How To Distress Furniture - Easy, Step By Step Guide

How To Distress Furniture – Have you ever seen an antique piece of furniture in flea markets that you’re immediately drawn to? A weathered look gives your furniture a shabby chic vibe. The term for the technique that gives furniture the aged look is “distressing.” Let’s take a look at the step-by-step process that goes into distressing furniture.

How To Distress Furniture
What Does It Mean To Distress Furniture
How To Distress Wood Furniture
Here’s How To Distress Wood Furniture
How To Distress Already Painted Furniture
How To Distress Furniture With Chalk Paint

What Does It Mean To Distress Furniture?

Distressing is the process of making a piece of furniture, or any object, look older or aged. It’s also known as a “weathered look”.

Distressing is a refinishing technique. But it is the opposite of the traditional meaning of what finishing is. When learning how to distress furniture, the furniture piece is altered to give it an imperfect finish. This is done with sandpaper or a paint stripper. Distressed furniture has been a popular finish for many furniture variations. It looks great in homes with a rustic vibe ^[1].

How To Distress Wood Furniture

You’ve seen friends buy distressed furniture.

Now you’re considering it for your home.

But instead of buying, why not learn how to distress furniture instead?

There is an old-world charm in distressed furniture. Distressing furniture yourself only requires a few materials.

If you want to learn how to distress wood furniture, here’s what you need:

· Sandpaper
· Paint
· Polyurethane
· Steel wool
· Roller or paint brush
· Candle
· Drop cloths
· Stain
· Tack cloth or rag

Here’s How To Distress Wood Furniture

Prepare

Place a drop cloth on the floor where you work. Remove all the hardware pieces on the furniture before you start to paint.

Start sanding

After you have removed all the hardware, sand the surface of the furniture. Lightly sand furniture that is not yet finished. If your furniture has paint or polyurethane on it, you will need to do a thorough sanding. This is the perfect time to soften the edges. Wipe down the furniture after you have sanded it.

Paint it

To create paint distressed look, use two paint colors. The base color will appear as you distress the top layer. If you want hints of wood to appear through the paint, a single color will work fine. Paint the entire piece of furniture. Add another layer if needed.

Apply wax

If you have a second paint color on your furniture, apply wax only on areas where you want the paint to appear. The second layer of paint will not adhere to these areas so it won’t be hard to remove. Apply the second color of paint all over the furniture.

Distress wood

Once the color has dried, distress the furniture with steel wool and sandpaper. For furniture painted with two colors and waxed, use the steel wool to reveal the base color. The sandpaper will reveal more color. For pieces with a single color paint job, use steel wool and sandpaper to reveal the wood underneath. Wipe the furniture down.

Stain and apply polyurethane

If you want an antiquated look, apply an antiquing glaze on the surface. The final step is to apply a layer of polyurethane to seal the color and protect it from damages. Re-attach any hardware and/or knobs to the furniture. [2]

How To Distress Already Painted Furniture

There are many different ways to distress furniture. The good news: learning how to distress furniture with paint is easy.

Prepare your materials. You will need:

A paint brush
Furniture polish
Lint-free cloth
Scrub brush
Yellow detailer sponge
Sandpaper
Painter’s tape
Primer
A shop vac or vacuum

Sand the furniture

Clean the painted furniture first. Then sand it, light or heavy, depending on the type of furniture. Vacuum all the dust and debris. If you need to repair the furniture, do it now. Tape off any areas you don’t want to be painted.

Consider the hardware

Replace any hardware or knobs on drawer fronts, if needed.

Scrub hard

Clean your furniture if it has dust, dirt, and grime on it. Boil and scrub any hardware.

Apply primer

If you’re using white paint on your distressed furniture project, apply primer to prevent bleeding. The primer will also protect the furniture.

Distress the furniture

Distressing the furniture with a sanding block or sandpaper. A 320-grit sandpaper can do the trick. After you distress the furniture apply glaze on the surface. This gives your piece the worn-out, antiquated wood furniture look.

Apply Furniture polish to drawers

Apply furniture polish on the tracks so that they glide smoothly. Make sure the drawers don’t stick ^[4].

How To Distress Furniture With Chalk Paint

Chalk Paint is like a magical paint. You can use it on almost any kind of material.

But what if you want to distress your chalk painted furniture? You definitely can!

Here’s how to distress furniture with chalk paint. Prepare your supplies

Chalk paint
Paintbrush
Clear, soft wax
A wax paintbrush
Free rags
Sandpaper
A hand sander or sanding block
Oil soap
Painter’s tape
A vacuum
Wooden paint stirrers

Set up your workspace

There should be enough ventilation, so you don’t inhale any toxic fumes.

Clean your furniture

Remove any dirt, debris, and anything that can leave bumps on the surface. Remove any hardware, drawers, and shelves. Sand any uneven surfaces on your furniture. When you sand chalk paint you don’t have to sand the entire piece of furniture. Sand your furniture to even out the surface. Clean the furniture with warm, soapy water.

Choose your distress technique

There are different distress styles you can use on your chalk paint furniture. Try sanding with a disc sander or sandpaper disc drill attachment. This creates circular grooves on the surface of your furniture.

Apply chalk paint

If you have chosen your chalk paint color, paint your furniture section by section. When the first coat dries and you see the base coat or wood, this is normal. You can stop here if you are aiming for an aged look. If you want more coverage, apply a second coat of paint. Be sure to use a dry brush. Apply the second coat once the first coat has dried.

Distress your furniture

Choose areas on your furniture where you want to see a bit of wear and tear. Distress your furniture before applying wax. This seems to work better when you distress furniture with chalk paint. Sand the furniture with your sandpaper, the rougher the better. Distress lightly and work your way up.

Apply soft wax

Seal the color with soft wax. The soft wax will harden after a day and will protect your furniture from damage ^[4]. So now you know how to distress furniture with chalk paint. It’s not a difficult process but it is time-consuming.

Other Clever Techniques

What other aging techniques can you use to get a weathered look?

Paint remover

This is recommended on furniture that has been repainted several times. Use protective gear so you don’t inhale fumes. Apply paint stripper as instructed, then scrape the old paint off.

Milk paint

This type of paint comes in powdered form to which you add water. You’ll get different results depending on how you strip the paint off afterward. Experiment as much as you can to discover what works best for you.

Vaseline

Apply petroleum jelly on areas where wear and tear is most likely to appear. Do this before you apply the final coat of paint. You will need a base color or stain in a different color. Apply the paint then let dry. Sand lightly over the areas where you applied Vaseline ^[5].

How To Distress Furniture Resources:
[1] Wikipedia; Distressing.
[2] Architectural Digest; How to Distress Furniture in 6 Easy Steps, February 15, 2018.
[3] Just The Woods; How to Distress Painted Furniture for a Beautiful Worn Look.
[4] The Thinking Closet; The Beginner’s Guide to Distressing with Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan.

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How To Distress Furniture – Easy, Step By Step Guide

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[QUESTION] How to distress furniture? How to distress wood furniture? [ANSWER] A weathered look gives your furniture a shabby chic vibe. The term for the technique that gives furniture the aged look is “distressing.” Let’s take a look at the step-by-step process that goes into distressing furniture.

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Sleep Team

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Tomorrow Sleep

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