How to Paint Furniture With a Hand Rubbed Look

Painted furniture with a hand-rubbed look.

Paint can help you create any number of finishes on furniture. Painted furniture with a hand-rubbed look can give an aged and antiqued appearance to furniture. The technique adds an extra layer of color to painted furniture, bringing out a different tone in the paint color and adding visual interest to the piece. Don’t spend hundreds of dollars at high-end furniture stores. The technique is fairly simple and something you can do easily to any piece of furniture you already own or one you find in a flea market.

Things You'll Need

• Trisodium phosphate
• Rag
• Sandpaper
• Paint or stain
• Paste wax
• Petroleum jelly
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Old dish cloth
• Stain

Instructions

1. Clean the furniture well. Dip a rag in trisodium phosphate (TSP). Wipe down the entire surface. TSP will dull the shine on the surface and also remove any residue.

2. Sand the furniture lightly with medium-grit sandpaper. Sanding will allow the paint to sink into the wood. Wipe away any sanding dust with a tack cloth.

3. Paint or stain the furniture with a base color. Choose any color that you would like to peek through and show once the furniture is hand-rubbed. Apply a thin coat of paint or stain and let it dry overnight.

4. Apply paste wax and petroleum jelly to the furniture in select spots. Choose spots where you want to see distressing, like corners, kick plates and around the knobs. Let the paste wax dry for one hour.

5. Paint the entire cabinet in the main paint color. The areas where you have applied wax and petroleum jelly will look slightly raised. Dab the paint on these areas to avoid removing the substance while you paint. Apply two to three thin coats of paint. Allow each coat to dry to the touch, about two hours, before adding the next coat. Let the cabinet dry overnight.

6. Hold an old dish cloth firmly. Apply firm pressure and rub at the spots that you want to distress. Remove the wax and petroleum, revealing the base color under the primary paint color.

7. Stir stain thoroughly. Dip a rag into the stain. Rub a light coat of stain onto the cabinet, focusing on crevices and ridges that allow the stain to sink into the wood. Add more stain to achieve the level of color that you like.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply a coat of sealer if you wish to preserve the furniture at exactly this stage. Leave the furniture free of sealer to allow it to get an even more distressed appearance.

References

• That Painter Lady: How To Create Hand Rubbed Paint Finish
• HGTV: Distressing For Success