How To Distress Furniture
There are a variety of methods to distress furniture look shiny and elegant. One way is to use alcohol and turpentine, or even ammonia. Alcohol and turpentine are both used in old western saloons where the entire interior was painted by a carpenter.
The alcohol would soak up the oil, while the turpentine or ammonia would remove it. These are the two most common ways to distress leather furniture presentable and workable.
The way that you choose to paint furniture is going to affect how you go about this project. If you have to know how to distress already painted furniture for your home decor furniture piece, it is much easier.
You will need to start off by soaking the paint in some alcohol and turpentine. Then, you can start to define the distressing process. If you have never painted furniture before, you may want to try the previous method first.
This method can also be done on pieces that have mold and mildew. You will add just enough paint to make the piece look “distressed”.
After this is applied, use a cloth to wipe the piece and then use another cloth to remove any excess paint from the surface. Next, you should repeat this process until you achieve the desired dryness.
For weathered wood, weathered woodworking is the way to go. You can distress wood with sandpaper, but if you are not comfortable with that process, you can always use a sander.
The sanding process will remove all the imperfections from the wood, allowing it to shine again. There are many ways to sand your wood; you can use coarse sandpaper or a fine-toothed sander.
For weathered wood, you will want to use a fine sander because the grains will be more visible.
How To Distress Furniture With Chalk Paint
Once you have finished sanding your piece, you will be ready to apply the paint. First, you need to know how to distress furniture with chalk paint and the piece using a coat of primer before applying the paint.
This will allow you to create an even surface when you apply the finish. If you have any dents or scratches, you can use these spots as part of your base coats. After you have applied the first coat of paint, allow it to dry, and then apply your second coat.
The next step is sanding the piece again. Once the sandpaper is smooth, you can move to spray the piece with the spray paint. If you have a metal piece of furniture, you can use the steam pressure sprayer on your piece.
This is a great way to give the furniture a worn and rustic look, especially if you are trying to keep a modern aesthetic theme in your home.
When choosing your paint color, try to go with a lighter shade. Dark colors tend to show up the weathered wood more. The lighter the paint color, the less you will see the weathered wood.
You can also find coordinating paint colors that will go great with your other decorating pieces. Picking the right paint color is crucial to how to distress furniture the right way.
For a weathered piece, you will need to make sure you have tacked on sandpaper and a spray bottle of sandpaper adhesive. If you are trying to distress a leather piece, use petroleum jelly or Vaseline to cover any unsightly stains.
If you decide to try a DIY approach, there are plenty of do-it-yourself kits available to get you started.
The next step is to apply the sandpaper and paint adhesive. The sandpaper will smooth out any rough edges on the piece to know better about how to distress already painted furniture.
Give your distressed piece a light sanding to get rid of any mineral deposits. The more you can remove, the better the paint job will look. If you need to repair any damaged areas, simply use some more of the homemade paint remover to buff out the problem areas.
The next step is to use the soap and water rag to gently scrub the surface of your distressed piece. Make sure that you only use a small amount of the rag. Soap can remove a lot of the dirt and grim on your wood, but it will also damage the paint and distress furniture.
Soap will eventually start to degrade the paint job over time. Use the rag to scrub the surface in even, circular motions to distribute the soap and keep it from harming the wood.
Define Distressing
Once the rug is clean and dry, apply the wax using the same circular motions. Make sure that you only apply the wax in even circles. You do not want to let excess wax coating your finish.
Once the waxed piece is completely dry, you can apply the remaining leftover bits of rag and sand the finish smooth again.
Apply a finishing gloss over the piece to seal the finish and protect it from future scratches and stains is the best way to define distressing.
