DIY kitchen furniture repair

The purchase of kitchen furniture is not cheap. Therefore, it is a shame when, after several years of operation, it loses its attractive appearance, problems arise in the functioning of its individual elements. Throwing away old cabinets, bedside tables, tables and chairs is a pity, and buying new ones is unprofitable. Repair of kitchen furniture can not only extend the life of these items, but also significantly transform them, adding charm and originality.

Do it yourself or order furniture repair at home?

Before proceeding with the restoration of kitchen furniture, you need to evaluate the amount of work and decide whether to do everything yourself or hire specialists.

Many times it is possible to restore kitchen sets made of wood. Such furniture is not subject to significant deformation. Most often, wooden surfaces are covered with scratches, chips and scuffs during operation. The elimination of these flaws with your own hands is available even to a novice master.

It is more difficult with cabinet furniture made of MDF or particleboard with individual parts made of plastic, glass and metal. Alteration of swollen or lost geometry elements of the cabinet or cabinet cabinets can be an overwhelming task, which means that the manufacture of new parts will have to be entrusted to specialists. But with redecorating the facade or countertop, adjusting or installing new hinges on the doors, you can handle it yourself.

Therefore, we have 2 ways:

• Repair furniture yourself. This option is suitable when you need to fix minor defects, you do not need to produce complex parts for replacement, as well as in situations where you want to do without money. This way will not only save, but also realize your creative ideas.
• Contact a company that offers furniture restoration services. Such a solution makes sense when the headset elements that are damaged or lose their appearance cannot be repaired; a complete replacement of individual blocks, such as facades, countertops, is required. In this case, you will have to spend money, but compared to buying new furniture, such a service will cost inexpensively. The cost of replacing facades starts from 2200 rubles. per sq. m., countertops - from 4200 rubles. for m.

During the repair process, it is useful to check and tighten all threaded connections: often furniture assemblers do not pull them well enough, which leads to further loosening and skewing of the structure. And also grease all hinges and hinges in order to eliminate an unpleasant creak and ensure the easy operation of these elements.

Door Repair

A frequent defect in cabinet furniture is the poor operation of cabinet doors and nightstands: they warp, do not want to close, and open spontaneously. The reasons are different: improper adjustment, defect of loops or magnetic latch, distortion of the whole structure, swelling or delamination of the material.

Note: a change in the geometry of the cabinets is often associated with an unsatisfactory state of the back wall. The fiberboard sheet nailed there plays the role of a kind of retainer. If necessary, it is changed, cutting the size of the desired fragment and attaching it with nails or small screws.

If the problem is in the loop, then its replacement is not always required: in most cases, adjustment helps. For this, two screws are provided in the design of the device: one is responsible for the door fitting to the body, the second adjusts its position in the frontal plane, moving it to the right or left.

A torn “with meat” loop can be put in place by using screws of a larger diameter. Another option is to drill holes, put wooden pins in them for carpentry glue, and screw the fastening screws into them already.

If the loop breaks, it is changed. Installation in old sockets is simple: fixing screws are screwed into existing holes. It is more difficult if the hinge is installed in a new place or the door changes. Assembly takes place in the following order:

• 35 mm diameter nests for dish-shaped loops are marked and cut with a mill.
• A loop plate is inserted perpendicularly to the end in the nest located in the door and fixed with a pair of self-tapping screws.
• The second plate is placed in the body, securing with screws through special holes in the tides.
• Screwing in two adjusting screws, they achieve the desired position of the door.

The details of the loop adjustment are shown in the video.

Spontaneous door opening occurs when a magnetic strip malfunctions. In some cases, it helps to clean the magnet and the iron plate attracted by it from contaminants, and to adjust their relative position strictly opposite to each other. If these measures do not help, then the element is changed.

And another video: a little trick that will solve the problem of adjusting the cabinet with worked out hinges without replacing them.

Grinding wooden elements

In many apartments there is wooden furniture, often inherited from grandparents. In terms of workmanship and artistic value, it surpasses the case, but over many years of service, the surface is covered with numerous scratches, chips and stains. The easiest way to redecorate is by grinding.

You will need such tools: a cycle, sandpaper or a grinding machine. The technique of working cycles is not difficult: the scraper is held with two hands and is progressively moved in the direction of the wood fibers. The disadvantages of coarse grinding eliminate fine sandpaper.

