Painting on furniture is nothing new. Neither is adding a mural to the furniture. But what if you can’t even paint a stick figure? Consider this beautiful and sometimes whimsical way to breathe new life into old furniture! One of the most interesting and beautiful ways to breathe new life into old furniture is to add a mural design. Counterbalanced by the wood of a piece of furniture, a mural can give a piece real drama and emotion.
Designs can range from very elegant backdrops of distant landscapes to more extravagant designs such as
hot air balloon, sweet cartoon characters or teddy bears. The fun is in deciding what you want to add to your piece.
Instead of throwing out your next piece of furniture, like that plain old dresser or grandma’s tired buffet, consider giving it a new look.
Even very simple furniture, completely devoid of architectural interest, can be turned into an extreme work of art, worthy of its former place in your home once again with this easy finish. But actually it’s the old pieces that I like to do the most.
Pieces that have recessed panels, carved legs, or ornate molding offer the greatest chance for truly amazing results. These pieces create multiple surfaces for multiple murals.
Decorative artists or those who love to paint and have experience can easily create murals on furniture with ease. But what about those of you whose interest doesn’t lie in creating hand-painted designs or have simply been too busy to take a class or develop the skill? The answer is as easy as a trip to your local wallpaper store!
Today’s wallpapers come in the most exquisite styles with what appear to be “hand-painted” designs. Simply cut out the design area to fit the dimensions of the intended area on your furniture and apply!
Mural designs found in magazines, on the internet or in books can also be used by scanning, then printed on high quality paper or transferred and applied to individual panels or repeated on a large solid surface.
Before you begin your project, ask yourself if the piece of furniture would benefit from a first coat of paint. Many times when murals are used on furniture, the surrounding wood is painted one of the more subtle colors found in the mural.
This new paint color allows the piece to not only get a new, more durable finish, but also serves to add color to a room’s décor.
For example, suppose you found a mural of a Tuscan village with soft browns, varying shades of green, and a pale blue sky. You might consider painting the surrounding wood a pale version of sage green to bring out the greens in the mural. Or paint it pale brown and then use a darker brown wash to give it a more aged look.
Of course, the wallpaper design you choose does not necessarily have to be a mural pattern. Consider a damask design or repeating floral pattern. If you love it, then you can certainly use it in the same way. For added excitement, consider painting all of the delicate trim with pure gold craft paint to add even more elegance to the piece.
How to apply wallpaper to furniture
1. Lightly sand the intended area to roughen the surface. Clean the area of any dirt and dust particles.
2. Locate a complete repeat of the mural design on the wallpaper, then cut a section to fit the intended area on the furniture.
3. Spread a thin layer of white glue (such as Elmer’s(TM)) on the back of the wallpaper cutout and place in desired area.
4. Use a window squeegee to smooth out any air bubbles by placing the squeegee blade in the center of the pattern and then smoothing it out towards the edges.
5. Let dry overnight.
6. To make the mural look “antique”, add a few drops of dark brown craft paint to the light translucent wall color and rub onto the wallpaper surface. Wipe off excess in the middle only with a dry towel working from the center to the outer edges. Leaving the edges darker will make the mural stand out and create more depth.
7. Apply varnish on the surface and let it dry for 48 hours.
Other ideas for this treatment would be:
* cabinet doors
* Doors and side panels of bathroom or kitchen cabinets
* Interior Columns
* Inside wall frames with architectural moldings
* Wooden planters (use exterior varnish)
This is a DIY project that anyone can do! So, with this new information, go on a journey to find an old piece of furniture (check your local thrift and salvage stores or even your own attic or basement!) and add a beautiful new decorated item to your home today!
© Victoria Larsen 2009. All rights reserved