Do-it-yourself veneered furniture repair

In detail: do-it-yourself veneered furniture repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Furniture damage, although annoying, is often easy to fix. Just keep in mind that the veneer on old furniture is different from the veneer produced today.

Veneer or wood that matches the texture and type of the source material
Varnish
steel wool
Sandpaper
Shellac stick for putty
Beeswax
Glue bone or mezdrovy

Tools

Scalpel or knife blade
Veneer saw
cycle
Chisel
steel ruler
soldering iron
Iron
Plane
Screwdriver
Paint brush

If there is a need to renew the veneered surface, then first of all it is necessary to establish what material the substrate is made of. In modern furniture, this is usually plywood or chipboard. Their machine-brushed surface is specifically designed for veneer applications.

However, a product made of solid wood can also be lined with veneer. Usually this is “ordinary”, cheap wood, but veneer, on the contrary, is made of precious wood and serves as a kind of camouflage, since it gives the product a solid, noble look.

The first factory-made serial veneers appeared about 50 years ago. Older furniture is a combination of expensive and cheap woods.

Regardless of the type of underlayment, our restoration work applies exclusively to the upper layer of fine wood, which is only a few millimeters thick.

Determine the nature of veneer damage
Prepare material
To clean the place of damage, smooth out cracks in the tree
Buy the right veneer or wood from a special shop
If the repair is local in nature, then the surface of the furniture should be covered so as not to damage other areas. Take care of good lighting.
Make patches
Repair scratches with putty
Drive into the cracks of the rail

Video (click to play).

The meltable glue under the swollen veneer is heated with an iron, after which the veneer is pressed with a clamp.

Carefully clean the area under the swollen veneer from old glue and inject fresh glue with a syringe. Moisten the veneer and, if necessary, cut crosswise.

Usually, veneer bulges due to improper placement of its sheets. then, after gluing, small undulating swellings form - it means that the material was too dry. It is necessary to detect and eliminate all swellings in time, otherwise the appearance of cracks and crevices cannot be avoided.

Blisters on old furniture may be corrected with a hot iron (medium setting). A damp cloth placed on top will also help, which will make the veneer more elastic. Glue can be injected under the bubble with a syringe, after which this place must be gently rubbed with your thumb and then secured with a clamp.

To eliminate such a defect in modern furniture, heating with an iron and a little pressure will be enough.

Sometimes the surface to be processed - for example, varnishing - has defects. Such a surface should be restored before processing begins. Find a small piece of flawless veneer that matches the texture of the veneer on the surface being repaired.

Cut out a window on the defective area. Attach a piece of veneer to this place. Make sure that the texture of the main background and the patch match exactly. Once you have found the right position, use a scalpel to cut the "patch" exactly along the contour of the removed piece of veneer.

Damaged areas in the facing layer should be removed and “patches” should be made of veneer that is suitable in texture and shape.

The knife or scalpel should be held at a slight angle in order to get a “patch” that fits the shape. Cut across the texture, sometimes in a zigzag pattern, to avoid splitting the wood. Now the "patch" fits exactly into place. It must be fixed with an adhesive paper strip. With the wedge-shaped head of a carpenter's hammer, carefully smooth the joints. The transition from the main veneer to the "patch" should be almost imperceptible. Now the restored surface can be processed further.

The strength of the glued veneer depends on the condition of the substrate. There are no complications when the veneer is glued to plywood. The surface of the latter is machine-leveled and the veneer should only be cleaned in an appropriate manner before installation. It is a completely different matter when a facing layer of noble wood species is applied to the planed surface of the sawlog.

The "patch" lies under the veneer, which is being restored.

The cut of both parts is done in one working step.

A solid wood base often has defects such as protruding knots, which should be removed with a core drill. After that, the blind hole is closed with a suitable circle of wood, if necessary, the protruding parts are cleaned with a file or sandpaper. Large defective areas are hollowed out in the shape of a rhombus. A new part is inserted into this place.

