How to glue a self-adhesive film on furniture, expert advice

In order to hide scratches and defects obtained during the operation of furniture or to update the surfaces of facades and panels, a special film is used. It is durable, has an attractive appearance and a rich color palette. To understand how to glue a self-adhesive film on furniture, it is necessary to consider in detail its features and methods of application.

Material characteristics

A furniture film helps to externally refresh furniture panels that are already bored with time in a short time. With the help of simple manipulations, the procedure can actually be done with your own hands in a few hours. To do this, you only need the material itself and sharp scissors or a construction knife.

Today, the range of these raw materials occupies a leading position among other ways of furniture restoration. Using the material, you can bring any design decisions to life, while not spending a lot of money.

The popularity of self-adhesive application is due to its advantages:

the material is delivered in roll products, so you can easily cut the rectangles and squares of the desired dimensions;
the film helps protect furniture from future scratches, chips, and if they do appear, replacing the material will not be difficult;
self-adhesive film will help maintain the family budget: you won’t have to buy a new headset if you can update old products;
no additional tools required;
well suited for kitchen furniture, protecting it from grease, dirt and other damage;
the material is easy to care for, self-adhesive compounds can be treated with detergents, gels.

The raw material consists of several layers: facial, adhesive, protective. Each of them performs its function. The very first layer - the front one is made of different materials:

polymer film - represented by a self-adhesive type of vinyl, which perfectly reveals the surface. She looks very beautiful on furniture, and her decorative abilities are invaluable. In addition to vinyl, PVC or polyester is used;
foil - used to clad less used furniture items, most suitable for wall cabinets;
paper - paper-based material can be glued to the ends of the shelves, since such a film does not withstand the constant mechanical stresses.

A decorative film can imitate a large number of surfaces: leather, wood, natural stone, ceramics, tile and fabric. Due to this, it has a wide range of applications not only in updating facades, but also in ordinary decor.

Depending on the material of manufacture, the self-adhesive film is divided into:

single-layer roll products - made on the basis of polymers, additives in the form of plasticizers, which give the raw materials strength: all components are mixed together and extruded to form flat rolls;
two-layer models - in this case, two webs are used in the manufacture: the base and the surface, such material is worse in technical characteristics than a single-layer analog.

Any person can glue the furniture on their own, this does not require special skills. Before you begin, select the surface structure of the film, it can be glossy, matte, transparent, mirror and holographic. Each type is used in individual cases, so it is important to determine the purpose of the raw material in advance.

The choice of film according to the type of room

In order for the pasting of furniture with self-adhesive film to be successful, and in the future it will serve for many years, you need not only to purchase high-quality material, but also take into account the type of room in which the surface will be used. Raw materials for the kitchen and bedroom differ in their features, so when choosing, use these tips:

the film for furniture designed in the bedroom or living room should not only have an attractive appearance, but also fit into the interior. If previously the facades of the cabinets and tables had a certain color, it is not necessary to repeat it - you can buy rolled products of a different color, but do not forget about compatibility with upholstered furniture and decoration. In well-lit rooms, a matte film is ideal - its structure will be perfectly visible in sunlight. When choosing a self-adhesive base for a bedroom, pay attention to products that imitate natural materials. Such options will be appropriate for the decoration of the facades of cabinets and chests of drawers;
to make the kitchen set look like new, it can also be glued with vinyl material. For this room, the characteristics of the strength of the raw materials and the ability to withstand mechanical stresses are very important. The gloss will look good here, but remember that the surface requires careful maintenance. Many designers recommend using self-adhesive compositions with photo prints and vivid images. The drawing of citrus fruits will have to be in place for the kitchen room;
You can also update furniture in the bathroom or toilet with the help of this raw material. Due to its properties not to absorb moisture, the glued surface will not only look beautiful, but also have practicality. For the facades of cabinets and cabinets in the bathroom, use options that are consonant with the color scheme of the floor and wall tiles;
to freshen up the nursery, glue material with the image of your favorite cartoon characters. Children are always happy about the new, and such a surprise will delight them. An assortment of films with fairy-tale characters will help the baby make the right choice. Raw materials are used for dressing cabinets, bedside tables and even tables for homework. If the plans do not include a complete replacement of the appearance of the furniture, you can focus on the use of individual drawings for decor.

