Distressing Furniture

  I make a lot of the furniture in my home, so a majority of the time they have  imperfections.  I have found the best way to mask imperfections is to make it look intentional! "It's Shabby Chic". 

  Distressing furniture can add a lot of character and hide wood/paint imperfections!

Here is what  I do....

  Take either an electrical or hand sander and scuff the piece of furniture up. In my case I will be showcasing the side tables I made for the new guest room (Pictures coming soon.) 

When sanding,  it is best to try and sand the areas  that would naturally get the most wear, ie. the edges.

After sanding,  I take a LITTLE bit of stain and apply it  a small section of the table.  (Always work in small sections, the stain can dry very quickly and leave a streaky effect instead of "aged".)

Then apply a little  bit of baby oil to an old rag and rub over the freshly applied stain. The baby oil makes the stain much easier to work with.

 Continue the same process over and over until you have completed the entire project.




 Here are both of the night stands,  one distressed and one original.  It is a subtle difference that make a big impact.

So if you have any old furniture that could use a "pick me up"  or a new paint job.  Consider distressing,  it can make the  old paint chipping look intentional!