How to Distress Furniture

Giving a distressed look to furniture is one of the popular methods to enhance the interior decoration in an economical way. These furniture blend well with all types of modern interiors. Mixing modern furniture with distressed furniture is in vogue these days. So if you have any old furniture at home, do not throw it away, rather, preserve it as you can create a fabulous distressed furniture out of it by following a few simple steps. The equipment required for distressing furniture are given below.

• Sandpaper
• Wood Stain
• Goggles for Eye Protection
• Hammer, Nails, Ice Pick
• Tack Cloth
• Wood Primer
• Crackling Medium

How to Distress Furniture
The first thing you need to do is to arrange for old furniture. If you are distressing furniture for first time, its better that you do not experiment with the precious old furniture of your family. Instead, choose some simple old furniture, any harm to which, will not bring you in trouble. Given below are some simple steps on how to distress wood furniture.

Step # 1: Once you have selected the furniture to be distressed, clean the surfaces of the furniture properly. Clean the surfaces to remove dirt and dust, if any.

Step # 2: Take sandpaper and sand the surfaces of the furniture thoroughly. You can use a medium or fine grit sandpaper for this. Remove rough edges, if any, and wipe the sanded surface with the tack cloth.

Step # 3: After sanding the surfaces, it's time to apply primer to the furniture. Use a primer color of your choice and apply a thin coat of it on the sanded surface. See that you apply the primer in the direction of the wood grain.

Step # 4: Leave the primer to dry for a while and again sand the surface lightly. Rub and clean the surfaces again with the help of tack cloth. Then apply a thin coat of paint on the surfaces. Choose the color of the paint such that the color will complement other pieces of furniture in the room.

Step # 5: Your furniture is ready to get distressed. There are a number of ways to give your furniture a distressed look. Distressing the furniture is nothing but giving the furniture an old yet attractive and antique look. Start with sanding the round edges, making them flat. Sand the areas which are more likely to get distressed naturally, like, corners, near the handles, edges, etc. To create wormhole like imitation, use an ice pick or simple nails. You can even use a hammer to make slight imprints on the surfaces. Add holes at random spaces all over the furniture surfaces. Use your creativity to the fullest and come out with different ideas for distressing furniture.

Step # 6 : Now wipe the surfaces clean, using tack cloth. Apply the wood stain or crackling medium to the furniture. You can use a damp cloth or a sponge like paint brush for the same. Work on a single area at a time and wipe the stain or the crackling medium with the tack cloth before you move on to the next area. Once the stain has been applied to the surface, leave it for sometime, to dry and apply a seal coat to the surfaces. Your distressed furniture is ready.

Distressing furniture is one of the best ways to refinish the home décor. Once you get an experience of how to distress furniture, you will enjoy the task and become an expert soon. You do not have to spend a lot of money to buy antique furniture from a store. You can easily make one at home by yourself!