The decorative technique that originated in the early Middle Ages gained popularity in the 17th century in Venice, which was still independent at that time. The word itself is borrowed from the French language. Like any creativity, decoupage of furniture allows you to create an artistic image, and skillful execution of the work will make any unattractive, boring item an integral part of the decoration in the house.
Everyone can do art. To do this, you need to choose a thing for decoupling, come up with a plot, prepare working tools. But, in order to turn the product into a real masterpiece, you should understand the different methods, stylistic focus, decoration features.
Advantages and disadvantages of using decoupage for furniture
Updating old things, as well as decorating new ones, would seem to be a rather difficult task. The master must think through all the smallest details so that the subject in question fits exactly into the existing interior, does not contradict him. However, the whole difficulty lies only in choosing the appropriate image. Therefore, the main advantage of this technique can be called its simplicity, as well as:
to work, you need a minimum set of tools and materials;
type of creativity does not require special skills, is available to everyone;
low costs for decoupage cards, newsprint, fabric;
budget savings; no new furniture required;
independent choice of drawing that meets personal wishes;
there is an opportunity to turn ordinary everyday things into unique, beautiful products.
Among the shortcomings of this work are the following:
glued materials are unstable to mechanical damage;
work can be time consuming;
the surface with the finished image can not be rubbed with hard washcloths, use detergents when cleaning;
quality depends on the selected raw materials.
Decoupage Techniques
A variety of materials used in the creative process allows you to decorate any surface: wood, glass, metal. The use of various techniques provides unlimited possibilities for the manifestation of imagination. Among the existing types of decoupage can be identified:
Direct (classic). The most common type.The work consists in priming and painting the surface, sticking the picture, using decorative techniques, applying the finish coating.
Back. Using this method decorate transparent plastic, glass objects. The process is the same as in the first case, only performed in the reverse order. The image is glued with the front side to the glass, after which standard actions are done.
Volume. They are made independently by gluing on the main picture copies of individual fragments that will become voluminous. 3D images are also used. Recently, the Sospeso Trasparente technique has appeared, which can be called modern. Designed by Italian decorator Monica Allegro. Non-toxic thermoplastic is used as the main material.
Art. Imitation of full-fledged painting. It is divided into three subspecies: smoky, landscape, classic. The bottom line is that the paper applique and background merge together.
Dekopatch (patchwork). The surface of the item is not decorated in part, but in full. For work, different paper is used, which is divided into pieces of different sizes, and after it they cover the entire plane.
In decoupage use special decorative effects that allow you to give the picture a different look:
Attrition. It seems that the item has been used for a long time. To create the effect, wax is applied, which is applied before the picture.
Craquelure. Creation of cracks in the paint layer. For this, special varnishes are used.
Patination. Creation of artificial spots.
Shading. Paint is applied to the surface of the item using a dry brush, which allows you to hide the borders of the image.
Toning. Along with shading, it allows you to emphasize the pattern, by applying multi-colored spots, sparkles.
Potal. Finishing the picture, the plane itself with gold, silver paints, sheets of decorative gold leaf.
Stylistic directions of decoupage
The type and method of designing the item depends on the general interior of the room. The thing used in the work should correspond to the existing design. Therefore, when choosing a material, color, orientation, they first of all pay attention to their combination with the existing decor elements. Among the popular styles of furniture decoration can be identified:
Provence. One of the currents of country. It is characterized by the dominance of a cold white palette, pastel colors, as if faded under the sun. The image is characterized by lavender and lavender color, spicy herbs, grapes on artificially aged surfaces.
Victorian. A mixture of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque. A special role is played by gilding. The main colors are light, soft shades of brown, burgundy, beige, pink. As the images used a large abundance of flowers, natural motifs, wildlife.
Country. The rustic style is characterized by beige, brown, white, blue. It is characterized by the aged surface of objects. The pattern is selected in accordance with the already existing on the upholstery of chairs, a sofa or on a tablecloth, curtain.
Shabby chic. It is characterized by gentle pastel colors. Used restored old furniture in golden hues. Surfaces make them look like antiques, the pattern is blurry with frayed edges.
Simple City. For work, clippings from magazines, newspapers, old photographs are used. The style of a large city.
Military. A distinctive feature is the use of army orientation and military paraphernalia.
Ethno. The most common varieties: Japanese, African, Indian style. At registration cultural traditions of this or that people are considered.
