How to Distress and Antique Wood Furniture and Metal Objects

Antique furniture has been aged for at least one hundred years in order to earn the title of 'antique'. It is impossible to duplicate the patina of antique furniture, but you can distress and finish wood furniture so that they appear to be aged well beyond their years. Distressing, crackling and other faux finishing techniques work for wood, while special chemicals add an antique patina to metal objects.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2-inch-by-6-inch-by 15-inch Wood Board Nails & Screws Hammer & Screw Driver Chain Crackle Kit Patina Solution Acrylic Craft Paint Clear Spray Acrylic Sealer Lint Free Cloth

1. Distressing Wood
   
   Insert nails and screws with various sized heads into one side of the wood board. Leave enough room at one end so that you can grasp the board. Insert the nails and screws at different depths into the wood so that the marks will vary as you distress the furniture.

2. Hold the board in one hand and strike the furniture gently, but with enough force to gouge and scratch the surface of the wood.

3. Repeat the striking process with a section of chain instead of the wood board. This will nick the wood and create indentations to make it look worn as if it were an antique. This process works on any wood furniture or wooden object. Round off the edges of corners with sandpaper or a hard file.

4. Faux Finishing
   
   Apply a crackle finish to wood furniture or any wooden object that you would like to antique. Crackling is a multi step painting process that results in a cracked painted surface that reveals a contrasting color underneath. You can find crackling kits at your local home improvement and craft supply stores. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to complete any crackling application.

5. Add a patina to metal objects with specially formulated chemicals that create an illusion of aging to stained glass lead, wrought iron wind vanes, copper pipes, tin tiles or any other object made from metal. You can find patina solutions at online retailers or at your local home improvement store. Follow all safety precautions and other manufacturer's instructions for applying the patina chemicals.

6. Create a faux antique finish on any wood or metal object by first applying a coat of light colored acrylic craft paint as a base. Let the base paint dry, then spray on a generous coat of acrylic sealer and let it dry. Apply a coat of dark acrylic paint, burgundy, black or navy, to the sealed surface and immediately wipe off most of the dark color with a lint free cloth. Some of the dark color will remain on the object, giving it the look of an antique. This process works best if you have raised details on the furniture or the object. Finish with another coat of sealer.

Tips & Warnings

• Stain works just as well as dark acrylic paint to create a faux antique finish.
• Paint in a well ventilated area.