How to Distress Wood Furniture

[ad#co-1]

Here are some ways to get that look instantly without waiting for years of wear and tear:

Hammers ready, go!

It may sound silly but a hammer can be your best tool when distressing furniture. You will need to angle the head of the hammer slightly so that you do not get perfect circle indents on your piece. The look you are going for is small crescent shaped indents that are scattered randomly around your piece. Take an old piece of wood and test your technique before you begin hammering away on a much-loved piece of furniture.  The opposite end of the hammer can also be used to make straight dents randomly around the piece, as well. Have fun, practice first and enjoy the added de-stressing benefit!

Helpful Tools for Wood Distressing:

Distressing and Worm Holing Tool

Distressed Wood Paint Kit

Antiquing Glaze for Distressing Wood

Distress Wood Furniture – Stain or glaze:

Once your piece is all hammered-up, the next step is to brush on a brown glaze or stain. It is best to use a paint brush and quickly wipe the glaze or stain all over your piece, then take a soft, lint-free cloth and wipe down the piece in straight up and down strokes (along the grain); wiping off most of the glaze or stain.  This finished effect will be fantastic! The glaze/stain stays in the grooves and dents that your hammer created, and leaves a slight stain on the remaining piece. Let this dry for at least 24 hours and then coat with a clear finish. One of the beautiful parts of using stain or glaze is that it creates the look of French country furniture. When looking for furniture, go to www.melodymaison.co.uk supply top quality french bedroom furniture for your home, and use distressed wood to create the design style in your home.

Distress Wood Furniture – Sandpaper:

If you have a piece that is already painted, then sandpaper can quickly distress the look. Use a finer grain sandpaper and run it along the edges and corners of your painted piece. The sanding should slowly start to reveal bits of the wood underneath the paint. With this effect, you will not want it to be perfect, so do not thoroughly sand all the edges; you will want to keep the paint on in random areas. Once finished your piece should look like its edges and corners have been worn over time.

Distressing furniture is not for the perfectionist as it is not meant to be perfect! Have fun and go at your piece in a random manner. If you are not sure that you have done enough distressing then take a break from the piece and look at it in a new light the next day – this will help you decide whether or not it needs more work, without going overboard.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.