Necessary materials and tools
An important point in the process of furniture decoupage is the preparation of everything necessary for work. The comfort of the master, as well as the final result, will depend on this.For creativity you will need the following tools:
synthetic brushes;
putty knife;
emery paper (coarse, fine-grained);
foam sponges;
disposable plastic plates as a palette;
auxiliary tools.
Materials:
motive;
acrylic primer;
acrylic paints;
acrylic lacquer;
PVA glue, adhesive varnish for decoupage.
Features of decoupage for polished furniture
Most owners of old dull furniture want to transform it. But in order to make a decoupage of a polished product, it will be necessary to prepare its surface, otherwise after a while the whole decor will simply peel off and peel off. Work with such surfaces is as follows:
Coated sandpaper is coated with coarse sandpaper. It is not possible to completely remove the polishing; it is enough to remove all the gloss.
To eliminate defects and smooth the surface, it must be covered with a layer of putty.
Since the polished product is devoid of natural texture, it must be completely primed with acrylic paint.
After completing these steps, you can begin to decouple.
Polished furniture differs from its wooden counterparts in its composition, namely the absence of wood. Under a millimeter layer of varnish, you can see paper or a sheet of chipboard.
Features of decoupage plastic furniture
Plastic furniture in itself is not very beautiful, but with the help of decoupage it can be turned into a work of art. However, the plastic will need to be prepared initially so that the ornament lasts for a long time on the surface of the selected product.
All preparatory measures come down to the usual degreasing of the structure using alcohol-containing liquid. When working with a glossy coating, slippery plastic, it should be roughened. For this, fine-grained sandpaper is used. Then a thin layer of gypsum primer is applied, which will provide better adhesion to other materials.
How to prepare the surface of furniture
It will be enough for beginners to prepare surfaces for decoupage according to the generally accepted scheme. First, sanding, then priming, sanding and re-applying the primer on the MDF. Depending on the expected end result, the number of villi, various elements of wood may be rubbed additionally.
If the particleboard surface has cracks and dents, they should be repaired with putty. Tile, plastic, simply degrease it - wipe it with an alcohol solution. A metal table, stool seats should be treated with a solution of vinegar, soda, citric acid, rid of rust.
Workshops on updating furniture
The decor of wooden, plastic surfaces with your own hands is a great option to bring old furniture back to life. With the help of creative ideas and a minimal set of materials and tools, you can create a chic antique dinette in the style of Provence, update the desk and other useful manipulations. There are many interesting master classes that will fill the house with real antique masterpieces, teach you how to work with napkins, lace, properly restore and process cabinets, sliding wardrobes, shelves with special varnish.
Decoupage dining table with colored wallpaper
First of all, it is necessary to determine the type of equipment and prepare the table for decoration. So that decoupage lasts longer and it is easier to apply, remove paint residues from surfaces, clean with sandpaper, cover with putty. We measure furniture and cut off the number of wallpapers necessary for work.
After the preparatory work is completed, we apply a piece of wallpaper with the image facing up to the surface of the table. Before fixing, the picture must be carefully smoothed, all creases and irregularities should be removed. Mix the glue with water and spread it over the entire area of the paper element.
A dense piece of wallpaper should be well moistened, so glue should be applied densely in several layers. When the material becomes pliable, turn it over and level the folds with a roller. Leave alone for a day to dry. After a radical upgrade, the countertop in the kitchen remains varnished. If the edges are uneven, they should be sanded.
Decorations for a coffee table
You can decorate a coffee table in several techniques. The most popular is decoupage with napkins. Special paper products can be bought with a variety of motives (vintage, theme parties, animals, nature, big cities and more). It can also be newspaper clippings, magazines, maps, photographs. But it should be noted that it is more difficult to work with dense material, it needs to be thinned before fixing. Dressing a coffee table in a napkin technique takes place in several stages:
Determined with the color scheme. For heavily damaged countertops, it is better to use light shades.
We prepare tools and supplies.
We disassemble the table, remove the countertop, unscrew the legs.
We clean all wooden parts from old varnish and paint with sandpaper. If the table is made of plastic, it is enough to degrease it with alcohol.
We process cracks and joints with putty. Leave to dry for several hours.
We carry out priming and painting of surfaces.
We lay out decorative cards or individual pieces of napkins on an oilcloth and carefully smooth them under running water.
Lubricate the tabletop with glue and lay out the pictures.
Restoration of a dresser with napkins
A very popular version of the restoration of an antique chest of drawers in the style of shabby chic. This is a simultaneous decoration and aging. A simple decoupage with napkins can be performed on any painted surface, but it is better if it is white, pink, salad, blue or beige.
