How to update old boards and what can be made of them?

In today's world, it’s fashionable not to throw away items that can be reused, and this is the right approach. In fact, in most cases, old things will find new uses. Even if we are talking about several boards that were lying around in the country and lay in imperfect conditions for several years, having lost their original aesthetic appearance. With a little imagination, you can come up with tons of ways to use them in a way that is beneficial both aesthetically and practically.

In some cases, old boards, of course, could rot completely, but modern quality usually suggests that it took several years from the moment of their release. The owners are wondering how to use the stale material, usually only if there is still no doubt about the possibility of restoring the original appearance of the product, limiting itself to removing the top layer.

In most cases, sanding the slightly damaged surface is sufficient to renew the look of the product and make it worthy again. This technique allows you to eliminate swollen areas, unnecessary relief, spots of any origin. An angle grinder is not always needed for this - in many cases it is enough to walk over the product with sandpaper, due to which it practically does not decrease in size, but it will look like new.

By the same logic, those boards that were previously used and even painted can be reused. - you just need to carefully disassemble the old structure and clean the wood from varnish or paint.

Reuse (or primary - after long-term storage) of boards is relevant for both a skilled craftsman and a beginner, with the only difference that the second, perhaps, should not count on a result that can be boasted. Another thing is that even an inexperienced craftsman is able to build simple wooden furniture for a garage or his own workshop with his own hands.

• The simplest example is a shelving unitwhere you can store tools and leftover building materials. Usually, such furniture is, in principle, nondescript, so that minor design flaws will not bother anyone.

• By the same logic, you can make a worktop for a workshop. - if no one eats at this table, then the ultimate aestheticism is not fundamental for him.

• If the boards initially looked good, or the master was able to return them to their normal appearance, you can go further and make more serious furniture, which, in principle, will not be ashamed of. A common example is a bench for a summer residence, which can be installed both outdoors, under a tree, and somewhere in a gazebo for seating potential guests.

• By the same logic, you can build a country bed. - It can be difficult and expensive to transport a store version from the city, so why not put together the furniture yourself? It should be borne in mind that in the last two cases, the load on the wood will be very significant, which means that you need to carefully choose the material, being sure that it will definitely withstand and last a long time.

• If you go even further, you can find absolutely any use for old boards. - all furnishings made from wood can be realized.For example, a home bar counter will become a very bright and very fashionable solution to the problem of using old material - your apartment will dramatically become a favorite place for guests.

Another very common way to use old lumber is the construction of garden paths in the country. There is most likely no asphalt outside the city, and even more so within the personal area, but this is not at all a reason to sink knee-deep in mud every time you go out for a walk, simply because it has recently rained.

Despite the fact that people will walk on the laid tree, sky-high requirements for the strength of the boards are also not put forward, unless a bridge is made of them. - in all other cases, wooden spans will have a reliable support in the form of soil.

In most cases, it will be wise not just to lay the boards in the right direction, but first pour a drainage layer of rubble or porcelain stoneware, and only then cover it with a wooden layer. Such a solution will allow more efficient drainage of water from the tree, thanks to which it will be able to resist rotting longer. At the same time, the street structure necessarily involves impregnation with compounds that protect both from moisture and from pests.

Today there are many styles of classic and "rustic" direction, which literally need the "old" texture of wooden products.

Actually homemade items are unlikely to fit into the conventional baroque and rococo styles, but there are a lot of ideas on how to apply them in country and loft styles, up to assembling utility room doors from former floorboards.

A wood-clad wall is a popular move in modern interior design, and it can also be expensive if not tricked with all the chipboard and MDF. A skilful owner of stale boards can build such a structure himself, practically without spending money, and the result will be much brighter and more natural than any design tricks. In this case, you can experiment with the location as it comes to mind - for example, by sewing up the entire wall or decorating only part of it with wood. Partial wood sheathing is often done at the head of the bed, acting as a continuation of it, and in the bathhouse, if there is one on the backyard, you can and should trim the whole room with wood!

In some cases, even the floor is laid out from old boards, although here you cannot do with boards alone. - a full-fledged substrate is needed, which often requires pouring a cement screed. Purely theoretically, you can make a small podium that will be assembled on top of the other floor.

