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Do-It-Yourself Distressing Techniques
Before you spend hundreds of dollars on antique furniture, consider applying distressed painting techniques to your existing furniture to create an antique look and feel. However, as much as distressing is not that difficult, it may be wise to practice on a smaller, less important piece of furniture first before you move on to tackle larger items such as dressers, tables, and cabinets.
Materials
Distressing furniture does not require a large investment in tools or materials. You will want to have the following items as well as a well-ventilated area to complete this project.
- Paint: You essentially have two choices when deciding upon paint for your distressed furniture. Either purchase one color to apply over your existing color scheme, or choose to add a new completely new color scheme by purchasing two colors. One color as the base, while the other color adds accents and variety. It is important to note that you should buy the same type paint if you use two colors.
- Sandpaper: You will need a less abrasive sandpaper to create a distressed look. Try using 100-grade paper to avoid taking off too much paint.
- Brushes: You will need paint brushes to apply both the paint and lacquer.
- Lacquer: Adding a layer of lacquer after the paint dries is a smart way to prolong the life of your distressed furniture. Use a water or latex based lacquer if you used latex paints or alkyd lacquer if you used alkyd paints.
- Drop cloth: You will want to place a drop cloth of some sort underneath your furniture to prevent unnecessary messes.
- Safety items: Besides gloves, it is wise to consider using safety goggles to prevent paint or lacquer splashing in your eyes as well as wearing a mask if you are sensitive to paint or lacquer fumes.
Instructions
Now that you have you materials together, it is time to transform your everyday furniture into a work of distressed art. If you already know the style you want, you are ready to begin. However, if you do not have a clear idea, take the time to look at a few pictures of antique furniture to get a strong idea of what you want your finished product to look like
Step 1: Clean your existing furniture including any necessary sanding. After you finish, ensure you have removed all the dust to avoid bumps or imperfections in your final product.
Step 2: Apply the base coat. Paint with the grain and then allow adequate time for it to dry. It will take longer for alkyd paint to dry and it may still be sticky after a few hours.
Step 3: After the base coat is sufficiently dry, use the sandpaper to remove areas of the paint. This will allow the paint color underneath to show through. Start slowly at first to avoid removing too much paint. After you finish, clean the surface of the furniture and allow it to dry for at least 24 hours.
Step 4: If you bought a second color paint, apply it and then let it dry. After it dries, use the sandpaper again to allow the other base colors to appear. Again, avoid excessive sanding to prevent a look that is overly distressed. When finished, allow it to dry for another 24 hours.
Step 5: Finally, after you achieve the look you want, apply a coat of lacquer to help protect your newly distressed furniture.
Additional distressing
After you finish painting your newly distressed furniture, you may still want to distress it a little more. Consider using a fine point black pen to add specks, a hammer to create small nicks, and a nail point to create the appearance of wormholes. However, practice restraint and moderation as one hard swing of a hammer could ruin your entire project.
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