How to Distress a Piece of Furniture

We often get lots of questions from DIY-ers asking for tips and tricks or advice when it comes to projects! Any DIY project can be overwhelming regardless of your comfort level. So, we are always glad to lend a hand! One question we get often is: “how do you distress a piece of furniture?”

Distressing is a great way to add depth and character to any piece of furniture. It’s also a style that has been around for decades and can easily be implemented into any design aesthetic! It gives the warm of a well-loved piece and the charm of something that has lasted the age of time. I particularly love it because I have small children, who like to damage things, and distressed pieces tend to be more forgiving when banged up. Why? It just adds more character! LOL!

What I like to use:

• Chalk Paint
• Stain
• Foam Brushes
• Gloves
• Wipe Cloth
• 80 grit sand paper
• Polyurethane

You can snag a lot of the supplies on our Amazon Storefront!

Steps to take:

1. Clean your piece! I usually wipe down the piece with multi-purpose spray. Whatever you like using to wipe down counters in your home is what I would suggest!
2. Distress the edges! How do you do that? I usually grab my gloves and foam brush and start adding stain to the edges and grooves of the piece. I like to focus on anywhere that would be naturally be distressed, nicked, or dinged over time! The trick to stain is to brush on with the grain and wipe off with a cloth. For this piece, I used stain in the color of Early American.

1. Slap on the chalk paint! The reason I love using chalk paint is that there is no prep needed – no sanding! You can just apply the paint right on to the surface to get your project started! I usually use a standard paint brush or foam brush. If you are using a lighter color than your stain, you will most likely have to do 2-3 coats of paint. Another bonus of chalk paint is that it dries relatively quickly! So, you don’t have to wait hours to complete your project! But make sure your coat is dried before adding another.

1. Sand the edges! Sand down all the areas that you stained to uncover all that goodness underneath the paint! You can be delicate in your sanding – only exposing fine lines, or you can go crazy, really making your piece look like it’s been through some thaaangs. LOL! That choice is up to you and what fits your design aesthetic. My suggestion to you is to start with a light sand and see how you feel!

1. Wipe down your piece with water! Once you’ve done all the sanding to your heart’s content, then you’ll need to take a damp cloth and wipe off all the excess paint and debris from your piece. This step is CRUCIAL before sealing it. Any leftover debris can affect the coloring after it’s sealed.
2. Seal your piece with poly! After you’ve wiped everything down, cover the entire piece in 2-3 coats of polyurethane using a foam brush. You’ll want to wait for each coat to be fully dry before starting the next. If you want more protection, you can always add more coats!

After you’ve walked through the process, voila! You have a beautifully distressed piece that is timeless, classic, aged, and warm! Just like with anything, the more you distress furniture pieces, the more comfortable you become with the process! So, keep DIY-ing out there!

Thanks for reading! Happy DIY-ing!

Sincerely,
Heather