People are often obsessed with home interior and constantly try to make their places look better. However, this can sometimes be quite pricey, which is enough of a reason to make people give up trying to improve their homes. However, there are other options that don't cost a fortune, they don't cost almost anything in fact, and allow you to make the best of your place. If you have old furniture at home that you don't really know what to do with, think twice before you toss the item and see if you can't put it back to life. Restoring old furniture is a great idea, which allows you to remake part of the interior at home on a budget. It's also the perfect way to see your old furniture livening up again, which will certainly make you feel good. Here are our tips on how to revive old furniture and enjoy it looking all fresh and clean again.

Use Your Imagination

When it comes to old furniture, the first thing most people think first is replacing it. However, this is usually an expensive option, which not everyone can afford. Or even if they can, why not use an item that you already have at home, instead of spend money on a new one? Take a good look at the item you were thinking about replacing and see if you really can't make use of it. Allow your creative thinking to work and try to imagine how you would like the item to look. Think about colour and details and decide how to liven up the piece.

Preparation

So, now that you have an idea how you want the item to look, it's time to start off with the process of restoring it. The first thing you should to is to prepare the surface of the piece, i.e. you should clean it well or hire a company like HandyMan Services London to do that work for you. This is important if you want to make the next steps a lot easier. Working on a clean piece is an essential factor for getting the nice results you want. Cleaning the item depends on the materials it's made of and also how dirty it actually is. Some pieces of furniture might need a bit more than wiping with a sponge.

Cleaning

If the hardware is wooden, use a home-made solution of equal parts water and white vinegar to clean the surface. The solution is gentle enough to clean the item without damaging it. To clean brass, for example, make another solution from baking soda and vinegar. Copper can be easily cleaned with a natural solution of water and lemon or vinegar. The same counts for glass. For ceramic surfaces use a damp cloth to wipe away dirt. Rust might need a bit more effort. Clean rust from metal surfaces by soaking the area in a solution of vinegar and borax. Let it sit for a while and then wipe with a clean cloth.

Removing Paint

The next step is to remove paint from the furniture and thus freshen up the piece. To remove paint, you have two options. One is to use methyl chloride, which is a chemical, as its name implies. The other option is more natural and involves washing soda. Either way, make sure you wear gloves when removing paint from furniture.

Repairing

Next thing you should do is to repair the piece of furniture. Check for holes that have to be filled, or screws and hinges that have to be changed. Fill holes with wood filler and let it dry.

Repainting

When you're done repairing the item, if it was necessary, continue with repainting the furniture. Paint is in the colour or colours you have chosen and let it dry completely. In case the piece is upholstered, you might want to freshen that up as well, using materials that you have at home, such as old sheets or anything else that you think can do the job.