The restored surface is treated with a primer. It will protect the tree from moisture and provide good adhesion to the varnish. The varnish will give the furniture a gloss, protect against the appearance of stains of mold or fungus. It is applied similarly to paint, using a brush.

Cosmetic repair of cabinet furniture

Small chips, scuffs or scratches are eliminated by simple manipulations:

• The edges of the chips are trimmed with a chisel, after which the damage is filled with wax. When it hardens, the excess material is removed, the surface is ground and painted over with a suitable felt-tip pen or a special furniture marker. Topcoat will protect the restored area.

If possible, it is better to buy furniture wax of the desired shade, which will help mask any defects on the furniture.

• The repair procedure in the presence of scratches is similar: a layer of wax, grinding, painting, varnishing. When using colored furniture wax, coloring is not required.

• Scuffs are painted over using a soft cloth, on which dye from a felt-tip pen is applied.
• Cracks are filled with PVA glue using a syringe with a thin needle, and then tightened with clamps.

The following video shows how furniture wax crayons can easily mask chips on chipboard furniture.

And this video shows the technology of closing large chips on the surface of a countertop using enamel felt-tip pen, superhard wax and acrylic varnish.

End Edge Replacement

A frequent occurrence is the peeled end edge. Having found an edge matching the color, they prepare the necessary tools for repair: scissors, an iron, a paint knife. For smoothing, you need a roller or cloth.

• Cut blanks with allowances of 1-2 cm long.
• By moving the countertop upside down, apply the edge and smooth it with an iron. Heat will melt the glue.
• The glued blank is pressed to the end and smoothed with a cloth or a piece of felt, directing movements along.
• Excess edges are cleaned with scissors and a carpentry knife.
• Joints at the corners are sanded with fine sandpaper.

Repair of facades

The front parts of kitchen sets most often need updating. There are many options: restoration of the old coating, painting, the use of self-adhesive film, decoupage. If you wish, you can give the furniture a completely new, unique and original look.

Coverage recovery

A mixture of linseed oil and alcohol will help restore the varnish coating with small amounts of damage. She wipes the damaged area, after which polishing is carried out with cloth. The use of a mixture of GOI paste with kerosene will facilitate the process.

In case of large-scale damage, the varnish is washed off with the help of special solvents. The softened composition is removed with a spatula, after which the surface is dried, sanded and varnished again.

Self-adhesive film repair

The unique appearance of the headset will give a self-adhesive film.

Facade repair using film is simple:

• The surface is prepared: the accessories are removed, the facade is polished, degreased and primed.
• A film fragment is cut with 2 cm allowances on each side.
• The protective layer is removed from the area of ​​10-15 cm, the film is glued from the edge and at the same time is smoothed out with a piece of fabric.
• Then, gradually unwinding the roll, you need to fix the entire fragment on the facade, avoiding, if possible, the appearance of bubbles with air.
• When gluing the ends and rounded sections, it is recommended to slightly heat the film with a hairdryer so that it is more elastic.

• If their formation could not be avoided, the bubbles are punctured with a needle or neatly cut to allow air to escape. It remains to smooth the film.
• Excess material is trimmed neatly.

More details are in the video.

The use of self-adhesive film during repairs often completely transforms kitchen furniture.

Removing old film from furniture

A small peeling of the old self-adhesive film is eliminated with PVA glue. The most difficult thing is to get to every inaccessible place.

But large-scale damage will have to do radically: remove the film layer completely. This is done as follows:

• All accessories are removed. For convenience, it is worth dismantling the facade parts and working with them in comfortable conditions.
• The film is heated with a construction hairdryer, then removed with gloves on.
• The surface is cleaned of glue residue, degreased, and then ready for further decoration: labeling a new film layer or painting.

Furniture painting

It is often easier to paint the front part than to restore the old lacquer coating. At the same time, you can radically change the design of the kitchen.

Competent painting includes the following operations:

• Dismantling a headset: removing accessories, hinges and drawers.
• Surface preparation: cleaning from contamination, grinding, dust removal, degreasing, primer. The latter is performed several times with intervals of 6–8 hours: this will reliably protect the material from external influences and ensure high adhesion of the paint.

If you plan to paint in different colors, part of the surface on which a different shade will be applied is pasted with masking tape. Do the same with items that need to be protected from paint in the repair process.

It is best to paint with aerosol cans or spray guns: it is easier to ensure a uniform color, no stains from the brush or traces of the roller will be visible.

