How to turn an old Soviet wardrobe into a stylish piece of furniture

Today we find sliding wardrobes in almost every apartment. The convenience and practicality of this type of furniture is beyond doubt, but its weak point is still decor. Panels and mirrors of a large area are a rather boring picture, which you will certainly want to diversify.

How to decorate a wardrobe? Of course, you can order expensive doors from several panel inserts or with photo printing, but you will have to overpay a substantial amount.

We will offer you 5 inexpensive ways to decorate your closet with your own hands. What are their advantages?

— wide field for design solutions;

- saving money;

- convenient technologies that do not require special skills or a lot of time.

How to update an old cabinet?

In any home, the closet occupies a very important place.
It is a pity that over time it loses its original appearance: the appearance of cracks and faded paint make it unattractive, it goes out of fashion and looks out of date. We have to think about his future fate. There are at least two ways out of this situation:

• buying new furniture;
• updating an old closet.

With your own hands you can give your wardrobe a new life, turn it into a unique object, while saving significant money.

How to restore?

Any antique cabinet requires a little restoration, which will significantly improve its appearance.

You can restore the wardrobe yourself if you use the advice of experts:

• A metal brush is used to treat decayed wood, after which the dead tissue is removed.
• The fine dust formed in this case is washed off under running water.
• Sometimes there are holes from nails, some unevenness and cracks in the wooden elements of the cabinet. All this must be cleaned with a spatula. It is necessary to apply several thin layers of putty to match the wood. Each layer must dry before applying the next.
• Then dry all layers in fresh air for 1-2 days. Do not dry wood in the sun.
• Sometimes there are metal parts in furniture that have become covered with rust over time; such places should be treated with a special solution.
• The restored surface can then be painted or decorated at your discretion.
• A self-adhesive film that imitates wood, stone, or metal is perfect.

Method No. 2: Decorating wardrobe doors with corner patterns

If you don't want to cover the entire surface of the door, we recommend using vinyl decals with elegant angular patterns. Here you will get additional benefits:

— corner patterns are smaller, so the sticker will cost less;

— small elements are much easier and faster to apply;

— by decorating the corners, you will allow the mirror to serve you as a mirror.

When applying a small vinyl decal, we recommend removing the backing . Place it on a flat surface with the pattern down, pick up one of the corners and carefully remove it at an acute angle. If any element sticks to the backing, return the area to its place, iron it again with a squeegee and try to remove further. The sticker should remain on the transparent film with the adhesive layer facing up.

When applying the sticker, take the upper corners of the mounting film and stick it, smoothing it from top to bottom along the marking lines. It’s good if you have a second person helping you to support the sticker from below so that it doesn’t stick prematurely.

How to paint?

A cabinet that has gone out of fashion, but is still quite strong and will last for many years, can simply be repainted. In this simple way, a new design of cabinets, chests of drawers and any other old furniture is created. In this case, we are talking not only about giving freshness to dull surfaces, but also about completely replacing the color scheme, which will add originality to the product. Painting is the most common option for updating an old item. Despite its simplicity, it is necessary to approach this process correctly. For a long-lasting result, you must first prepare the furniture walls.

Below is a step-by-step master class.

It will help you to carry out high-quality and competent painting at home:

• it is important to first clean the surfaces of paint residues: one layer will easily remove the sanding disc; special brushes can handle several layers as an attachment;
• all walls, doors and other parts must be sanded manually or using a tool;
• leveling occurs by applying a primer or putty to hide defects that have arisen during many years of use;
• you need to wait until the leveling layer has completely dried, and after that you can start painting;

• To apply a layer of paint on all sides, take a brush, roller or sponge; however, it is faster to use a spray gun or spray gun. With this method, the paint is applied under pressure, so the doors, shelves and walls inside the cabinet are well painted;
• As a rule, several layers of paint are applied. This ensures rich color and good surface preservation. It is better to paint the cabinet with acrylic, alkyd enamel or other high-quality paint;
• the paint must be allowed to dry completely, after which a layer of varnish can be applied. It makes the cabinet look glossy and shiny. If you prefer a matte surface, you can skip varnishing. However, the use of this coating has a protective function, prevents abrasion and gives the tone greater depth. You can use not only glossy, but also matte and silky finishes.

