Decoupage Furniture

Decoupage is an easy way to transform any piece of furniture into a unique one of a kind item. Are you tired of looking at that same old coffee table? Has your dresser seen better days! These simple steps will bring those items and many more back to life. Make a statement with your decoupage furniture, just follow the steps below.

The first thing you need to do, is to decide on a piece of furniture for your decoupage project. Do you have any furniture in the house that could use a face lift? If not, garage sales and thrift stores are a great place to purchase inexpensive furniture. Just make sure the item is sturdy. So you have found the ideal piece of furniture to decoupage, now your ready to get started.

The first step is to remove the old finish. Take a piece of sand paper and sand the surface until the shine is gone and the surface is smooth. This will help the adhesive adhere better. Dust the furniture with a soft cloth to remove any particles. Next coat the furniture with a water-based primer (like Kilz). Once the primer has completely dried, add a coat of latex paint in the color of your choice. While the paint is drying, collect your decoupage cutouts.

Your designs or cutouts can be collected from magazines, wallpaper, family photos etc. Wallpaper is available in many design choices and if you like flowers, this is the way to go. Flowers will turn any dresser into a romantic work of art. You can customize a toy box with your child's favorite cartoon characters or make a family heirloom by adding decoupage to a coffee table with family photos. You can even choose a theme to decoupage. Turn a small cabinet into a wine cabinet. Decoupage the cabinet with wine bottles, grapes and Italian sayings. Remember you are the designer and anything goes.

Now that the paint has completely dried, you can plan the arrangement of your decoupage cutouts. Once you have found the look you are pleased with you can begin adding the cutouts to the funiture one at a time. Wallpaper paste makes a great adhesive and a lot of wallpaper comes prepasted. For non pasted cutouts, apply a thin coat of wallpaper adhesive to the back. Place the cutout in your predetermined position on the furniture. Smooth out the paper as you work to remove any air bubbles or wrinkles. A credit card works great for this. Wipe off any adhesive that may have squeezed out the sides. Let the decoupage dry thoroughly, than coat the entire surface with a water-based vanish to ensure durability.

Caring for your furniture

Wipe up spills immediately with a soft cloth. Avoid using furniture polish, the chemicals can cause a buildup that could damage the surface. Your Decoupage furniture should be placed away from direct sunlight to avoid fading the artwork.

Now that you have learned to decoupage furniture, you can create many beautiful decorative pieces to customize your home decor.