Decoupage

This technique is a kind of application made of various materials. Most often they use drawings cut from napkins or magazines.

It is recommended to peel the paper so that the application protrudes less over the general level of the facade. Further, the algorithm of actions is as follows:

• Preparing the surface: remove the handles and other accessories, clean off the paintwork, grind and close up the defects.
• To achieve the transparency of the varnish layer, mix white acrylic varnish and white paint.
• We paint the background in the direction of the wood fibers.
• The prepared drawing, cut and thinned, is placed symmetrically relative to the facade and covered with a layer of PVA.

• After allowing the glue to dry, we treat the surface with fine sandpaper, after which we apply a transparent varnish composition.
• After polishing the dried varnish, we cover it with a new layer. And so on until you get the desired result.

A detailed master class on decoupage of furniture from chipboard - in the next video.

Another option for decoupage is the formation of ornaments using putty:

• We mix PVA glue and oil putty until the consistency of thick sour cream.
• From thick paper or cardboard we make a stencil of the future drawing.
• We fix the stencil on the facade, then we apply the prepared solution with a spatula.

• After drying, we grind the ornament and cover it with varnish: first transparent, and then matte.

Decoupage is able to transform the most ordinary-looking furniture. There are a lot of options for the materials and technologies used. It all depends on the imagination and artistic taste of the master.

Restoration of worktops made of chipboard or wood

Swollen from moisture sections of the countertop or chips to restore is quite simple. The repair procedure will be as follows:

• We remove the peeled pieces of material.
• Dry and grind the surface thoroughly.
• We mix PVA glue with sawdust so that a thick mass is obtained.
• We fill in the recesses with the mixture, put the load and leave it for 24 hours.
• Apply a protective coating to the surface.

Restoring Burned Countertops

Such damage is not uncommon for the surface of kitchen cabinets and tables. Replacing the countertop is a radical measure, but you can try to do without it, eliminating the damage yourself.

1. We draw a pencil around the boundaries of the defect with an allowance of 2 cm on the undamaged surface.
2. We remove the scorched area of ​​the chipboard. A milling cutter is used for this operation. He sequentially removes the layers of material: first along the planned line to one depth, then with a longer cutter - the next layer. And so - until the complete removal of the defective material. The result is a stepped recess in appearance resembling a diamond and coal quarry in miniature.
3. We make teeth along the contour of the cutout with a milling cutter for better adhesion of the patch material to the base. It will also help make the transition smoother.
4. We fill the notch with putty on wood. Cut off the desired size piece, knead with your hands to a soft state and carefully tamp into the cutout. It is necessary to work quickly, since the putty dries in a matter of minutes.
5. Excess material protruding beyond the plane of the countertop, remove the tool with a flat edge. Some masters use an old plastic card for this. To speed up the process, a milling cutter with special grinding nozzles is used.
6. We polish the smooth surface using GOI paste with a soft coating nozzle. This will give a gloss to the patch.
7. It remains only to paint the restored place, repeating the color and texture of the main part of the countertop.

Making countertops from tiles

What to do if the countertop is swollen or warped from moisture? The easiest option is to replace it with a new one, but there is no guarantee that it will not share the fate of the former. The tile coating is more reliable, and it is not difficult to carry out such a modernization of the kitchen set.

Work order:

• The basis of the new countertop is polystyrene sheets fixed with liquid nails.
• Protective elements are attached to the same composition. Metal skirting boards are best suited for these purposes: angular, connecting the surface of the countertop and the wall, end and thin, serving as the edging of the tile.
• Tile glue is applied to the new base surface of the countertop.

• The tile is laid out. Its height should correspond to thin skirting around the perimeter of the countertop.
• After the glue dries, the joints are grouted. It is recommended to use waterproof compounds based on silicone. This will prevent moisture from entering the structure.

The result is a flat and durable surface that is not afraid of water.

Chair Repair

Damaged coatings on old kitchen chairs are repaired by the above methods. The exception is furniture with soft seats: pulling them without skill is quite problematic, although possible. But there is a simple option: make a cover. In this case, a constriction is not required, and the appearance problem will be solved.

Loose parts are reinforced with wood glue. In exceptional cases, self-tapping screws with mandatory drilling of holes for them are used. Coloring and decoupage turn an old unsightly chair into an original and beautiful piece of furniture.

Do not throw away old furniture that has lost its outer gloss. Having shown a little imagination, you can give her a completely new appearance, adding originality to the interior of your home.