Update Your Old Furniture

Our parents and grandparents were familiar with the saying; 'Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.' In the tight money times we have right now, anything that helps us get more mileage from the things we own is a good idea.

Case pieces are particularly fun to 'improve.' The easiest way to change them is to simply get a darker stain than the one on the piece, paint it on with a brush and rub it off. Instant antique! For a little more fun, use your imagination and brush on a lighter color-cream or gray and rub that off. This gives a piece an aged or 'cottage' look and lightens it at the same time. Either way, the paint or stain fills in scratches, holes, and dents and worn places, highlights carving and gives the piece a dramatic new look.

Painting a piece of furniture will give a totally different effect. This is not difficult but care needs to be taken to have a piece that looks professional. Preparation is almost as important as the actual painting and is a bit time consuming, but necessary, if you don't want something that looks like it was used in a college dorm room.

Tighten any loose joints or screws, nails etc. Clean the piece thoroughly with a grease and oil cutting solution. I like to use TSP because there are no fumes and only gloves are required. This is available at drugstores and home stores.

Apply a solution such as 'no sand' to improve adherence and allow it to dry thoroughly. If the wood is very dark or red toned, a coat of sealer is a good idea to keep the stain from bleeding through, otherwise, a base coat of paint-light or dark depending on the color you are going to paint the piece. Next a thin coat of your main color, followed after drying by a second coat.

At this point you can 'antique' streak, sponge, decoupage, stencil, add trompe l'oeil or do any other interesting addition-wallpaper cut outs, fabric, faux leather, decorative trim or moldings-these are only a few of the possibilities.

Finish with a coat of non-yellow polyurethane or furniture wax and you have a great new piece of furniture. These techniques are good on anything from an end table to a whole dining room suite. I have painted pieces with veneering, laminate and other inexpensive finishes.

The most important rule I always use is to allow time for paint to cure-not just dry-between coats. I allow, 24 hours between coats and 48 hours after the final finish before reattaching doors, drawers, pulls etc. It takes longer than that for paint to cure completely but the generous drying time helps to prevent chipping and lifting.

If you have never painted furniture before, there are 'how to' books in the libraries and at home stores. This sort of project requires patience and imagination more than great skill or experience. Start with something small, plan for the look you want, allow a generous amount of time to do the project and have fun. Sometimes the finished piece is a wonderful surprise.