How to: Hand-Rubbed Antique Finish
An antique is an item that is at least 100 years old. Decorating with antique furniture and accessories lends an air of sophistication to any room. You don't need real antiques to get the effect, however. It's easy to create an antique finish on any piece of furniture by using a hand-rubbed technique. You can even hand-rub a picture frame to an antique finish. Hand-rubbing distresses the original finish of a surface, so it takes on the time-worn look of a precious antique.
Instructions
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Look at pictures of real antiques. Note where the finish has been worn down. This will provide inspiration for your project. Antiques have a distressed look that speaks of their age and heritage. Painted antiques often have cracking or flaking paint which boosts their appeal.
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Rub the surface of the object using steel wool or sandpaper. Steel wool will strip off more surface layers of wood or paint while sandpaper is gentler. Use one or a combination of both depending on the type of effect you want. Don't rub using only a circular motion. Use straight up-and-down swipes or whatever you think is necessary to create the effect you want.
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Focus your efforts on areas that would be naturally worn with time, such as corners or the legs of a piece of furniture. Attachments that are touched often, such as knobs on a drawer, should be hand-rubbed to create the impression that it has been handled through many years.
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Dampen a cloth with coffee. You can use coffee as an inexpensive stain. Rub the cloth into areas of the object where you want it to appear darker. You can also use a professional furniture pigment, available at most hardware stores.
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Tips & Warnings
Go slowly. You can always hand-rub the object further to distress it more, but you can't undo anything.
Apply varnish or sealer to the finished product if the object you hand-rubbed is painted. Varnish or sealer will protect the paint job and keep any distressed parts of paint from flaking more. Select a varnish or sealer that is appropriate for the material of your object. For example, different types of woods require different varnishes.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