Types of facades according to the type of door opening

Facade is the front part of the cabinet, behind which the interior contents of the furniture are hidden. The main elements are doors and sometimes drawers. The facade determines the appearance of the furniture and helps create a unique interior - it plays not only a functional role, but also a decorative one. There are three types of furniture facades based on the type of door opening.

Swing

Wardrobe with hinged door system
This is a standard door system that opens using a furniture hinge. The advantages of swing doors: access to the entire contents of the cabinet, ease of use, reliability, noiselessness, relatively low cost. For doors to open, there must be at least 50 cm of free space in front of the furniture. This is not very convenient for a cramped room. Constant adjustment of the hinges will also be required to eliminate sagging of the sashes.

Sliding (compartment)

Wardrobe with a sliding facade
The door leaves are moved along the front plane using rollers that move along the upper or lower guide rail. Such cabinets do not require free space in front of the facade, which is important for cramped spaces.

A sliding door system will cost more than a swing door system

Disadvantages of sliding wardrobes: restricting access to the internal contents of the cabinet to 50%, reducing the depth of the internal space due to the profiles of the sliding system. Almost all sliding systems make noise, even when special bearings are installed on the rollers.

Folding

Sliding wardrobe with a folding facade
The facade consists of several door leaves, which, when opened and closed, fold like an accordion or book. The movement is carried out using rollers that move along a guide rail fixed to the top of the body. Folding doors provide access to the entire contents of the wardrobe and do not require free space in front of the facade.

However, they have a significant drawback - unreliability. Since the main load falls on the upper profile, and the door mechanism includes a large number of connecting parts, the system quickly fails.

Decor

If you decide to keep and decorate an old cabinet with your own hands, you can decorate it in different ways. There are many techniques that are used for decoration.

Decorative plaster

This is a rather complex decoration option. First, a product covered with old paint must be treated with sandpaper. Using a stencil, it is necessary to apply decorative plaster to the volumetric elements on the cabinet facades. The stencil itself must be removed before the plaster dries. Then the uneven parts are smoothed using a spatula. Finished decorative elements are varnished or painted; gilding or antique patina is possible.

Photo printing

A sliding wardrobe or just an old wardrobe can be greatly updated with photographs or photo wallpaper. Any photographs are enlarged using large format printing in a printing house. The surface is decorated with a panel or a collage of photographs, most often these are sliding wardrobes with smooth doors. However, the service of such printing is expensive, so a budget option is often used - photo wallpaper, which is sold in any repair store. Choose a wide variety of themes - nature, beautiful cities, animals and much more. If you use starch-based glue, you can later change the boring pattern.

Stained glass film

You can decorate an outdated piece of furniture yourself without having any special skills. It’s very easy to stick stained glass film, which is fashionable this season, onto the glass cabinet door. This will add presentability to old furniture. In addition to its decorative function, the film protects the glass from impact and scratches. Removing the film is very simple, and this decorative technique looks very impressive, because the imitation is as close as possible to real stained glass.

What is decoupage

Decoupage is an ancient technique for decorating various surfaces. It is used not only for kitchen cabinets. Decoupage patterns can also be found on chairs, beds, boxes, notepads and much more. Also, in addition to wooden surfaces, any other surface (glass or leather), except metal, can be used.

Decoupage is used for any furniture and other items.

Decoupage is a technique for giving old furniture a new breath, prolonging its life and prolonging its use. This is done using the simplest method. Various designs are applied to the surface, which are cut out from available materials. This could be paper, fabric, napkins and even wallpaper that was left over from the renovation.

You can decorate furniture with any available materials.

The definition of “decoupage” is originally French. Translated, this means “cut out of paper.” Actually, this is the whole peculiarity of this technique. It is possible even for people who have never restored anything, since it does not require the use of special materials or the presence of certain knowledge.

The concept of decoupage is of French origin.

Important! The decoupage technique is applicable to absolutely all products.

Useful tips

It’s a pity if you have to throw away old but high-quality furniture, especially wooden ones. But such products can be updated and used for more than one year. To choose the right decoration method, it is important to take into account the material and degree of wear of the old cabinet.

Natural wood

Previously, wooden furniture was made of very high quality. Before updating, remove dust with a dry cloth. Then check the fasteners and if they are broken, they need to be repaired or replaced. It would be nice to treat the inside of the cabinet with an antibacterial agent; a more budget-friendly option is simple vinegar. It will destroy the unpleasant odor.

