooden objects is to repaint. Furniture can be made plain, highlight the back, legs or seat different colors. Also, a pattern is applied to the furniture.

Features of the reconstruction:

1. Removing the old top cover. The easiest way to remove the paint layer is with a grinder. The device must be directed along the fibers of the tree. Otherwise, you can ruin the texture. To remove the coating hard-to-reach places use coarse sandpaper. Another way to remove old paint and varnish is to apply a wash. It is necessary to cover furniture with this chemical solution in a respirator and with open windows. The peeled top coat is removed with a spatula.
2. Elimination of defects. Potholes and cracks are sealed with wood putty or a home-made mixture based on small sawdust and PVA glue.
3. Preparing for painting. Before you update the chair, you need to make its surface smooth. Furniture cleaned of paint and varnish should be treated with fine-grained sandpaper.
4. Painting. You will need a small foam roller and synthetic brushes of various sizes. You can use alkyd paint, water-based compounds, impregnations. The first layer is applied with a roller. So the coating will be more uniform. Subsequent layers are applied with brushes. After repainting, the chair is varnished. Experts recommend using protective compounds that are resistant to mechanical stress.

If you decide to combine several shades in furniture, then you should use the color wheel to select them. Patterns are applied using a stencil. You can also transfer a sketch to furniture through carbon paper.

Seat and back padding

Upholstered chairs will take longer to update. In this case, it will be necessary to replace the springs and foam rubber.

Fabric for new upholstery must be durable. For the back and seat, you can choose from the following materials:

1. Tapestry.
2. Rogozhka.
3. Jacquard.
4. Artificial skin.

For stretching you will need:

• Screwdriver.
• Pliers.
• Roulette.
• Scissors.
• Furniture stapler.

How to reconstruct a wooden chair with your own hands:

1. Dismantling furniture. First you need to disconnect the staples on which the fabric is attached from the frame. They pry off with a flat head screwdriver. Then they remove the old upholstery and disassemble the seat. If the frame of the furniture has been glued, then it is worth disconnecting the legs. They are cleaned and then re-mounted to the seat base. This is done to increase the stability of the chair.
2. Replacement of old fittings. Springs need to be changed if they have rusted and started to move away. They can be purchased in stores with furniture fittings. A structure made of flooring, felt and batting is pulled over the springs.
3. Construction of a pattern for the seat and back. You can duplicate the old upholstery. It is detached and then placed on paper. Details are outlined and cut out. When building a pattern for furniture without upholstery, paper is placed over the back and seat, and then their boundaries are marked with a pencil. When cutting out parts, you should take into account the thickness of the foam rubber and remember about allowances.
4. Upholstery replacement. First form the back of the back. The fabric is fixed with a stapler. The direction of movement is from the central part to the corners. Then foam rubber is glued to the back and the front part is attached. After that, pull the seat. Foam rubber and synthetic winterizer are attached to it, and then covered with a cloth.

Upgrade an old chair with a slipcover

You can also update old chairs with covers. The easiest way is to make a design with a “skirt” that covers the bottom of the furniture. Removable cover can be sewn from 5 parts. When cutting them out, 1.5 cm is added to the allowances, and 3 mm to the free fit. For sewing, you will need about 2 m of fabric.

Pattern details:

• Seat. Consists of 1 part, fully corresponds to the parameters of a similar piece of furniture.
• Back. Sewn from 3 parts. The back part consists of 2 rectangles, between which a hidden zipper is sewn. At the bottom, these parts are hemmed, making a double hem. The front is folded back and sewn to the top of the back.
• Bottom. Cut out in the form of a long strip. It is sewn to the seat and bottom of the back. The part can completely cover the legs or be less than them in height. Its lower cut is processed with a hem seam.

Hello, friends! Today, for a while, let's forget about universal problems, turmoil in the economy, and other global topics.

I want to suggest to you, if you have some extra money, free time and the desire to do something with your own hands, to slightly change the interior in your house.

Actually, I don't like to keep old things in my apartment. But somehow it so happened that, with a total renovation of the interior after another protracted repair, four old chairs remained standing in the kitchen.

At first, I made a promise to myself that I would soon replace them with new and stylish ones. But they took root in our family so much, they became almost “native” and somehow I did not dare to throw them into a landfill.

Then, looking at them carefully, I thought: “but they are not so bad - wooden, strong, well, except that the upholstery has already faded and does not quite match the color of our new kitchen.”

And if so, I decided to act and repair the old chairs with my own hands. To tell the truth, not with my own, but with the hands of my husband.

He is a great craftsman and everything he does, he does only with a sign of quality (I will brag a little). Therefore, I entrusted this work to him without hesitation.

Since we only needed to replace the upholstery of the chair, and the rest of its wooden parts did not need to be repaired (except perhaps to renew the varnish in some places), we bought:

• Fabric for furniture upholstery - 1x1.40 m. This fabric was just enough for us for 4 chairs and there was still a little bit left (later for the upholstery of the ottoman). When choosing, we were guided by quality, texture and suitable color. The purchase of fabric cost us 360 rubles.
• Foam rubber. We decided not to use the old foam, but to buy a new one and make the chairs a little softer. Foam rubber was sold only in sheets. 1 such sheet measuring 1x2 m, thickness - 20 mm. His purchase cost us 240 rubles.
• A piece of plywood 6 mm thick, approximately 1x1 m in size. The plywood was left over from the repair.
• Furniture stapler and special staples for it. We didn’t buy it either, because it was already there.
• I also needed a small piece of wood. Small pieces were cut out of it, approximately 2 cm wide and 10 cm long. And some screws to fasten them.
• Water-based wood varnish (we also had it).

Work sequence:

• Removed the old seat

• New blanks were cut to the size of the old seat (if the old plywood is in good condition, you can leave it)

• Pieces of foam rubber were cut according to the same dimensions. In order to make our chairs soft, the foam was placed in 2 layers

• Started cutting fabric. The fabric was also cut to the size of the seat, but at the same time 5 cm were added on all sides for hem

All. We have prepared all the blanks.

Let's start assembling

We make such a kind of puff cake from our blanks: first - fabric, then foam rubber and the base of the plywood chair.

In order for the seat not to move on the chair and to be well fixed, special wooden blocks were screwed onto the plywood from the underside with screws.

We fix the fabric on the back of the base with a furniture stapler.

Everything is our beautiful and soft seat ready.

And here, take a look at what we got:

The chairs are almost like new. Beautiful upholstery blends very well with wallpapers and facades on kitchen cabinets. In addition, they have turned from semi-soft to soft.

And all this cost us only 600 rubles. Well, in which store will you buy four wooden chairs for that kind of money?

How do you like this savings? I really liked it. Something else needs to be repaired.

Oh, yes, I completely forgot that there was some fabric left, and I wanted to use it for the ottoman cover. But more on that next time.

What do-it-yourself interior renovation secrets do you have? Bye Bye…