The resin that has come to the surface is removed with a special solvent.

There are three ways to finish the surface of the veneer: waxing, varnishing, or - which is the easiest for the home craftsman - clear varnish. However, the latter method is not always applicable. For example, antique furniture requires a different approach. To determine which one, you need to know how the surface of the product was treated or its approximate age. The fact is that the difference between clear varnish and varnish treatment is difficult to establish. Only a specialist can confidently distinguish the soft natural gloss of a shellac lacquer polish from the hard lacquer gloss of a cellulose polish applied with a brush. So, for the information of non-professionals: good transparent varnishes appeared about 50 years ago.

Polish is applied with a swab in soft curved lines in the form of eights. This ensures deep penetration of the varnish into the pores of the wood.

To cover with a polish with a swab, the facing layer must first be primed and sanded. Polishing should be carried out in continuous smooth sliding movements. Each pass over the surface must be working, that is, leave the thinnest layer of polish. After drying, the surface must be well sanded with a horsehair brush to give it a noble “velvet” sheen.

Often it is necessary to repair damage to the surface of polished furniture. Minor scratches can be repaired with furniture polish. Small burned holes are carefully scraped and filled with putty or beeswax. The latter can, unlike putty, be applied to an already processed tree; it is combined with both polish and varnish.

Read also: DIY bumper repair kit

After the wax is slightly heated, small pieces are separated from it and pressed with a knife into the damaged area. Then this place is rubbed with a soft cloth dipped in turpentine.

Flaws on raw, untreated wood can be repaired with putty only after applying varnish. On sale there are putties of all tones.

Deep damage, affecting not only the polish layer, but also the veneer, is repaired with shellac putty of a suitable tone.

The filling material is heated until it falls off in thick drops. Then the wax is collected with a knife and added to the filling material.

Shellac hardens relatively quickly. The protruding material is removed by cycles until it has hardened.

A deep scratch that cuts through a layer of polish or varnish inevitably leaves marks on the wood itself. Sometimes restoration with a kolinsky brush and suitable art paint helps. Oil paints are also used, for example, when tinting wax, if it is necessary to fill a large hole. Recesses are filled only after thorough cleaning of the surface.

White spots on polished or clear lacquered surfaces are the result of exposure to heat - most often from the fact that hot objects are placed on the polish, such as dishes with hot food. Such defects are eliminated with shellac varnish, a mixture of turpentine and linseed or camphor oil.

Recesses in a polished or varnished surface are filled with shellac varnish of the appropriate tone. A few drops of varnish are heated and injected into the hole. After the varnish has hardened, the surface is carefully polished in circles with the thinnest steel “washcloth”.

After restoration work, the surface of the product must be completely smooth. Carefully level the polishing in the direction of the texture with a thin steel “washcloth”. After you remove the residue again, apply a shellac base. After another sanding with sandpaper (No. 240), the final surface treatment follows. Apply several thin layers of varnish with a flat brush. Give the renewed surface a shine with a linen cloth soaked in a special product.

After the shellac putty has hardened in the restored places, it must be carefully leveled with a thin steel “washcloth”

On the cleaned surface, a nourishing polish is carefully applied with a lump of linen cloth.

On the surface of old tables made of glued solid boards, cracks appear over time - often at the end, and sometimes in the middle of the tabletop. In both cases, this can be corrected by inserting wedge-shaped plates into the slots (corresponding to the thickness of the tabletop). Wedges are cut from a piece of wood suitable for furniture. The workpiece is processed with a planer, and then with a file, until it is slightly thicker than the gap itself. At the end, the wedge is driven into the slot by tapping lightly with a hammer.

After driving in, the wedge should protrude slightly from the table surface so that it can be leveled.