To update glass cabinets and display cases from the outside, treat the furniture with self-adhesive transparent film. Such material often has a small applied pattern, which will help diversify the facades of glass.

When choosing a material, think carefully about the future design. Some varieties of a holographic or glossy film can have the opposite effect and create a feeling of piling up indoors.

Application technology

Before sticking a self-adhesive film on the furniture, it is necessary to prepare tools for work. These include:

scissors and a sharp knife of stationery or construction type
soft fabric to smooth wrinkles;
a roller to remove air from the material;
solvent;
primer mixture;
sanding paper of medium dispersion.

In the process of pasting furniture with a film, it is initially necessary to prepare the surface of the products by treating them with a special composition. To do this, soil is used, which allows to improve the adhesion of two planes.

Preparation is as follows:

tighten all hinges and fasteners of the furniture product. Also check that all screws are screwed to the end, if this is not done, then small protrusions will be visible on the glued surface, which will significantly affect the aesthetics of the appearance;
Examine furniture for cracks and chips. If any, they must be removed with putty. Gently apply the mixture to the defect areas and fill in the voids. After drying, treat the area with sandpaper - this will give more adhesion to the glued surface;
the next step will be degreasing the plane. Before gluing the film to furniture, moisten the fabric in a solvent and go through all corners and inaccessible areas of the furniture board, which will be subject to processing by the material.

When the surface preparation is completed, we proceed directly to the gluing process itself. To avoid shortcomings - follow the proposed algorithm of actions, which can also be found on the video in the article:

make necessary measurements of furniture to cut the necessary pieces of material;
with the help of scissors cut from the roll exactly as much as is necessary for pasting the surface;
Before gluing the furniture panel, release the material 10 cm from the protective layer so that the adhesive base is exposed;
attach a piece of raw material to the furniture with an adhesive layer and gradually, smoothing the film with a roller, disconnect the remaining material from the protection;
It is necessary to smooth the plane from the edge that is already glued to the area that you are going to stick. Thus, it will be possible to avoid the formation of folds and wrinkles on the glued plane.

There is another method of processing furniture with a film, which is based on the use of a wet solution of water and soap. It is not difficult to stick raw materials here. In this case, the protective layer is completely removed, the material is placed on the floor, face down. The solution is applied to the adhesive layer using a spray gun, after which a film is applied to the surface. Sticking the material with this method is appropriate in the presence of large areas of finish, when it is difficult to achieve a perfectly smooth surface.

Taking measurements

Cut the film

We put it on furniture

Smoothing

Common mistakes

Sometimes, even after finishing the furniture, bubbles, folds and other defects that were made during the work may appear. Correcting defects is not provided with a real action in most cases, so the film must be removed, and the procedure will have to be repeated again. Doing the work yourself can make the following mistakes:

Before sticking the material to the surface, it was not treated with a cloth or brush. An important moment of removing dirt and dust causes a smooth coating, and the presence of small particles from the dirt under it will ruin the appearance;
the cut piece was not enough for pasting the shield. This happens if you do not take a few centimeters into the stock when cutting. Usually 2-3 cm is calculated on it, which can be easily measured on the back of the material where the measuring grid is located;
drawing on the plane does not match. Answering the question: how to glue a film that imitates natural materials, it is worth emphasizing that it is necessary to cut it at the seams - then there will be no problems with the displacement of the pattern;
furniture defects are visible under the cover. The reason for this error is poor-quality preparation of the base or the use of too thin material. If the furniture is old enough, it is better to use rolls with a thickened front layer. Before gluing a self-adhesive film on furniture, all damage must be removed.

To do the job of high-quality and self-glued furniture without flaws, follow the technology of applying the material. It is better to twist all the accessories beforehand, and process the elements of collapsible structures separately. Properly performed work will delight all family members with a beautiful updated look of furniture.