Then the choice of decoration method is made.

• Toning. First, all surfaces are leveled using wood putty, matched to the color of the cabinet. After the layer has dried, uneven areas are sanded with sandpaper. Treated and even surfaces are treated with a special structuring tinting for wood. Choose a decorative tinting color darker than the original shade of the cabinet. This treatment will completely transform the appearance of the product.

• Aging. Furniture made from natural wood can be “aged”. The antique-worn effect of the cabinet surface is achieved as follows: light wood tone is painted in any dark shade depending on the color palette of the room. Then, after the paint has completely dried, you need to rub several fragments with a candle, after which light paint is applied, for example, beige, white, cream. When the second painted layer is rubbed with sandpaper, abrasions will be visible through some light areas. which are darker. When decorating a dark cabinet, make craquelures. To do this, apply craquelure varnish to the surface. After it dries, small cracks form, which are highlighted using dry pigment or oil paint of the desired shade.

How to decorate a closet with your own hands?

Every Russian family has, or once had, an old Soviet wardrobe. Someone said goodbye to this a long time ago, throwing it in the trash. Did you know that this work of art of Soviet thought can be given a second life? If this article had fallen into your hands earlier, your old closet would have shone with new colors. And for those who still have a “Soviet centenarian” left somewhere in their dacha, there is an opportunity to create original cabinet decor with your own hands and complement the interior of the apartment with a truly designer attribute.

Any furniture gets old over time, but don’t rush to throw away a shabby cabinet - you can not only bring it back to life, but even make it better and more original

Cabinet restoration methods

At the moment, there are many suitable acrylic paints, adhesives and impregnations available, thanks to which you can decorate a cabinet with your own hands without any problems.

Beautiful country style wardrobe with lightly worn elements

There are several ways:

1. Painting the front and side walls of the cabinet in different colors.
2. Decoupage of facades followed by application of varnish.
3. Pasting with paper or vinyl wallpaper (photo wallpaper).
4. Matting glass cabinet surfaces. And when using patterned stencils, you can make unique patterns on glass.
5. Do-it-yourself patination of the frames of the facades, as well as the internal open and side surfaces of the cabinet.
6. Artificial aging of wood.
7. The application was applied to glass facades.
8. The use of decorative plaster or polyurethane foam to make patterns on cabinet facades.

For your information. Initially, patination (patina) was an independent process. A layer of patina formed on the metal parts of the furniture, as well as on wood and glass.

Painting is the simplest solution that gives a lot of visual options

Wallpapering the back wall and drawers of the cabinet

Decorating a closet with textile wallpaper

An alternative to wallpaper - self-adhesive film

The choice of method for restoring an old cabinet with your own hands depends on the personal preferences of the residents, as well as the interior style of the room where it is planned to be located. The material from which the cabinet is made is also of great importance. You will not be able to age chipboard facades.

Upgrade techniques

There are several simple techniques that allow you to update an old cabinet with your own hands:

• Covering with colored film.
• Photo printing
• Pasting with photo wallpapers
• Stained glass film
• Vinyl and paper wallpapering
• Decor with fabric
• Painting
• Artificial aging
• Decoupage
• painting
• Mirror doors
• Replacement of accessories
• Decorative elements.

Pasting with colored film or stickers

To make the old cabinet harmonize with the updated interior of the room, you can add various details. An unusual geometric design created using self-adhesive film will breathe new life into old-fashioned furniture. There are two types of self-adhesive film:

1. standard (matte or glossy surface with a variety of patterns and colors);
2. furniture for the facade, with a touch of wood or metal

Self-adhesive film will breathe new life into an old Soviet cabinet

Step-by-step instructions for covering a cabinet with self-adhesive film

1. Preparing the facade: it is necessary to clean it from dirt and degrease it with chemicals. The film will adhere much better to a de-greased surface.
2. Treat the surface with a primer.
3. If you need to level the surface, you can “walk” over it with plaster.
4. Measure the required piece of film from the wrong side, remembering to take into account the allowances. As a rule, there are special markings on the reverse side.
5. Remove the protective layer from the inside by 2-4 centimeters.
6. Adhesive to the cabinet.
7. Use a rag or spatula to smooth the surface.
8. Make sure no bubbles form.
9. To avoid bubbles, attach the sticker carefully, straightening the film.

Tip: If the bubbles that appear do not smooth out, pierce them with a needle.