Since the crack rarely runs in a straight line, after removing dirt and possible chips, it must be straightened. The smoother the surface, the stronger the adhesive bond. The wedge should fit into the gap very tightly. If the crack is in the middle, then a dovetail-shaped wooden plate is glued on the reverse side to prevent further cracking.

Once the glue has set, the wedge is carefully hewn with a planer. Work carefully, trying not to touch the main surface. The final alignment can be done with sharp cycles.

1. After cleaning and leveling the gap, measurements are taken, according to which a plate of the desired shape is cut.

2. Process the wedge-shaped plate (slightly larger than the slot) with a planer.

3. Glue the finished wedge into the slot. The tabletop with gaskets on top and sides is clamped in a vise.

4. To prevent new cracks from appearing, a dovetail-shaped wooden plate is glued into the countertop on the reverse side.

Has old furniture lost its former luster? I'm tired, but it's a pity to throw it away? All this is fixable: you can improve the appearance so that no one will think that the furniture is many years old. Do-it-yourself furniture restoration is hard work. But you don't have to do anything super complicated. Some methods are so simple that everyone can do it (we are not talking about antiques, of course).

Video (click to play).

No matter how carefully the furniture is handled, scuffs, scratches, stains still occur. They are easy to eliminate. The main thing is to know how and why.

If the wood surface has just lost its luster, look for a wood care product that contains orange oil. Take a clean sponge, moisten it slightly and heat it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Spraying the product from a spray bottle, then wipe it with a hot sponge (hands should be in rubber gloves coated inside).

A hot sponge and an orange oil cleanser will bring back the gloss of wooden furniture

Such transformations are possible using a marker, alcohol and wax.

Restoring a layer of varnish is a difficult task. Any restoration of furniture begins with cleaning and degreasing and repairing the varnish coating too. We use dish detergent diluted in water: safe and reliable. After drying, we proceed to update the polishing.

On dark furniture, a scratch can be painted over with iodine, achieving the desired color in a number of layers or diluting it with water. If you have furniture markers, you can use them.
Deep scratches that have turned white cannot be painted over. There are other methods:
- Make a mastic with 4 parts melted wax and 3 parts turpentine. This paste is applied to the polish and rubbed with a soft cloth.
- If you have shoe polish in a suitable color, you can cover it with it, and then polish everything with a cloth.
Scratches are painted over, then the coating is restored

You can simply refresh the faded polish on the furniture with mixtures prepared by yourself:
1. Two parts of linseed oil and turpentine and a part of vinegar. Everything is mixed, applied with a swab, wait until it is absorbed and polished.
2. Mix oil and beer in equal parts and wipe the furniture with this composition. Rub after soaking.
3. A more shiny surface will be if the beer is boiled with a piece of wax, cooled and applied slightly warm to the furniture. When the composition is absorbed, the surface is rubbed to a shine.
More recipes in the video.

Quite often you have to remove the polishing: this is not the most fashionable finish. Modern furniture is most often painted with opaque or tinted paints, and the surface is matte. In any case, you need to remove the polish. There are several ways. Since varnishes are different in composition, you have to select empirically. But one of the methods should work.
1. You can remove the old polish from the furniture mechanically. If there is a grinder, the process will go faster, if not, take sandpaper with a large grain and peel off the varnish layer until wood appears. Then take a fine grain and grind to a flat surface. Mechanical removal does not always work. Sometimes even a grinder does not give a result: the polish does not peel off, but begins to melt and stink. Then they change tactics.
2. You will need a piece of old glass. Put on gloves and break it into several fragments. With the sharp edges that have formed, brush off the coating to the wood. If there are chamfers and recesses, it is convenient to scrape them with sharp edges. After the main layer of polishing is removed, everything is brought to a smooth state with fine-grained sandpaper.
Do-it-yourself furniture restoration often requires tough measures: some types of polishing can only be scraped off with glass

If the old furniture was being prepared for painting, it must be cleaned of dust, wiped with a damp cloth and allowed to dry. After leveling everything with putty, smooth out all the bumps, wait until it dries. Take sandpaper and sand again, first with medium, then with fine grain. Next, apply a layer of primer and wait for it to dry.