Before work, a piece of furniture must be prepared - remove the varnish and paint, since the old polish, impregnation will not allow you to get the expected effect, significantly reduce the life of the decor. The cleaned surface must be primed.
First of all, the old chest of drawers needs to be painted. It can be acrylic or based on colored chalk. Experienced craftsmen recommend using the second option, because, in their opinion, it lies more evenly. You can work with a wide brush or roller.
While the dresser or bedside table dries, we prepare napkins for decoupage. Thin pictures can be replaced with photographs, various printouts on the printer. Now we carry out artificial aging. We wipe the paint randomly with a metal scraper for dishes or sandpaper. Then we glue the pictures with glue and apply to the tree. With a small brush with glue, we drive out the air and strengthen the edges. When all the napkins are glued, it remains to polish the chest of drawers with varnish.
Decoupage kitchen set
You can make a real exclusive of a typical kitchen set with pieces of unnecessary wallpaper. We choose the type of decoupage, determined with the cultivated area. Whether a continuous coating is necessary or whether partial application of elements to the facades can be dispensed with.
We begin work with preparation of surfaces. While the soil dries, we think over the composition, give the wipes the desired size and shape. You can make straight lines or cut off the edges with special scissors. We impregnate the drawings with glue and apply to the decorated surface. Smooth the image with a brush, remove the bubbles. For updating, you can use whole pieces of wallpaper. The final touch is varnishing. Strengthening mortar should go over the entire area of the facades, and not just in the picture.
Decoupage stool
You can decorate a stool in any style. The main thing is that the updated design fits into the overall interior of the room.It can be Provence, vintage, newspaper technology or the use of fabric. Start work with a careful selection of colors. It should not differ from the main background of walls, a headset or other dimensional furniture. Now print the napkins with the selected pattern.
If there are cracks or burrs on the stool, they must be removed and leveled with sandpaper. If the pictures are transparent, the product can be painted. We wet the napkins with water, cover with glue and apply to the surface. If you decide to use wallpaper, then in the liquid they should be held longer, about 1 minute. Using a roller or brush, push air out. Finally, varnish.
You can achieve the most harmonious combination if you decoupage the stool with the wallpaper that covers the walls in the room.
Using decoupage to decorate a bed
Entering a children's, adult bedroom, the bed, namely its headboard, is the first to catch the eye. This part of the berth will be the most successful for applying decor. For decoupage, various inscriptions, flowers, vintage drawings are suitable. Fairy-tale characters, animals, fish, pieces of cloth will decorate the baby's bed. All decor should be selected to match the basic colors of the interior. It should also be understood that all the wooden surfaces of the bed are polished and will have to be removed. You can get the original effect of scuffing, if you listen to the following recommendations when decorating:
On top of the primer in the area of joints, sides, relief drawing, it is necessary to apply a darker paint;
Then these areas are rubbed with paraffin and painted in a light tone;
After the top layer has dried, it is partially removed;
The surface is covered with napkins and varnished.
Cabinet Decoupage Ideas
You can transform a cabinet of any size using a variety of improvised tools. Napkins, color pictures, wallpapers and other paper elements are suitable. A piece of furniture can be given an aged look using the craquelure technique.
Napkins are the most convenient material for decoupage. Thanks to the thinned paper, you can achieve imperceptible transitions on a common surface. It is better to choose sophisticated, romantic images in the style of Provence, vintage. Pastel colors will create an unimaginable atmosphere of comfort and tranquility.
Decoupage wallpaper on a large surface of the cabinet, whatnot is better for beginners. You can completely paste over all the details or use on the ledges of the facades. The only difficulty is the need to clean out obsolete varnish. In addition to paper, you can use fabric elements, beads, sequins and other decor.
Decoupage furniture
A new interesting direction is decoupage of furniture with a cloth. When working, you can use any combination, combine different themes and colors. All kinds of shreds, glue, varnish, sponge and brushes will be required.
Conventional PVA glue is applied to the cleaned furniture, and textile segments are treated with a special adhesive composition. Flaps are applied to the surface, pressed with a sponge. If these are round legs, the material must be wound in a spiral. When all the pieces are glued, they should be sprayed with additional glue through the spray gun. The final touch is clearcoat coating.
Conclusion
Many people perceive furniture elements as permanent and not subject to change. They are rarely purchased, with the expectation of using for a long time. But enough skillful hands and a little imagination are enough to turn ordinary wooden chairs, chests of drawers and wardrobes into a real work of art. Decorative decoupage technique is constantly being improved and updated with new ideas of modern masters. With the help of an interesting hobby, you can quickly and unrecognizably transform the situation.
