How to Distress Painted Furniture

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Want a great way to add character to your painted furniture project? Consider distressing! In this article, I will share a recent project to teach you how to distress painted furniture. This technique gives your furniture a beautiful old-world feel and you are in total control of how much paint to remove and where to remove it from.

An important thing to note before I get started: in this article, I will be talking about distressing an all-in-one paint. Admittedly, chalk-style paints distress more easily because they are easier to sand. So many people who do a lot of distressing may gravitate toward these paints. However, distressing an all-in-one acrylic-based paint is totally possible. I prefer this type of paint for many reasons (ease of application, durability, self-leveling properties, and minimal brush strokes) and it can give great distressed results!

Picking a piece to distress

When looking to distress painted furniture, consider that some styles lend themselves to this technique. A distressed piece has that worn feel to it, so it’s perfect when you want your piece to look old. It adds character. For this project, the piece picked me, as it was a custom job for a client. She thought adding some distressing to this sideboard would highlight some of the details, and I agreed!

Distressed project steps

Step 1: Clean and prepare the piece for paint

As with all painting projects, it starts with a good clean! I use a degreaser, Krud Kutter, to get the years of furniture polish off of this sideboard, then wipe any cleaning residue off with plain water. I then scuff-sanded the entire piece with 220 grit. A more in-depth guide to cleaning and sanding furniture before painting can be found here.

Step 2: Pick a primer

This is an important consideration, becuase when you distress, your primer will show through. There are many options for priming furniture. If you are looking for the wood only to come through, using a clear primer is a must. My preference is clear shellac, which is what I used in this project. It will also tackle any bleed-through issues that might surface with this mahogany sideboard. I’ve also used white or black primers if I wanted a white or black base for my distressing.

Step 3: Paint

As I mentioned earlier in this article, I am using an all-in-one paint for this project. My client and I decided on the color Jett Black by Melange Paints. Just like any painting project, use a quality brush and a mister bottle if necessary, you can check out these tips for hand painting furniture.

The most important thing to keep in mind when distressing an all-in-one paint – don’t let the paint dry for too long before distressing. If the paint (with the included top coat) starts to fully cure, it will be very difficult to distress. After all, these paints are designed to be durable and not scratch off easily! So for this project, I picked a day to paint when I knew I would have time to get all three coats on and distressed that same day.

Step 4: Distressing

And now for the fun part, distressing! I like to start by “wet” distressing, or using water to remove the paint. You’ll want to focus on the edges or places where you would see wear naturally. Distressing is a bit of an art and may take some practice, but not to worry, you can always repaint the areas and try again if you’re not loving your result.

I like to use a container of water with a shop towel and a sanding sponge that can get wet. I will run the towel along the edge where I want to remove the paint and then follow with with wet sanding sponge to remove the paint. You will have some areas where the paint is scuffed but not sanded off and your overall paint job may look blotchy. Don’t worry, when you add your topcoat those areas will look just like the paint.

Step 5: Sealing the paint

I generally recommend an additional top coat on all-in-one paints, and when distressing this step is a must. The piece isn’t completely sealed becuase have removed the paint with its protective topcoat in places. For this project, I used Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish in the dead flat finish. My suggestions for top coating over paint can be found here.

Step 6: Other finishing touches

Finally, I added a few finished touches to this project. First, I cleaned and polished the existing brass hardware. Then I used Restor-A-Finish on the interior to refresh the small scratches in the existing finish.

Summary

And that’s it! While it can take some practice to get it just right, distressing painted furniture is a great technique to add character and style. I also like distressed painted furniture because it wears really well – no one will notice if you get a small chip or ding down the road! And if you like this look, I would also suggest giving milk paint a try. It is the best way to achieve a truly chippy finish and it also distresses beautifully. You can read more about using milk paint here. As always, reach out with any questions, and happy painting!

Helpful Reference Articles:

• How to Paint Furniture
• How to Use Milk Paint on Furniture
• Melange ONE Paint Review

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