Applying varnish with a brush when restoring the polishing of furniture

The primer is bought for the paint that is going to be used, or the paint can be diluted with a compatible solvent and covered instead of primer. After drying, you can paint.

You can paint with a roller or brush. Usually several coats are needed: do not try to apply a lot of paint at once, as streaks may appear. It is better to apply several thin layers.So the surface will be smooth and uniform. Another trick: for uniform coloring, layers are applied in different directions - along, then across. This also applies to the application of varnish.

Some varnishes are easier to work with when they are warm. They are slightly heated and then applied with a spray gun or brush. When warming up, you need to be careful: vapors can flare up.

In order of staining: first, the inner surfaces, edges and joints are painted, then they move on to the outer ones. With this sequence, there is less chance of getting dirty or touching the already painted surface, ruining it.

If the varnish coating is even, without defects, and it needs to be painted over, you can do without removing this layer. There are special primers for difficult surfaces. Coat the surface with them, and paint after drying. They have components that penetrate even the varnish layer. Therefore, the paint will be applied well and hold on for a long time. But such soils have a minus: they are expensive. But they do save a lot of time.

Some secrets of coloring wood (including brushing and coloring in two colors) are in the article "How to paint a lining". See the video for a few secrets of even application of acrylic paint.

If any signs appear, you do not need to be upset. Restoration of lacquered or polished furniture is a simple solution to the problem, such work can be done carefully without losing the value of the product and without disturbing the surface structure. After the restoration of the paintwork, your favorite things will delight you for a long time.

Before updating old furniture, remember that it is not always necessary to immediately change the varnish layer. Some natural aging factors give antique furniture a special charm and increase its value.

A common way in everyday life to eliminate small defects that cover the furniture surface is to wipe it with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. After processing the damaged area for a while, you can correct the situation. But in some cases, this method can harm the decorative layer. Therefore, you should not experiment, it is better to choose a specialized composition.

Let's imagine the characteristics of some varnishes for furniture restoration:
- Shellac varnish. The composition after application to the surface is able to successfully emphasize the texture of wood and provide it with an original shade. This is a proven material that has been used to restore varnishing for a long time. The consistency of the polish is not viscous, reminiscent of colored water. The restoration of the lacquer layer takes quite a long time, to achieve the desired result, up to 40-60 layers of the composition are applied.
- Nitrocellulose. This composition can restore the polishing of a large area. To carry out repairs and apply a layer, it is necessary to use sprayers that are capable of providing the necessary speed of work. Otherwise, droplets may form, which will solidify quickly. Under such conditions, a smooth surface cannot be achieved. Conventional spray guns for paints and varnishes will not work, it is recommended to contact the services of a restorer.
- pentaphthalic compound. It is very convenient to carry out furniture repair with your own hands with this varnish, since no special devices are required for its application. After complete drying, a thorough grinding is carried out and a finishing layer is applied with a paint brush. In this case, the surface will be glossy. If you want a matte effect, then the product must be applied with a swab. For priming, you do not need to purchase an additional tool. The first layer of pentaphthalic varnish acts as a primer. In total, at least four layers are applied.
After choosing a varnish for polishing furniture, it is worth deciding on the color of the coating. Very often colorless varnishes are used to preserve the structure of the tree. However, when lacquered furniture is updated, they try to match the lacquer to match the surface.

Before you start restoring furniture, you need to prepare a number of tools and materials. So, you will need:
- rag;
- paint brush;
- scraper and sandpaper;
- masking tape;
- solvent;
- putty on wood (for serious defects);
- as well as the paint composition itself.
The process of restoring wooden furniture with your own hands consists of several stages. As an example, the restoration of a crib will be given:

1. Preliminary preparation. Before updating polished furniture, it must be disassembled. Next, apply a cleaning solution to the surface, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. This procedure will soften the old polish, the varnish will crack and peel off in some places. Its remains must be removed with a scraper. Next, sanding is carried out with sandpaper. You need to start with a coarse abrasive and finish with a fine one. The surface should become matte and uniform. Next, remove the dust with a brush or a damp cloth.

