How To Apply A Furniture Transfer

2 Materials
$25
1 Hour
Easy

Check out how to apply a furniture transfer! These things are super cool and I am officially obsessed!! If you haven't tried one of these things yet, you need to NOW!!!

Watch it here ---> https://youtu.be/_yOSj12bm6s

Hey friends! In this post I’m going to show you how to apply a furniture transfer. I am using an IOD transfer that I believe is now discontinued (I have had it in my shop for years) although you can still find many great new designs.


I buy mine at Southbank Gift Company out of Jefferson City, MO or you can find other brands of similar products on my Amazon shop.


These are really cool super adhesive images that can be placed on a surface. Most of the time they’re used on furniture, but for the purpose of this tutorial I made a large sign out of mine. You can do whatever your creative soul tells you to do.

Paint & Prep


Here is the sign frame I started with. What you’re sticking your transfer onto is important, a lot of people use chalk paint for furniture, and then want to put a transfer on it, which works great, but for the best adhesion put a layer of a water-based topcoat over your paint before your transfer. You don’t want to use wax first, as it doesn’t tend to stick.

Once your piece is painted and ready to go, you’re ready to put your transfer on! This is the one I am using after I unrolled it. You can cut it apart in any way or design that makes you happy and doing this may make it easier to handle.

Peel Backing Off


Once you figured out where you want your transfer to go, gently peel off the backing. Then hover over the area you want to place it on, lay it flat down. If you’re working on a large sheet like I am in this sign, you can slowly roll the backing off.

Push Image Down


Once you have your backing off and your image sticking down, take the tool that’s usually included with the transfer or something like a credit card to push the image from the top layer onto your project.

It has a pressure-based adhesive on it and as you push, air comes between the layers, causing the transfer to stick to your item.


Work around until your image is completely released from the top layer. You can see what is attached and what is not by a color change. In this case, the lighter area is adhered to the sign board.

Peel Top Plastic Off


Once everything is stuck down, peel the plastic off.

Burnish


Next, take the plastic top layer and rub it all over the piece you just stuck down. This is called burnishing it. Which will help blend it into the piece.

Seal


Once you have everything laid down, if you choose to, especially for a piece of furniture, you can seal the transfer with either a water base topcoat or a soft wax. Or you can choose not to seal it if it is something like a sign or a decorative item that does not get a lot of wear.

As a graphic designer and painter, I absolutely love transfers!! I feel like it adds an element of design that would otherwise be flat. Plus, in this case it made a very quick and easy sign.



Suggested materials:
  • Transfers   (https://www.southbank.gift/iron-orchid-designs/decor-transfers/)
  • Transfers   (https://www.amazon.com/shop/originallyworn?listId=2QMPK97YU9F9Q)
Originally Worn
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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