Are you ready to distress your furniture? If not, read Distressing Furniture: Introduction, get your tools and materials and meet me back here ASAP.
Ok. Have your materials? Here’s the instructions:
Sand the furniture to down a bit, even if it seems smooth from the start. When sanding, make sure that you go in line with the grain of the wood.
Then use the tack cloth you bought to wipe down the sanded furniture .
Apply a coat of primer to smooth things over and give it some evenness. After the primer sets, sand the furniture again and repeat the process with another coat of primer and sand it one more time. (Be sure to brush the primer along the grain of the wood.)
Wipe the piece of furniture down with the tack cloth again.
Now to the fun part. Your piece of furniture is ready to be “beat up”, scratched indented and more. This is where starting out with a piece of furniture that has no sentimental value to you. If you ding it up a bit too much, who cares?
Take a hammer and make indentions. Use a screwdriver to chisel nicks and scratches. Sand the corners and some areas of the panels to give a weathered effect to the wood. The good thing about stressing furniture is that there are no rules.
Isn’t it ironic how we’re making things look old in order to create a completely new appearance. As you embark on your furniture distressing mission, just remember that there’s a fine line between gently worn and completely worn out. So, roll up those sleeves and get busy!