Directions for Distressing Furniture With Paint

Paint distressing techniques make new furniture appear aged.

Distressed furniture is a designer favorite, as older pieces give a room a sense of warmth, character and history; however, the recent popularity of the shabby chic design aesthetic has made purchasing authentic, distressed antique furniture somewhat cost prohibitive. Fortunately, your average department store piece or garage sale find can be quickly transformed with a simple paint technique.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden furniture, preferably unfinished
• Sandpaper
• Paint brush
• Latex satin paint, in two contrasting colors if desired
• Distressing tools such as a hammer, screwdriver and heavy chain
• Fine steel wool
• Acrylic stain

Instructions

1. If your furniture piece has paint, varnish or other decorative finished elements, clean the piece then sand completely, removing all traces. If you want the old color to peek through the distressing treatment, skip this step.

2. Lightly sand the piece, then paint the entire furniture piece with a coat of satin paint in your base color, if you are using two colors. Let dry completely.

3. Sand areas that would naturally be distressed through age and wear. Older furniture tends to show the most wear in places such as the top or seat of the piece or its handles and pulls. For an authentic, uniform look, treat areas all over the piece, including its back and bottom, if the bottom will be visible.

4. Use your distressing tools to approximate the scrapes and nicks commonly associated with well-worn furniture. Beat the object with your chain, dent its surface with your hammer and create scratches with your screwdriver. This is not an exact science; simply distress until the piece looks aged.

5. Smear candle wax over areas through which you want to see your base color, if you are using two colors. Again, do not neglect the backs, sides and bottom of your pieces.

6. Apply a topcoat of satin paint and allow the paint to dry completely. Gently scrape up your work with the steel wool. Remove the wax. Seal your work with an acrylic stain.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not attempt to distress furniture made from materials other than actual wood; the technique does not work well with particle board or other wood approximations.

References

• HGTV: Distressing for Success
• HGTV: Quick 'N Easy Distressing
• HGTV: Decorative Paint Technique: Distressing Instructions
• HGTV: Distressing Furniture