Many people enjoy the distressed look in their decor. If you like a more polished look you may want to consider creating one element of the room in a distressed look to add interest and texture to your home.
The Shabby Chic look can be incorporated into many different decors without the whole room having an aged appearance. You can even distress the arms of an upholstered chair while leaving the rest of the chair intact. How much or how little you use the techniques is really a personal preference.
There are many ways to distress or age furniture. Over time you will find what works best for the look you want to achieve. Two options are listed below. Both of the options listed are for wood furniture. Make sure your furniture is not a laminate before trying these methods.
Waxing
For this method you don't need a lot of equipment. For the wax you can even use crayons or leftover candles.
- The first step is to give the piece a light sanding to make sure there is no glossy surface left. Paint will adhere to the surface better this way.
- Paint the piece a medium to chocolate brown. Allow this layer to dry.
- Next using any wax you have available, rub the edges of the furniture where it would most likely be scuffed over time. The edges and raised surfaces should all be waxed.
- Paint over the entire piece with flat white acrylic paint. The paint will not adhere to any place where there is wax. Allow the white paint to dry.
- Using leftover wood stain, rag stain over the white paint to darken it. Don't make your strokes even. You don't want the perfect polished look.
- Once the stain is dry, lay paper towel over the wax areas and iron. The wax will melt into the paper towel.
- If your piece still looks a little to polished, go over it in areas with sand paper.
Distressing
When distressing furniture, the idea is to make it look worn and beaten up. You will need to begin by sanding any glossy finish. Gloss makes furniture look too polished to look aged. You can use the paint technique over the distressing or leave the piece simply distressed.
This is a great way to get out your frustrations. Take a hammer, screwdriver, heavy chain or any other object you would not want around your furniture for fear of damage. Now go at it. The more you damage the furniture, the more aged and worn it will look. Think in terms of years of kids wear and tear. Beat the wood to create dents and dings in all the wrong places.
Check today's blog for a third option.
