Furniture made from scratch is gaining popularity today.in retro style. The important thing is that it is possible to give an unusual effect to interior items, the fate of which may be decided in favor of purchasing new ones, independently, without spending a lot of money on it.
Antique wooden chairs will fit perfectly intocountry style interior. If you decide to add such functional decor to your living room or bedroom, then you will face the question of whether. For this, you can use one of the existing methods that will be more acceptable for you.
Preparatory work before the aging process begins
The appearance of furniture that still has some stockstrength, but cannot be used for its intended purpose due to the loss of its former gloss, can be improved. If you are going to work with chairs whose surface is covered with polish, you need to get rid of it using a special compound purchased for this purpose in a hardware store. The surface may be covered with paint, which also needs to be removed using sandpaper; you need to work with it until the base becomes smooth. The furniture may also be unpainted, then you need to remove dirt from the surface using fine-grained sandpaper.
Before aging a chair, it is necessary to carefullyclean its surface with sandpaper or a grinding machine. It is important that the base does not have any grease deposits. During the work, it is recommended to use a respirator that will protect the respiratory tract, and the room in which the master works should be well ventilated. You should not proceed with further work after removing the top layer from the furniture until the room has been vacuumed and the surface of the product has been wiped with a damp cloth. Considering that you will have to work with items that have served for several decades, their surface must be degreased by treating it with a soap solution, after which the chairs must be left to dry. Puttying is not required, since a perfectly smooth surface is not needed, because the purpose of the work is aging, which implies slight wear, for this reason, the defects of the wood base should be emphasized, and not masked with a mixture. Return to the table of contents</a>
Recommendations for Aging
To decorate furniture in an antique style,you can use special chalk paints intended for private creative projects. These compositions are produced under the brands Authentico, Annie Sloan, etc. If you decide to use these mixtures, you can choose from a wide range of colors, one or more of which will definitely suit a particular interior. In this case, there is no need to pre-treat the chairs.
Table of varieties of chalk paints.Chalk paint can be replaced with traditional matte paint intended for walls and ceilings. The latter composition is used in residential premises and is water-based. These paints will be easier to buy, as they are sold in any hardware store. If antique furniture is to be decorated using this composition, then the surface should be primed in advance using a water-soluble composition called a primer. A universal primer will prevent the natural oils of the wood from seeping onto the surface of the main paint; if the chair is treated in this way, the finishing composition will lie better on the base. To decorate antique furniture, experts recommend using a paint roller, refusing to use a brush. Before starting work, it is necessary to protect the space around you with polyethylene film, and if possible, it is recommended to paint outdoors. Return to contents</a>
Carrying out the coloring of chairs under the antiquity
Self-made furniture can also beundergo the aging process. In any case, you should start painting the chairs from the back side, which is not so noticeable. This will help you understand how best to work, how much paint to use for one roll of the roller. During this, you will be able to adjust the shade of the composition in time. Then you can gradually move to the front side, applying the mixture in wide strokes, while leaving no drips.
Tools for painting chairs to look antique.Before applying the next coat of paint, if necessary, you need to analyze the surface for any drips, which, if present, can be removed with sandpaper, only then go over this area again with a roller. Between applying layers, the tool should be kept in water, this will prevent it from drying out. You should start applying the next coat after the previous one has dried. The period from the moment of application to the drying time depends on the conditions of the room, this concerns humidity and temperature. The time it will take to dry can be limited to 1-5 hours. Return to contents</a>
Effects of antiquity
How many coats of paint are required?нанести, зависит от стиля, который было решено использовать в работе. Если вы решили предпочесть стандартный вид, который предполагает классический эффект шероховатости, то будет достаточно одного слоя. Тогда удастся добиться того, чтобы сквозь краску проглядывала текстура древесины. Для того чтобы получить эффект состаривания с гладкой поверхностью деревянных элементов стула, первый слой краски нужно обработать мелкозернистой наждачкой. Далее необходимо избавить поверхность от пыли, применив щетку, только после этого можно приступать к нанесению второго слоя краски. 
Для придания стулу эффекта потертости нужно use sandpaper. In order for the chair to acquire the effect of wear and shabby, after applying the paint, you need to use fine sandpaper. The paint should be slightly worn in those places where it usually naturally wears out during use: on the corners and edges of the object. The surface treatment in certain places should be carried out until the desired degree of aging is achieved, the intensity may not be too high, then it is worth reaching the primer layer and stopping, and for intensive aging you should get to the wood. At the next stage, you need to slightly process the entire surface with sandpaper. Return to the table of contents</a>
Paint Effect
After two coats of paint have been applied,lightly apply paint of a different color. This should be done using a dry brush, touching it only in some places. For greater contrast in the effect, it is recommended to use colors of different shades. For example, if the main color of the chairs is blue, then olive-colored paint can also show through on the surface. This technique is called "dry brushing", and this work can be done as follows. The dry brush should be dipped slightly in paint, and then wiped with a dry rag. Now the tool is ready to apply an almost transparent layer of paint to a pre-painted base. This technique can also be used when it is necessary to obtain the effect of old paint that has eaten into the wood. Return to contents</a>
The effect of a contaminated base and multiple layers
Furniture that is used quite frequently,wears out in places where it is usually taken by hand. This effect can be achieved by using dark wax or mastic. The application should be uneven. You can also try another effect, which involves layering paint. In this case, the application should be done with careless strokes, moving the brush in different directions. Sanding between layers is not required. Transparent wax should be applied to the final layer of paint, which is necessary for protection, and after that you need to use dark wax, which will give the effect of aging. Each technology described above can be used separately or combined. It all depends on the desire and imagination of the master. In order to carry out aging work, it is necessary to prepare tools and materials:
- sandpaper;
- respirator;
- primer;
- paint roller;
- brush;
- selected paint for a specific effect.
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Application of protection of the painted surface
To protect the chair from rotting,it is necessary to cover its surface with a layer of wax. All the applied layers must be protected, for which you can use wax, which is represented by mastic made on the basis of wax for wood. If water-based paint was used in the work, then such a composition will perfectly protect it from the effects of water. Wax can be purchased in transparent or dark versions. The composition should be applied using a rag that is not capable of leaving fibers, a traditional foam sponge will do. The composition should be evenly applied to the base that was painted, then rubbed. In order for the composition to be completely absorbed and dry, 15 minutes will be needed. The protective layer can help to correct the resulting color of the paint. This can be done in two steps. For this, the first layer should be transparent wax, which should be applied to the wooden base. After this, dark wax should be applied, which will give the furniture a certain effect, but for this, the composition should be applied only in the right places. If you want to make the previously applied paint darker with your own hands, then the dark wax should be distributed over the entire surface, replacing the transparent composition. It is also recommended to start experiments from the back of the chair. This will help you understand whether the resulting effect is suitable. If the chairs that you decorated as antique are used quite often, they can be additionally protected with a matte acrylic composition intended for wood. Such a coating should be periodically - once every 6 months - renewed. To care for such pieces of furniture, you need to use a damp cloth and special wood care products. Chairs can also be decorated with unusual vintage elements, which are now easy to buy in stores of relevant goods or on exchanges. Such a minor addition will be a worthy completion of the master's creative project. Armchairs, if they have wooden components, for example, armrests or decorative legs, can be decorated using one of the described technologies. The main thing is that this piece of furniture is in harmony with the rest of the interior of the house or apartment.
