Distressed Furniture Painting Techniques

There are many ways to make a piece of furniture look aged and worn out. Distressed furniture painting is one of such method, that gives a piece of furniture old and aged look. Distressing furniture is considered as a refinishing technique, however it is opposite of finishing in a conventional way. For distressing, the furniture piece finish is deliberately worked on such a way that it looks less than perfect. To destroy the object's finish sandpaper or paint stripper is used. The artisan will often remove some of the paint, leaving marks of several layered of paint speckled over wood grain underneath. This worked piece of furniture is the finished distressed furniture. Certain stores sell the such furniture, but by following some simple tips on furniture painting you can transform any piece of furniture that looks like an antique furniture, and create a unique home decor.

Steps in Distressed Furniture Painting

Things you will need are:

• Flat latex paint of any color
• Flat latex paint of a contrasting color
• Two-three quality paint brushes
• Sheets of old newspaper
• Some clean rags
• Sandpaper of 2-3 grades
• Paste wax
• Wood varnish

Step #1: Select a site where there is good ventilation and enough workspace, so that you can place your contemporary furniture item in the middle and move around it comfortably, while working on it. Place a good layer old newspaper sheet, and then place the furniture item on it. You can wear protective gear, like goggles, rubber gloves and mask while working.

Step #2: If you are working on an unfinished piece of furniture, then paint a coat of latex primer first on it. If the piece has already been painted with an oil paint, then use an oil based primer on it, so that latex paint will hold on it. Let the primer paint layer completely dry.

Step #3: Then paint the furniture with a coat of latex flat paint shade you want to see through, when the furniture item is distressed. This base coat of paint color is usually a lighter shade, than the top coat. Apply the paint using brush in the same direction of the wood grain, then let it dry for 1-2 days.

Step #4: Then apply a thin coat of paste wax, using a rag to the area that you don't want to look distressed, like the corners, high point around handles, etc. If you wish the entire furniture item surface to look distressed, then apply the paste wax all over the furniture surface. Then let the home furniture item dry for 2 hours.

Step #5: Then using paint brush and the coat of the contrasting/darker shade of latex flat paint, cover the waxed and unwaxed surface of the furniture item. This will make the top coat, allow it to dry overnight.

Step #6: Now take a coarse grade sandpaper, and lightly sand distress areas of the piece that have the underlying paste wax. Sand in the direction of the wood grain, you can keep changing the grade of the sandpaper to get a more natural random effect. Sanding will remove the top glaze, but will allow the flat paint shinning through.

Step #7: After you are satisfied with distressed look of the wood furniture item, clean off any paint particles sticking to the furniture. Then again allow the paint to dry thoroughly. Then apply a final coat of sealant, varnish or use antique furniture wax on the entire furniture piece, to make the furniture look more hand-rubbed and aged.

So, follow the above steps to give your furniture the antique distressed look and create a unique home decor!