Besides, in size, it should be ideally adjusted to the size of the adjacent walls - this is also useful for the absence of backlash. If the podium is made as an independent flooring from only wood, only reliable, still strong and durable boards should be used for its assembly.

From old boards, which have an emphatically antique look, it is quite easy and quick to build a semblance of shelving for various household needs, and from under skillful hands it may not come out at all inconspicuous garage furniture, but a full-fledged open design cabinet, say, for books and flowers.Tinker with it, really you will have to thoroughly - here it is already advisable to use stain and methods of artificial aging, like the same brushing, but the result will fully justify itself and make you proud of your own craft.

The main charm of assembling shelves for the loft style is that there is no need to perfectly fit and lick the finished furniture - on the contrary, the difference in the design direction lies in the fact that the whole furnishings are made, albeit with diligence, but not too skillfully. Roughly speaking, you can not be afraid to make a mistake and do it imperfectly - if the whole room is designed in this style, then a shelf, even a large one, not only does not spoil the overall picture, but also emphasizes the general trend.

Creation of crafts with decorative purposes requires a full-fledged creative approach - here you can give individual advice or throw up ideas, but there can be no question of a comprehensive instruction. But you can build on the number, size and shape of fragments of material that you have.

• One of the typical options for stale wood wall decor is a panel. In fact, it will be a three-dimensional picture, which, in view of its creation from improvised means, most likely, will not have a classic plot, being an abstraction. What the author wanted to say is up to you to decide, folding the individual fragments in a different order and trimming them so that it looks like what you want to see in the final result. For wall decoration in the living room or hallway, such a solution will be very useful, and as a result, it may turn out to be almost the main attraction of the dwelling as a whole. Don't want anything too complicated - just paint the boards in different colors and sheathe the wall with them in any order.

• Another interesting option is the creation of picture frames using the craquelure technique. First you need to get a painting or a reproduction of it and put together a frame from old boards - you don't have to try in pursuit of the ideal shape, because we want to create the impression of incredibly valuable antiques, which are always slightly shabby. After that, the product is painted over with dark acrylic paint in the first layer, and from above it is unevenly (but strictly in one direction) coated with ordinary PVA glue. Next, the glue is dried with a hair dryer until an outer crust forms, but with the preservation of liquid drops under it, after which it is painted again - already with a light facade paint. After re-drying with a hair dryer, the top layer of paint will crack very artistically, making the picture seem much more expensive and more valuable than it actually is.

• You can combine beauty with benefit by making a planter with your own hands - the use of wood in this case will completely complement the "green" concept of home decoration. For this purpose, absolutely any texture of wood is suitable - from perfectly smooth to emphasized rough and untreated, and the only requirement for the material is that it be strong and reliable enough to withstand the weight of the pot and not be afraid of moisture.

Any wood has its own shelf life and service life, and it can be extended only by resorting to special processing of crafts. This is especially true in a situation where you are using material that has already been in use or has been lying idle for a long time, even if under ideal storage conditions.

Dyeing wood in recent decades is not very relevant - those who want bright colors will probably like plastic more, but wood is perfectly natural in its shade. For this reason, water-repellent paint is used relatively rarely and almost always - only in those situations when the product will be installed outdoors, regularly exposed to the negative effects of climatic conditions.In all other situations, it is wiser to cover the tree with a transparent varnish - protecting it from moisture and pests, the light-transmitting layer will help to appreciate the natural comfort of the material. If you want the color of the wood to be a little deeper and darker, the material can be impregnated with wood stain before varnishing.

Since the tree is a potential habitat for various pests, it is worthwhile to separately soak it with antiseptics. - they will drive away various insects and prevent the growth of bacteria. In the production of furniture for the home, especially when it is installed in places with an increased fire hazard, impregnation of the material with fire retardants - special substances that prevent combustion, will also be a very prudent step. Please note that all impregnations are applied to a clean wood surface, and a layer of varnish or paint is applied last, after impregnation.

A simple and quick way to make a table from old boards with your own hands, see the video.