2. Applying a paintwork composition. Depending on the selected varnishing material for the restored furniture, the number of applied layers is determined. Each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has dried completely (drying for at least 8 hours). If acrylic varnish is used, then the composition must be diluted with white spirit to apply the first layer. Next, the restoration of furniture is accompanied by grinding the surface, after which another 2-3 layers of undiluted varnish are applied.

3. The stage of grinding the restored layer. Grinding of the restored areas is carried out carefully with sandpaper with the finest grit until a uniform matte surface is obtained. Then everything is thoroughly wiped with a rag. The renovation of the old thing allowed us to get a brand new bed.

On the video: restoration of a crib.
- How to repair furniture with more serious damage (chips, dents, etc.)? Here you can not do without the process of puttying. A special mixture for wood is perfect, although automotive putty can also be used. Defects are carefully repaired, the mixtures are allowed to dry and then sanded with fine grit sandpaper.
Repairing wooden furniture is a simple, but time-consuming process that requires endurance and patience. Performing all the stages of restoration correctly, you can extend the life of your favorite things. Basically, options were considered on how to restore old furniture with your own hands, which was still made from natural wood. At the present time, furniture is mainly made from chipboard sheets. It should be noted that the repair of cabinet furniture with your own hands, in principle, is no different. You can use all the algorithms presented above.

Damage to home furniture occurs quite often and for various reasons. For example, if it is located near heating or heating appliances, if there is a lack of air humidity or an elevated temperature in the room, the furniture can simply stick out, and the veneer on it will peel off or bubble. What are the most popular options for the withdrawal of furniture from the building system are still observed?
- Transportation and relocation. For obvious reasons, scratches, cracks, tears, broken parts, breakage of fittings and other troubles are formed.
- Long term use. Old furniture can dry out, connections are broken, varnish and sheathing are erased, accessories break.
- Various insects. Pests can significantly reduce the life of any furniture, and they do it quite often and with pleasure.
Damaged furniture needs to be repaired as soon as possible, otherwise it will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to do it in the future. Let's take a closer look.

Often furniture is pasted over with veneer made of precious wood. The veneer gives a beautiful appearance, the furniture shrinks and warps less. What is the most common cause of veneer peeling? Of course, this is a high dampness of the room, because the tree does not like moisture. First, cracks and swellings form, then the material can peel off. How to fix it? First, the veneer should be ironed with a hot iron through a paper sheet. If the procedure did not work, then along the fibers with the award, it is necessary to make a small incision, then slightly raise the edge of the veneer and coat the base on both sides of the incision with glue and grind it. If glue has leaked out at the incision points, it must be carefully removed. This can be done with a sharp cycle or a joint knife. What's next? Now we take a pointed wooden stick and bleach the seam with a solution of oxalic acid. After that, you can choose a stain for the type of coating, process the seam several times and cover with a colorless varnish.

If the veneer has moved away on the end of the furniture, along the edge. In this case, the base of the damaged piece is smeared with glue and the peeled veneer is rubbed. What is better to use for lapping? To do this, you can take a block of hardwood and cover it in several layers with a piece of flannel. This is necessary to prevent damage to the lacquer coating.

The veneer has been deposited and the foundations are visible. To eliminate the defect, it is necessary to glue and grind the edges of the damaged area, then putty, tint with stain and varnish several times.