Enjoy the result of the work done!!!

Photo printing and photo wallpaper

This method is ideal for updating a kitchen set. Repair stores always have a large selection of photo wallpapers of various quality and sizes. Thanks to the variety of images, you will definitely be able to find your own option for every taste. If you still haven’t been able to find an option that suits you, then you can make photo wallpaper with any image to order. Complete exclusivity will not leave anyone indifferent. Almost any printing center will be able to make your dream come true: make wallpaper from your photo, enlarge the image without losing the quality of the picture; make a collage of several photos or pictures; apply an image to a film for gluing to a specific type of surface.

Original design for updating an old Soviet wardrobe

Before sticking photo wallpaper, you need to clean the doors and facade of the old coating using a spatula. Level the surface using sanding and priming. Paste the wallpaper. To secure the result, coat with clear or tinted varnish.

Tired of your old closet but don't have the money for a new one? 5 ways to freshen up his appearance!

Vinyl and paper wallpapering

The renovation is over, but the wallpaper remains? Don't rush to throw them in the trash! Wallpaper glued to the facade of a Soviet cabinet will give it new life! A built-in wardrobe decorated with wallpaper will visually merge with the wall. Moreover, simple paper wallpaper is very easy to glue. Their advantages include low price; a light weight; The disadvantages are low strength compared to non-woven and vinyl wallpaper. Do you have any floral wallpaper left? With their help, a bulky Soviet wardrobe will be transformed into a wardrobe in the now fashionable Provence style.

Wallpaper is the most budget option for updating old furniture with your own hands. No special skills are needed here. With the help of wallpaper you can turn an outdated product into a modern art object.

The most budget-friendly upgrade option is wallpaper.

Antique restoration

This method is more labor-intensive than the one described above. To decorate an old antique cabinet, only natural wooden materials are suitable. There is no need to completely disassemble the cabinet. But you will have to move it outside.

Attention. The aging process of wood is accompanied by a large amount of waste wood shavings and dust.

Rust must be removed from metal parts. Large wood defects are covered with putty

Panels and frames are cleaned of old varnish and paint. Then they need to be carefully sanded. In the process you will need to use:

• sandpaper of different grain sizes or a sanding machine;
• metal brushes with thin wire, synthetic or abrasive-polymer brush, as well as a sisal finishing brush;
• tourist gas can with burner;
• stains, impregnations or natural oils for wood.

An aged wood surface can be obtained using the brushing technique.

You can learn more about the wood aging method by watching a video on YouTube.

After sanding, the resulting wood is treated with colored stain, waited until it dries completely, and then varnished.

Using this method, furniture becomes age-old. This method is perfect for decorating the surfaces of cabinets with your own hands in Country style.

This wardrobe will fit perfectly into the rustic interior of a living room or bedroom.

Possible problems when gluing the cabinet

How to fix problems when gluing a cabinet:

1. Not everyone knows how to disguise a damaged wardrobe mirror. During such procedures, visible swelling defects appear on the front side of the film. If they are noticed at the stage of the main work, you need to peel off the base of the film and re-attach it. If the material has adhered well to the base surface, make a cross-shaped cut in defective areas with a sharp knife or pierce the fabric with a needle. After releasing the air, the coating is rolled with a roller. The capabilities of the film make it possible to obtain a smooth surface after such exposure.
2. If, after carrying out work, dents appear on the furniture facade, PVA glue is poured into the defective areas of the surface using a syringe through the film. This material is rolled up with a roller. As a result of this effect, the coating is leveled, and the glue fills the void and creates a solid base; the remaining solution is wiped off with a soft cloth.
3. For a novice user, gluing the canvas onto glass surfaces or milled cabinet edges may seem difficult. In the places where the curves are made, cuts are made and the remaining material is removed.

If you need to remove self-adhesive film from the surface of furniture, watch the following video, which describes the entire process:

Restoration in Art Deco style

Art Deco gained its greatest popularity at the end of the twentieth century. The characteristic features of this design are luxury, shine, and high cost of finishing materials. The colors of the interior and furniture are predominantly white, black, and gold. Accenting with purple, red, green and brown colors is allowed. Black and white portraits of famous people of the past would be appropriate here. This style is inherent in the gangster layers.

