How to Make IKEA Furniture Look Vintage

IKEA furniture is stylish and inexpensive, but sometimes, nothing beats a piece of upholstery that looks well-worn and well-loved. Because IKEA furniture tends to look modern and inexpensive, it doesn't always have a vintage feel, so your new furniture may not fit your home's aesthetic. By remodeling your furniture to make it look worn, you can match your IKEA furniture to the style of your home.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Remodeling Glass or Metal Furniture

1. Spray paint your metal furniture. Hold the paint can several inches away from the object's surface and spray it in sweeping layers. Make the first coat any color of your choice and the second a faux-rusty brown. Once you've reached the desired aged look, let your spray paint dry.^[1]
   
   • To make the furniture look even more weathered, sand the furniture's edges down after spray painting it.
   • You can purchase spray paint at most craft or home improvement stores.
   • Gold spray paint in particular can add an older, regal feel to furniture. You can spray paint the entire piece gold or use it to embellish specific parts of the furniture (like the knobs, siding, or crown molding).^[2]
   • To spray specific sections of the furniture gold, cover any areas you don't want to paint with kraft paper and masking tape.
2. Spread marble contact tape over the top of glass or metal coffee tables. To make coffee tables look older and sturdier, add a layer of marble contact tape over the top. Cut out a sheet of contact paper that's the same size as your coffee table top and remove the adhesive backing. Place the contact tape carefully over the tabletop and smooth it out to get rid of any lines or bubbles.^[3]
   
   • Marble contact paper can be purchased online or at many home improvement stores.
3. Add felt handles to make furniture look worn. Remove your furniture's current knobs or handles and replace them with felt for a softer, aged feel. Cut a strip of felt to the size of your handle, using the old handle as an approximate guide. Make two holes on either side of the strip and fasten it onto the furniture with nails or screws.^[4]
   
   • You could also make leather handles as an alternative if you want to use a sturdier material.
4. Make your metal furniture rust. To age your metal furniture quickly, rust it with vinegar, salt, and peroxide. Rust your metal gradually to avoid over-aging your furniture and accidentally damaging its functionality.^[5]
   
   • If you decide that you don't like the look of rusty metal, restore it with a chemical rust remover, acidic solution, or electrolysis. These methods can repair the object but may not return it to its original state, so think carefully before you rust your furniture.

[Edit]Renovating Wooden Furniture

1. Stain your furniture's wood. A stain finish can make your furniture look older and more expensive. Find the right finish for your furniture's wood and either hire a professional or stain it yourself.^[6]
   
2. Swap the furniture's wooden legs for more vintage-looking pieces. IKEA furniture tends to have inexpensive and new-looking legs. Purchase higher quality furniture legs online or from an antique store to make your furniture look more expensive.^[7]
   
   • Metal or stained wood furniture legs tend to look more aged.
   • For an especially vintage touch, swap the legs with legs from antique furniture.
3. Dent the furniture yourself with a hammer. For an older and weathered look, take a hammer and make dents or dings into the surface. To add scratches, drag a sharp object like a screw across the surface of the wood.^[8]
   
   • Try not to overdo self-aging the furniture. A few tasteful dings and scratches will look much better than overly-damaged furniture.
   • If your furniture has a varnish or stain, sand it down first.
4. Install brass corners to the edges of wooden furniture. A wooden coffee table or crate can look distinctly more vintage with brass corners. Purchase a set of 4 brass corners and either glue or screw them into your furniture.^[9]
   
5. Wrap your wooden chair sides in yarn. A little yarn can make wooden IKEA chairs look softer and well-worn. Wrap the yarn tightly along the sides of the chair's back so the yarn stays snug, then knot the edges to secure it in place.^[10]
   
   • Thicker yarn tends to look better and stay in good condition longer.

[Edit]Decorating Fabric Upholstery

1. Rub your fabric upholstery with sandpaper. Unused sandpaper can wear the weave of the fabric and give it an older, more softened feel. Rub fine-grit sandpaper evenly around the fabric to keep the wear looking natural.^[11]
   
   • If you're not sure what specific grit of sandpaper to use, bring your fabric into a craft or home improvement store and ask an employee which sandpaper grit would work best to soften but not damage it.
2. Put a slipcover over IKEA chairs or sofas. A slipcover can make inexpensive-looking furniture look older and sophisticated. Purchase a slipcover accessory through IKEA's website or find a similarly-sized slipcover from another retailer and fit it to your furniture for a simple fix.^[12]
   
   • Purchase an old slipcover in your furniture's size for an instantly vintage look.
3. Age black or white cotton furniture in the sun. Rinse your upholstery fabric with cold water and leave it to dry under direct sunlight for 2-3 days. After several days, white fabric should start yellowing and black fabric should turn grey for an older, faux vintage color.^[13]
   
   • Check your weather forecast ahead of time to make sure you'll leave your furniture out in good weather.
4. Try tea-dying fabric covers. If your furniture cover is small enough to soak, you can dye it to achieve an aged look. Boil a large pot of water and add 4-6 tea bags to the water. Let the tea steep until the water turns reddish-brown, then immerse your fabric cover into the solution for up to 10 minutes.^[14]
   
   • If you would prefer a darker color, you could also dye your fabric with coffee.

[Edit]Tips

• For a shortcut to vintage furniture, you can also buy older IKEA furniture online from previous decades.^[15]

[Edit]Warnings

• Making modifications to your IKEA furniture can void its warranty. Keep this in mind before you adapt your furniture in any way.

[Edit]References

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1. ↑ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ideas/201724_idde01a/
2. ↑ http://www.saradujour.me/2015/12/diy-gold-dipped-glass-bottles-ikea-hack/
3. ↑ http://www.oprah.com/createyourspace/make-cheap-furniture-look-expensive/all
4. ↑ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ideas/201724_idde01a/
5. ↑ https://mountainmodernlife.com/make-metal-rust/
6. ↑ https://www.forrent.com/blog/diy/ikea-hack-how-to-stain-your-furniture-for-a-polished-look/
7. ↑ https://www.thedesiwonderwoman.com/2014/12/project-apartment-tv-console-makeover.html
8. ↑ http://www.oprah.com/createyourspace/make-cheap-furniture-look-expensive/all
9. ↑ http://tiphero.com/cheap-furniture-look-expensive/
10. ↑ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/ideas/201724_idde01a/
11. ↑ https://fashionhance.com/tips-to-make-fabric-look-antique
12. ↑ http://www.mydomaine.com/how-to-make-ikea-look-expensive/slide8
13. ↑ https://fashionhance.com/tips-to-make-fabric-look-antique
14. ↑ https://www.linda-matthews.com/how-to-tea-dye-fabric-lace-and-thread-for-a-vintage-look/
15. ↑ http://homeli.co.uk/how-to-make-your-ikea-furniture-look-vintage/

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