Such defects most often occur at the ends and corners of furniture. How to fix the deficiency? To begin with, the damaged area must be puttied and primed. The grease is prepared from wood flour and mixed with glue (carpentry). But flour can also be replaced with chalk powder, talc or pumice. Sometimes a rosin grease is used, which consists of a mixture of rosin, zinc oxide and wood flour (proportion 6-3-1). In such a composition, it is necessary to add a pigment of a certain color. The grease is used in a heated form. And for sealing cracks, sealing wax matched by color is used.

If a crack appears on the varnish layer. If you determine exactly what varnish the furniture was covered with, the problem can be solved by treating the damaged surface with a solvent.

A surface coated with alcohol varnish or varnish can be polished with ethyl alcohol. The surface with nitro-lacquer can be treated with solvents: No. 646, KR-36 and 647 or acetone. Small scratches on polyester and nitrocellulose varnish can be removed by wiping along the scratch with worn sandpaper and polishing the surface with polishing paste No. 290, after which it must be treated with VAZ-3 automotive tool.

How to fix potholes and chips on chipboard furniture? Such defects can be corrected with putty, which is prepared on the basis of chalk or talc, wood flour, mixed with PVA glue or Supercement. And of course, the mixture must be mixed with a pigment to match the color of the furniture. The solution is applied to the defective surface, after which the material must dry (approximately 2-3 days). After the place must be sanded. If the furniture was varnished, then after filling it must be treated with a colorless varnish. Potholes and chips can also be treated with a liquid putty with a hardener and pigment to match the color of the furniture. The solution mixes well and is applied to the damaged area. On top of the putty, you can put glossy paper or tracing paper and press down with an iron. After the solution has hardened, the surface should not be sanded, you can simply remove the tracing paper.

If you suddenly find rounded, small holes (about 2-3 mm) on the outer surface of the furniture, inspect it from the inside, you most likely have got grinder beetles. These are small insects that are very fond of wooden products. By the way, some of them make a characteristic "ticking" sound, similar to the rhythm of the clock. Furniture that is "processed" by such insects is destroyed and can turn into dust. In this case, the product cannot be repaired. But with minor damage, there are several ways to solve the problem. First, just buy a new part and replace it with the old one. Second, take a syringe, fill it with vaseline oil, inject it into the hole and cover the surface with window putty, paraffin or wax. After a couple of weeks, the procedure must be repeated.

First of all, you need to know: split and damaged furniture is repaired immediately after a flaw is discovered. Otherwise, the pins and spikes can be deformed at the joints and it will be much harder to repair the furniture. So do not debug for later, especially since fixing flaws is not difficult. If you notice that some pieces of furniture are not tightly interconnected, then you can start repairing.For this place of future gluing, it is necessary to clean it from the old glue. You can do this with sandpaper. After that, they must be lubricated with casein, carpentry or PVA glue, squeezed tightly with a clamp, tied with twine and pulled as tightly as possible with wooden wedges. It would be nice to put some weight on the parts to be glued, so they will grab better. If, after cleaning the spikes, gaps appear at the joints, thin wooden wedges must be driven into them, previously lubricated with glue. Small gaps can be eliminated with a cloth impregnated with glue or putty.

In a stool with a metal cast frame, the thread breaks in the socket where the leg is screwed in. We fix it as follows: we take a nut with an identical thread and grind off the end, leaving two protrusions. In a hole with a deformed thread, we make two cuts for the nut protrusions using a needle file, and in the seat you need to choose a recess for it. Next, we moisten the nut and screw the leg.

Loose chairs with struts in the structure connecting the frame are also repairable. For this, holes are drilled: in the legs of small depth, and in the struts - through. Then it is necessary to screw in the screws until the legs and struts are tightened.

Chipboard furniture sometimes pleases with fallen off doors. This is due to poor fastening of the screws on the walls. In this case, it is necessary to carefully drill holes for the screw (diameter 8 mm), drive a wooden cork into it (previously coated with glue) and screw the screw into it.

By the way, while drilling a polished plate, it is better to wrap the drill with a felt washer. This will protect the surface from damage, even if the drill goes through.