Old furniture has a lot of charm in it. Contrary to appearances, they work well in modern and minimalist arrangements, adding coziness and warmth to them. Are you the lucky owner of an old sideboard? Check out our tips to know how your furniture should be restored.
The history of sideboards dates back to the 15th century. This type of furniture was particularly popular in France and Italy, but it also decorated many Polish living rooms and kitchens. Traditional sideboards were primarily used to store dishes, cutlery and elegant tableware. Today we can put a sideboard in any room. In the pantry such a piece of furniture will help us accommodate jars of preserves, in the living room we can hide linens and towels in it, and on its shelves we can display books. The sideboard will also prove useful in the bedroom as a place to store linen or cosmetics.
Classic sideboards were made of solid wood, which ensured the durability of the furniture for many years. Thanks to this, we can still find plenty of old-fashioned gems in antique stores and online auctions, which – after appropriate renovation – will add charm to any modern arrangement. If you are the owner of just such an old sideboard and do not know what to do with it, read the following short guide. In it we explain how to renovate the furniture yourself.
First, we need to remove the old paint from the sideboard. To do this, it is best to use a wood sander and sandpaper. If the paint layer is very thick, we can use a chemical paint remover. Keep in mind that if the sideboard was previously painted with oil paint, after removing it, we need to prime the wood before we paint the furniture. If the sideboard was covered with acrylic paint, priming is not necessary.
After removing the layer of old paint, we can clean the sideboard with a clean brush or a thick brush.
Once we have cleaned the sideboard, we need to coat its wooden surfaces (both exterior and interior) with insecticidal liquid. We apply the product with a brush, one coat is enough. After applying the product, we wait for it to dry.
We can start painting the sideboard only after the insecticidal liquid has dried. We pour a small amount of paint (or paints if we intend to use more colors) into a flat container. We choose the color according to our preferences. If the sideboard is to stand in an interior decorated in Scandinavian style, choose white or beige paint. In rustic interiors, a heather or mint-colored piece of furniture will look beautiful. On the other hand, in rooms decorated in boho and rustic style, a dark green or mustard sideboard will stand out.
Paint the outer surfaces of the furniture, including the edges, with a flat brush. We can also paint the inside of the sideboard and the shelves.
If we would like to achieve an aged effect on the sideboard, we can wipe the rims and drawers with the sharp side of a sponge after the paint has dried. We can also decorate the furniture with patterns, such as flowers or leaves. To do this, we draw a template and cut it out. It will make it easier for us to draw the chosen motif on the sideboard. We gently fill in the mapped shape with paint, it is best to use a sponge for this.
main photo: pixabay.com/court2408
