Distressed Painted Wood

Distressing wood generally means weathering it by hand using tools or chemicals to add enough imperfections to provide age and character but not so many that it becomes unusable.

Distressed painted wood.

Distressing is the process of manipulating furniture to appear older or to have been more heavily used says jane henry of jane henry studios a full service antique conservation and restoration shop based in new york city. Try using a combination of these methods and use both a wet cloth and a sanding sponge to create the look you want. Whether painted or unpainted aged wood has character with weathered textures and darker richer colors. Jan 29 2020 explore debra smith s board distressing painted wood on pinterest.

The great thing about this wood painting technique is that if you can t find authentic reclaimed lumber for your project you can use new materials and apply surface distressing techniques to simulate centuries of use and wear. Make sure to wipe your project with a lint free cloth to remove the dust created during the distressing. Before getting started choose the piece of furniture you re going to give a distressed paint finish. Once your final paint coat is dry you can start distressing it with either a wet rag or fine grit sandpaper.

This technique works great on both already painted wood and unpainted wood. The key is to sand random areas that tend to get bumped or scratched naturally so it looks organic. I would avoid distressing flat areas since those parts normally don t wear away if that makes sense. The painted finish will hide those flaws.

If you re looking for an affordable way to give a piece of wood furniture a beautiful patina you might want to consider distressing its finish. Make sure to wipe your project with a lint free cloth to remove the dust created during the distressing. When distressing painted wood you will create a bit of dust. Distressed wood looks beautiful in so many styles of homes from farmhouse shabby chic and country cottage to even industrial and modern.

Make sure like any painted furniture project including when you distress painted wood that you seal the paint. Don t worry if it has scratches or watermarks. Distressed wood can bring your rooms a rustic aesthetic. You can also repeat the process on the same piece with several layers of paint.

Let each layer dry and sand in between layers. You want your distressed painted furniture to look as natural as possible. Look for a wood furniture piece with lines you love and that will look good in your space. See more ideas about painted furniture redo furniture furniture makeover.

See more about these techniques in the wet distressing and dry distressing sections above. New wood can seldom match its homey well worn quality.