If you’ve ever wandered through a country style furniture store or rummaged through antique stores, you’ve undoubtedly come across furniture that looks time worn and weather beaten.

Don’t let the looks fool you. Underneath that finish could be a new piece of furniture that’s only made to look old. That’s not a bad thing, though. Distressed furniture is very popular now and furniture manufacturers have adopted the style for furnishings throughout the home.

While you could go out and buy new furniture that is already distressed, you can do it to the furniture you already own or pieces that you find in thrift shops and second hand stores that beg to be refinished.

Over the last decade or so, manufacturers have created a complete line of products designed specifically for distressing furniture. With a few simple techniques and these easy to use products, you can create your own distressed furniture in no time at all.

Here’s what you’ll need. A good quality paintbrush that’s two to three inches wide, a can of primer, a can of flat latex paint of the main color you want the furniture to be and a second can of a contrasting color that will peek out from underneath the top coat. You’ll also need some finishing products, including paste wax, wood varnish, rags and sandpaper.

This is a pretty messy job so you’ll want to prepare yourself for that as well. Some gloves and a drop cloth or newspapers are highly recommended. You may also want to use goggles and a dust mask.

The room you work in should have good ventilation. The fumes can really build up and distressing furniture isn’t worth a trip to the hospital. After you’ve spread out the drop cloth or newspapers it’s time to get to work.

You should start with a base coat of primer. This will give your paint a good foundation to adhere to. After it has dried thoroughly, paint the furniture with the color you want to peek through. This should be a nice contrasting color. Usually, the color is lighter than the top coat. For example, you’d use a white as a under coat and a blue as the top coat. It’s best to use colors that will both complement your decor.

Allow this coat to dry for at least 24 hours. Once it has thoroughly dried, apply a coat of paste wax with a rag. Put it only in the areas that you want to look distressed, such as edges, around the knobs, any high spots and a few random areas. This should be allowed to dry for about an hour. If you want the entire piece to look distressed, coat it completely with wax. Don’t worry too much about applying it perfectly. It’s supposed to be a bit uncontrolled. This is what gives the finish the lived-in look.

Now you’re ready to apply the top coat. Apply it over the entire piece of furniture in an even layer. As always, go with the grain when you paint, not against it. Let it dry completely, about 24 hours.

It’s time to work some magic. The wax is what creates the distressed look. Go over the areas that were waxed with some coarse sandpaper. You can change the grade of the sandpaper to create different effects. The sandpaper will remove the top coat, leaving the contrasting coat exposed. As you sand, try to add more distressing to the areas that would naturally be time worn, such as around the edges of the seat on a chair or around the handles of a dresser or desk.

If you applied wax over the entire piece, add distressing to the edges of a desk or dresser top or around the top edges of a chair. Keep sanding areas until you get the look you like.

When you’re through wipe the entire piece down with a dry cloth to remove the sanding dust. Let it dry and set up completely. Don’t worry if some of the wax is left. It will eventually harden and become a permanent part of the finish.
Once it’s had a little more time to dry, apply a final coat of varnish, sealant or furniture wax. This will give it a hand finished look with a little aged patina that will not only add to the beauty of your new piece of distressed furniture, but protect it as well.

Author Bio: Jesse Akre owns Edenvale Shoppes and hosts numerous furniture and furnishings for any home whether it be towel bars or outdoor benches styles and designs.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: bath accessories,towel bars,towel hooks,towel racks,towel stands,towel rings