Bulky garbage, flea market or eBay classified ads – there are pieces of furniture that have fallen out of favor with their owners. But do you have to drive to IKEA because of some signs of wear and buy everything new?
You’ll see: to freshen up your old furniture, you do not need much time or elbow lint, and in the end you not only save money, but also set fresh accents in your home.
Remove rust
Regardless of alloy and composition: Almost anything made of metal can also rust. This is especially true for garden furniture that is exposed to wind and weather for most of the year. Depending on the weather conditions, a stubborn rust coating quickly forms on metal elements. Fortunately, superficial rust stains can be removed relatively easily: Treat the affected areas with a mild acid, such as lemon juice. Lightly rusted areas are best rubbed with a halved lemon and scrub after a brief action with a scratching sponge. More rusty parts should be placed in a bath of lemon juice and then scrubbed with a wire brush.
Incidentally, to prevent rusting and to maintain metal, the penetrating oil “WD-40” is the drug of choice.
Remove oil and grease stains from pads
Old fabric sofas are probably among the most unpopular furnishings. A sofa with dirty upholstery most do not even want to have given. Even oil and grease stains can be removed without much chemicals. Take a piece of chalk, rub it into the fabric and let it work for some time. Then rub the chalk with a damp cloth and let the fabric dry.
Cover damage with board color
A hopelessly scratched stool or table does not have to be finished with the orbital sander and repainted. A layer of blackboard color covers the quirks and turns the piece of furniture into a canvas. The youngsters can play with chalk instead of decorating the wallpaper with felt-tip pens.
Treat wood damage
“In the past, everything was better and made of wood,” Opa enthuses nostalgically. The popular material is timelessly beautiful, but unfortunately also susceptible to quirks and scratches. The latter can be easily treated with a well-tried home remedy. For this you mix 1/4 l of oil and 3/4 l of vinegar. Polish the wood with this self-made care product and it will shine like new again.
Remove wood scratches with a walnut
Walnuts are not all equally popular because of their tart notes and hard shell. At least because of its effect on scratched wood surfaces should give the nut but still a chance. Take a peeled, halved walnut and rub the nut over the scratch. After a short time, polish with a cloth. The scratches are virtually “sealed” by the nut particles and the walnut oil cares for the damaged wood.
Spice up old furniture
Not only in jeans, the “used look” is back in fashion: Even with furniture a certain worn look is very popular. If you do not feel like rummaging about flea markets for unique items, you can easily get the targeted wear yourself. Give an old piece of furniture a new coat of paint of your choice. When the paint has dried, you work the wood with some emery paper . Of course it’s faster with an orbital sander .
Change small details
Often it does not take much to upgrade a rather unsettling piece of furniture: A new pommel, a splash of paint or just a decorative blanket can work wonders. The imagination knows no bounds: You can use old wallpaper remnants as an ornament, for example . Or you zimmerst you your own furniture collection from residues together all kinds.
Tile old tables
Tiled tables are nowadays often only seen in ancient corner bars. However, if the classic combination of gray tile with dark oak wood is too boring, you can easily put together an individual tile table yourself. There is no need for more than a discarded table, glue and matching tiles.
As you can see, it is worthwhile not to drive the old facility straight to the recycling center or sell it at the flea market. By the way, you will find even more tips on furniture repair in this article .
