5 Furniture Restoration Tips
One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to bring new life to older, worn furniture, windows, doors, and pallets. Creating, in general, a great outlet for anyone when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. It’s like therapy! Through some trials and errors, I have learned a few things since I picked up this hobby.
Find the ugly duckling.
Unless the wood is completely rotted and falling apart, almost anything can be revamped. Don’t be afraid of how dirty or ugly a piece looks at first. As long as it has a good shape, you can fix it up. Even for something that’s not sturdy, you can fix that. A hammer, nails, screws, wood glue, paint, stain, and fabric are your best friends in this case. You CAN fix it up and make it pretty again. Don’t be afraid of a project.
Don’t be hesitant.
Just jump into the project. Yes, planning is involved, but if you are too hesitant or scared to start it your project will never come to life. Have confidence in yourself and your ideas. If it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, maybe change your way of thinking. Get creative and figure out how to resolve the problem.
Sand the wood first. Always.
There’s no telling what all is on that wood. Sometimes it’s obvious like layers of paint or stain. Sometimes the wood is rough and needs to be smoothed down. No matter what the wood looks like, it’s always better to sand first in case there is a varnish or something that will make your layer of paint or stain not stick correctly. It also helps you know what kind of wood you are dealing with: is it dense? Is it a soft wood? What color is the original wood? Is it even real wood at all or is it imitation wood? Buy testing the wood out with sanding, a lot of these questions can be answered before a headache arises later in the project.
The Internet is out there. Use it.
Don’t know how to do something? Want to learn a new technique? Lucky for you we live in the day in age of technology. You can find all kinds of tutorials on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Google, and more. If you are looking for a more in-depth instruction manual, there are always instruction manuals at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s. Don’t use your lack of knowledge as something to hinder you. There is also trial and error with this. I taught myself how to upholster one day because I had seen it on Flea Market Flip and thought “Man, that was easy. I can do that.” I had never practiced before, and I upholstered a whole bench my husband and I made from scratch.
Find a partner!
This isn’t a necessary thing, but it does make the process of sweating out in the Texas heat doing a project a little more fun. The project will feel less like work, and more like a hobby. It’s a good bonding experience AND it’s nice when you need another pair of hands to help you out. Or if you’re like me, more power tools.