Stylish dark purple wardrobe with golden elements

In DIY furniture design, this direction can be expressed in different ways. Regarding cabinets and chests of drawers, these can be either plain facades and panels painted with acrylic paint in one or two colors, or decorated furniture using decoupage.

Decoupage napkins or film are a universal and practical way to give the interior and furniture a creative look. Its shapes, patterns, colors, prints are widely represented in paint stores. In Art Deco, these could be the same faces of the bandits of the past, or, as has become very fashionable, the figure of the unforgettable Marilyn Monroe.

First, the entire cabinet is painted in primary colors. To make the borders clear, use masking tape.

Then the panels are decorated using decoupage technique

The final stage is applying a protective layer of varnish

It would be interesting to use a special varnish that has crackle properties when covering decoupaged furniture facades.

Preparation

Preparing a cabinet for decoupage is the most labor-intensive process, accompanied by dust.

Moving from the center of the napkin, use a brush to carefully straighten the paper, pressing lightly, avoiding soaking and wrinkling.

To work you will need

• Abrasive meshes: significant surface irregularities are processed with coarse-grain, then medium-grain, fine-grained and polished for finishing.
• Grater for attaching the mesh.
• Dry rag, sponge or brush.
• Wood putty.
• A rubber spatula is soft and will seal all the holes and cracks.
• Roller.
• Primer – acrylic can be used for all types of finishes.
• Respirator.
• Acrylic paint.
• Roller.
• Narrow brush.

Periodically it is necessary to moisten the pattern with diluted PVA glue.

Beginning of work

Do-it-yourself cabinet decoupage should begin with a thorough inspection of it. Be sure to pay attention to defects; they will need to be worked on separately and removed from the surface. The most convenient way would be to disassemble it, remove the doors and install updated fasteners. The inside of the cabinet is also inspected and processed. For fun, you can take photos before and after work, which you can later show to your friends and family.

Before decorating the cabinet, you need to sand off the old paintwork. This will help avoid detachment and unevenness in the future. A master class from famous carpenters advises covering the entire wooden surface with varnish so that subsequent shades of paint do not change their color as they are absorbed into the wood.

How to cover furniture with self-adhesive film

One of the advantages of this material is the ability to work with it yourself. There is no need to look for specialists and pay for the service. You can easily cope with this task yourself.

You can successfully use self-adhesive film to protect tables, window sills in any room, countertops and furniture in the kitchen.

The most important stage in facade processing is preliminary surface preparation.

It needs to be inspected for defects, dirt, loose layers of paint or varnish, protruding pieces of glue, etc. must be removed. Use sandpaper.

It is necessary to clean the base from dust, dirt and uneven surfaces.

Rough and porous surfaces must be primed before gluing the film.

Ideally, the surface should be wooden and varnished.

After cleaning the surface from contaminants, it must be degreased. Thanks to this procedure, you can avoid the appearance of wrinkles during pasting.

Any detergent or alkaline solution is used as a means to degrease the surface.

After preparing the surface, we proceed to cutting the material. Sheets need to be cut with a margin. This makes them easier to stick to the surface. If you need to take into account the pattern, then a margin of 2-3 cm is required. Without it, it will not be possible to accurately adjust the drawing. Excess pieces are carefully cut off after pasting the furniture.

To make cutting the material easier, manufacturers print a centimeter scale (grid) on its back side.

Sticking the self-adhesive film is not difficult.

You need to take a piece cut from the roll and separate the paper from its upper part. The paper should not be separated completely, but by 5–7 cm.

Try to pull the paper evenly.

Carefully smooth the film, it should lie well and no defects should be allowed.

To prevent the appearance of air bubbles between the surface of the furniture and the material, you need to smooth it by hand during the gluing process.

Surface decoration

There are many DIY ways to update your cabinets. The most popular, even today, is painting cabinet furniture. The decor of a sliding wardrobe or a standard version simply cannot do without painting, and bright colors will help the old product sparkle with new colors. In order for the paint to last a long time and look beautiful, you need to follow the rules:

• Preferably use acrylic paints;
• sand the surface well;
• eliminate in advance any imperfections that become visible after painting.

Aging furniture

This method of furniture design has been especially popular over the past few years. In this case, to complete the interior idea, you may need to age the cabinet. You can do this yourself, armed with water-based paints, varnish, sandpaper, brushes and acrylic paints. Aging gives furniture a sophisticated look. With a little practice, you can create an intricate pattern on the cabinet.