The decorative technique that originated in the early Middle Ages gained popularity in the 17th century in Venice, which was still independent at that time. The word itself is borrowed from the French language. Like any creativity, decoupage of furniture allows you to create an artistic image, and skillful execution of the work will make any unattractive, boring item an integral part of the decoration in the house.
Everyone can do art. To do this, you need to choose a thing for decoupling, come up with a plot, prepare working tools. But, in order to turn the product into a real masterpiece, you should understand the different methods, stylistic focus, decoration features.
Content
Advantages and disadvantages of using decoupage for furniture
Updating old things, as well as decorating new ones, would seem to be a rather difficult task. The master must think through all the smallest details so that the subject in question fits exactly into the existing interior, does not contradict him. However, the whole difficulty lies only in choosing the appropriate image. Therefore, the main advantage of this technique can be called its simplicity, as well as:
Among the shortcomings of this work are the following:
Decoupage Techniques
A variety of materials used in the creative process allows you to decorate any surface: wood, glass, metal. The use of various techniques provides unlimited possibilities for the manifestation of imagination. Among the existing types of decoupage can be identified:
In decoupage use special decorative effects that allow you to give the picture a different look:
Stylistic directions of decoupage
The type and method of designing the item depends on the general interior of the room. The thing used in the work should correspond to the existing design. Therefore, when choosing a material, color, orientation, they first of all pay attention to their combination with the existing decor elements. Among the popular styles of furniture decoration can be identified:
Necessary materials and tools
An important point in the process of furniture decoupage is the preparation of everything necessary for work. The comfort of the master, as well as the final result, will depend on this.For creativity you will need the following tools:
Materials:
Features of decoupage for polished furniture
Most owners of old dull furniture want to transform it. But in order to make a decoupage of a polished product, it will be necessary to prepare its surface, otherwise after a while the whole decor will simply peel off and peel off. Work with such surfaces is as follows:
Features of decoupage plastic furniture
Plastic furniture in itself is not very beautiful, but with the help of decoupage it can be turned into a work of art. However, the plastic will need to be prepared initially so that the ornament lasts for a long time on the surface of the selected product.
All preparatory measures come down to the usual degreasing of the structure using alcohol-containing liquid. When working with a glossy coating, slippery plastic, it should be roughened. For this, fine-grained sandpaper is used. Then a thin layer of gypsum primer is applied, which will provide better adhesion to other materials.
How to prepare the surface of furniture
It will be enough for beginners to prepare surfaces for decoupage according to the generally accepted scheme. First, sanding, then priming, sanding and re-applying the primer on the MDF. Depending on the expected end result, the number of villi, various elements of wood may be rubbed additionally.
If the particleboard surface has cracks and dents, they should be repaired with putty. Tile, plastic, simply degrease it - wipe it with an alcohol solution. A metal table, stool seats should be treated with a solution of vinegar, soda, citric acid, rid of rust.
Workshops on updating furniture
The decor of wooden, plastic surfaces with your own hands is a great option to bring old furniture back to life. With the help of creative ideas and a minimal set of materials and tools, you can create a chic antique dinette in the style of Provence, update the desk and other useful manipulations. There are many interesting master classes that will fill the house with real antique masterpieces, teach you how to work with napkins, lace, properly restore and process cabinets, sliding wardrobes, shelves with special varnish.
Decoupage dining table with colored wallpaper
First of all, it is necessary to determine the type of equipment and prepare the table for decoration. So that decoupage lasts longer and it is easier to apply, remove paint residues from surfaces, clean with sandpaper, cover with putty. We measure furniture and cut off the number of wallpapers necessary for work.
After the preparatory work is completed, we apply a piece of wallpaper with the image facing up to the surface of the table. Before fixing, the picture must be carefully smoothed, all creases and irregularities should be removed. Mix the glue with water and spread it over the entire area of the paper element.
A dense piece of wallpaper should be well moistened, so glue should be applied densely in several layers. When the material becomes pliable, turn it over and level the folds with a roller. Leave alone for a day to dry. After a radical upgrade, the countertop in the kitchen remains varnished. If the edges are uneven, they should be sanded.
Decorations for a coffee table
You can decorate a coffee table in several techniques. The most popular is decoupage with napkins. Special paper products can be bought with a variety of motives (vintage, theme parties, animals, nature, big cities and more). It can also be newspaper clippings, magazines, maps, photographs. But it should be noted that it is more difficult to work with dense material, it needs to be thinned before fixing. Dressing a coffee table in a napkin technique takes place in several stages:
Restoration of a dresser with napkins
A very popular version of the restoration of an antique chest of drawers in the style of shabby chic. This is a simultaneous decoration and aging. A simple decoupage with napkins can be performed on any painted surface, but it is better if it is white, pink, salad, blue or beige.
