Furniture, like any other utensil, has a certain service life. It deteriorates, becomes obsolete, goes out of fashion, modern models that correspond to the latest trends come to replace. The question arises: what to do with old furniture when it is a pity to throw it away? There is an optimal way out. The old table can be turned into stylish, comfortable, modern shelves for books, souvenirs and pleasant things to the heart.
- What is required for this
- Precautionary measures
- Where to begin
- Determine the project
- Further actions
- How to remove varnish
- Additional decor
- And where can I use such shelves
Old furniture made in the era of the Soviet Union has an important advantage over modern products. It was made of natural solid wood or recycled, pressed wood. The fact remains, the old furniture is strong, reliable, durable.
A tree is too valuable a resource to neglect it. If the house has an old table, you will not need to spend money on the purchase of materials and raw materials. It is enough to purchase accessories, fasteners, stock up on a simple set of tools. A little imagination, and get a stylish shelf, which will be an original addition to the interior.
to contents ↑What is required for this
Take a look at the standard set of tools and useful devices that are useful in work:
- saw, jigsaw - used for cutting, curly cutting of wood;
- a set of screwdrivers - indispensable for tightening;
- fasteners - you can use screws, screws, nuts and other devices, depending on the type of shelves;
- accessories - to fix the shelves you will need steel corners that are attached to the wall with dowels;
- hammer drill, electric drill - necessary for drilling holes in the wall, useful when installing shelves.
This is a basic toolkit. It will be useful to stock up on additional devices:
- pencil to make notches;
- masking tape, which is never superfluous;
- hydraulic level so that you can carefully hang the shelves;
- measuring angle, which will help to do everything clearly in a line.
All of the above can be purchased at any hardware / hardware store.
to contents ↑Precautionary measures
It is recommended to work with goggles. Sawing an array of wood - take care of your fingers. Before attaching the shelves to the wall, it is necessary to determine the wiring diagram so as not to interrupt the power wires during drilling.
Where to begin
First you need to understand the table into its component parts. There can be 3 or more, depending on the type of furniture, the presence of drawers, etc. It is recommended to remove fasteners, including nails, in advance, since they will become a real problem when sawing the array.
Disassemble the table, see how many components are in stock. This is the material that will go into the manufacture of future shelves.If you want to save money and use the existing array to the maximum, take small parts of the table as a basis. It can be side walls. The countertop is always larger, wider, longer, so if desired, it can be divided into several shelves.
to contents ↑Determine the project
Decide on the type of shelves you want to get as a result. They can be standard, protruding from the wall, multi-level, composite, folding, etc. Everything is limited only by imagination.
On the Internet you can find a great many ideas for making shelves from old furniture. Here are some striking examples:
- Mobile bedside table. For manufacturing it is enough to connect 4 sheets of wood together in the shape of a rectangle, make a side wall, install ordinary swivel casters from below. The curbstone is convenient in use and looks original in an interior.
- Bookcase for flowers. Using the legs of the table as the basis, you can fix several sheets of the array to get a multi-level shelf for indoor plants. The solution is ideal for an interior in Provence style.
- A small chest for storing children's toys. Its main advantage is its compact size. From the usual dining table you can make several of these drawers, additional wall shelves for toys and photographs.
- Original locker for the bathroom. It can be hung over the sink and adapted for storing personal care products and cosmetics. A small table will be enough to make such a cabinet.
The ideal material for the manufacture of various shelves and stands are drawers. Place them upright and see that they resemble small bedside tables or shelves in shape that can be adapted to store books, glossy magazines, cookbooks or souvenirs brought from travel.
to contents ↑Further actions
Having decided on the style, type, dimensions and parameters of the shelves, proceed with the layout. Be guided by a common truth: "Measure seven times, cut once." If desired, you can restore incorrectly sawn boards, but they will look ugly, messy.
Using measuring instruments, maintain a right angle of 90 degrees. So you will be completely sure that the shelves will be smooth. Correctly measure each constituent part, if necessary, make an approximate diagram on a sheet of paper, write down the dimensions. Check everything repeatedly, then mark the pencil and start cutting.
The saw must be held firmly, firmly, straight. If the tool crawls, then the saw will go downhill, the saw cut is uneven. The ideal solution is a jigsaw, since a flat metal sole ensures that the tool is held strictly perpendicular to the surface.
to contents ↑How to remove varnish
Often on old tables there are traces of varnish, all kinds of scuffs, scratches and defects that spoil the appearance. You can get rid of them using a chemical solvent. You can purchase it at a hardware store.
Observe precautions, avoid getting solvent on the mucous membrane and on the hands. Wear safety glasses, gloves and a well-ventilated area.
After removing the old layer of varnish, treat the surface of the wood, restoring the noble tone, pattern, shade. A stain or other impregnation is suitable. Such processing will help preserve the structure of the wood, extending the shelf life.
to contents ↑Additional decor
There are a huge number of options for decorative shelves. Careful treatment with stain helps to emphasize the natural structure of the fibers, making the tree more beautiful, expressive.
As an additional design, you can use:
- mirrors - convenient, practical and helps visually expand the room;
- mosaic - quite difficult to manufacture, but helps to achieve an amazing effect;
- carved decorative overlays - they can be cut from ordinary veneer using a stencil.
If you do not like how the heads of self-tapping screws look, then you can close them with plugs or ordinary stickers that resemble a tree in texture.
to contents ↑And where can I use such shelves
This is an important advantage. Homemade shelves are suitable for any room. There are many examples when they were installed in the living room, bedroom, nursery, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the hallway and on the balcony. Shelves from the old table are convenient in that they can be adapted for storage of any utensils, and things will look stylish, tidy, well-groomed.
Wooden shelves create a feeling of comfort in the interior. We have provided many ideas to help you breathe new life into old furniture. Feel free to take notes and implement them.
