Learning how to decoupage furniture makes it easy to create a stylish look for your home without breaking your budget. Decoupage is a simple crafting technique that can perk up a variety of surfaces.
Creative Home Décor Ideas
There are many different ways you can decoupage furniture to create unique home décor ideas. For example:
- Use free decoupage papers you've found online to create one-of-a-kind storage containers to corral clutter throughout your home.
- Decoupage images of your child's favorite cartoon characters onto a table, dresser, and toy box for customized bedroom furniture.
- Perk up a plain bookshelf by decoupaging illustrations from your favorite books onto the sides. (You can use color photocopies if you're not willing to part with the originals!)
- Create a coffee table that doubles as conversation starter by decoupaging a collage of your favorite family photos on the top.
- Use wallpaper remnants to add a pretty pattern to an old dresser.
Finding Furniture to Decoupage
The first step in your decoupage project is to find a suitable piece of furniture to decorate. Here are a few options to consider:
- Take a look around your home. Do you have any furniture that you're simply tired of? Decoupage can be a great way to give an item an entirely new look.
- Look for inexpensive furniture to decoupage at garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops. As long as the item is sturdy and has no structural flaws, paint and decoupage can help it blend into your home décor.
- Check out the clearance furniture selection at discount stores such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target. Many items will be drastically reduced if they are older merchandise or have minor cosmetic damage.
How to Decoupage Furniture
The process for decoupaging furniture is similar to that of creating any other piece of artwork with this crafting technique. If you can cut and paste, you can learn how to decoupage!
- Strip the furniture of its old finish by sanding the piece or taking it to a furniture stripper. This is necessary to make sure the adhesive will adhere correctly.
- Coat the furniture with a water-based primer and allow to dry completely.
- Paint the areas that will be exposed with a latex paint in the color of your choice.
- When the paint is completely dry, play with the arrangement of your decoupage cutouts until you've found an attractive look for the project.
- Add decoupage images as desired using wallpaper paste for your adhesive. Work from top to bottom, applying a thin layer of adhesive to ensure the best results. Smooth out the paper as you work to minimize bubbles and wrinkles.
- Use a small paintbrush to make any needed touch-ups to your work.
- Once the decoupage adhesive is dry, coat the entire surface with a water-based vanish to ensure maximum durability.
Caring for Your Furniture
Decoupage furniture is appropriate for a variety of settings, although the cutout images do make the furniture slightly more fragile than other pieces. Proper care is necessary to ensure that your items last as long as possible.
Decoupaged furniture should be placed away from direct sunlight to avoid fading the artwork on the piece. Wipe up spills immediately with a soft cloth. Avoid using furniture polish on decoupaged items, since the chemicals can cause a buildup that will eventually damage the surface of the piece.
If you've decoupaged a table that will be used on a regular basis, a layer of glass provides additional protection. Measure the table, then have the salesperson at your local home improvement store cut a piece of glass to fit.
Additional Information
For more great ideas on redecorating your home, check out the helpful articles at LoveToKnow Interior Design.