Before work, a piece of furniture must be prepared - remove the varnish and paint, since the old polish, impregnation will not allow you to get the expected effect, significantly reduce the life of the decor. The cleaned surface must be primed.
First of all, the old chest of drawers needs to be painted. It can be acrylic or based on colored chalk. Experienced craftsmen recommend using the second option, because, in their opinion, it lies more evenly. You can work with a wide brush or roller.
While the dresser or bedside table dries, we prepare napkins for decoupage. Thin pictures can be replaced with photographs, various printouts on the printer. Now we carry out artificial aging. We wipe the paint randomly with a metal scraper for dishes or sandpaper. Then we glue the pictures with glue and apply to the tree. With a small brush with glue, we drive out the air and strengthen the edges. When all the napkins are glued, it remains to polish the chest of drawers with varnish.
Decoupage kitchen set
You can make a real exclusive of a typical kitchen set with pieces of unnecessary wallpaper. We choose the type of decoupage, determined with the cultivated area. Whether a continuous coating is necessary or whether partial application of elements to the facades can be dispensed with.
We begin work with preparation of surfaces. While the soil dries, we think over the composition, give the wipes the desired size and shape. You can make straight lines or cut off the edges with special scissors. We impregnate the drawings with glue and apply to the decorated surface. Smooth the image with a brush, remove the bubbles. For updating, you can use whole pieces of wallpaper. The final touch is varnishing. Strengthening mortar should go over the entire area of the facades, and not just in the picture.
Decoupage stool
You can decorate a stool in any style. The main thing is that the updated design fits into the overall interior of the room.It can be Provence, vintage, newspaper technology or the use of fabric. Start work with a careful selection of colors. It should not differ from the main background of walls, a headset or other dimensional furniture. Now print the napkins with the selected pattern.
If there are cracks or burrs on the stool, they must be removed and leveled with sandpaper. If the pictures are transparent, the product can be painted. We wet the napkins with water, cover with glue and apply to the surface. If you decide to use wallpaper, then in the liquid they should be held longer, about 1 minute. Using a roller or brush, push air out. Finally, varnish.
Using decoupage to decorate a bed
Entering a children's, adult bedroom, the bed, namely its headboard, is the first to catch the eye. This part of the berth will be the most successful for applying decor. For decoupage, various inscriptions, flowers, vintage drawings are suitable. Fairy-tale characters, animals, fish, pieces of cloth will decorate the baby's bed. All decor should be selected to match the basic colors of the interior. It should also be understood that all the wooden surfaces of the bed are polished and will have to be removed. You can get the original effect of scuffing, if you listen to the following recommendations when decorating:
Cabinet Decoupage Ideas
You can transform a cabinet of any size using a variety of improvised tools. Napkins, color pictures, wallpapers and other paper elements are suitable. A piece of furniture can be given an aged look using the craquelure technique.
Napkins are the most convenient material for decoupage. Thanks to the thinned paper, you can achieve imperceptible transitions on a common surface. It is better to choose sophisticated, romantic images in the style of Provence, vintage. Pastel colors will create an unimaginable atmosphere of comfort and tranquility.
Decoupage wallpaper on a large surface of the cabinet, whatnot is better for beginners. You can completely paste over all the details or use on the ledges of the facades. The only difficulty is the need to clean out obsolete varnish. In addition to paper, you can use fabric elements, beads, sequins and other decor.
Decoupage furniture
A new interesting direction is decoupage of furniture with a cloth. When working, you can use any combination, combine different themes and colors. All kinds of shreds, glue, varnish, sponge and brushes will be required.
Conventional PVA glue is applied to the cleaned furniture, and textile segments are treated with a special adhesive composition. Flaps are applied to the surface, pressed with a sponge. If these are round legs, the material must be wound in a spiral. When all the pieces are glued, they should be sprayed with additional glue through the spray gun. The final touch is clearcoat coating.
Conclusion
Many people perceive furniture elements as permanent and not subject to change. They are rarely purchased, with the expectation of using for a long time. But enough skillful hands and a little imagination are enough to turn ordinary wooden chairs, chests of drawers and wardrobes into a real work of art. Decorative decoupage technique is constantly being improved and updated with new ideas of modern masters. With the help of an interesting hobby, you can quickly and unrecognizably transform the situation.