In this post, I will show you how simple it is to distress a piece of furniture.
This technique can be applied to anything that is made of wood, MDF or even metal. The only thing that changes is the type of paint you use.
The distressed style, also known as shabby chic is not for everyone. I however, happen to love it.
As you can see from the photo to the left, I started with a simple primed, pine shelf that I found in the garbage.
While reading up on the topic of distressing furniture, I found that all of the links I happened upon seemed to over complicate the process.
Some of them recommended that in order to distress the piece adequately you needed to use nails, chains, hammers.....the list goes on and on.
I have been distressing furniture for a number of years now and I find that all you really need is a good piece of sandpaper or even better a palm sander.
The whole point of distressing something to me means to make it look worn. As if your caring hands have polished the finish for a hundred years, making the paint fade and peel and crack.
Distressing furniture adds a dimension of history to any piece changing it from a garbage find into an heirloom overnight.
I want you to see how incredibly easy it is. Here are the items you will need.
1. A wooden piece of furniture to work with.
If you have never done this before, I recommend trying the technique on a wooden picture frame or even an old chair.
2. Primer
3. Paint 2 colours (any colour combination can be used)
4. Stain
(I actually take burnt umber paint and water it down until it has a stain like consistency)
5. Sandpaper
6. Sealer
Here goes...The steps I used for this project
1) My shelf is sanded and primed
2) I now paint the entire piece with a lime green (not my favorite colour, but I had it on hand)
3) I paint the shelf tops and fronts as well as the sides in black
4) Using my palm sander, I proceed to sand the entire piece making certain that I sand the shelf edges extra well making it appear that millions of hands have brushed along the edges over the years
5) Now that I have the piece distressed to my liking, I can apply the stain I have created to the entire surface. This will darken the bare wood that has now been exposed due to sanding and give the paint remaining an aged patina.
6) The final step is to seal it with varathane, you may apply as many coats as you wish.
Here it is all finished sitting in my living-room filled with stuff.
See how easy that was?
I hope some of you try this technique for yourself.
See you next time.
