How to Paint Furniture With a Rustic Look
If you’ve ever wondered how to paint furniture with a rustic look, you’ve come to the right place. There are many different techniques to achieve this look. You can use distressing to give a furniture piece an aged farmhouse look. Two-color distressing requires a base coat and a second color. Then, you distress the piece with 220-grit sandpaper to reveal the first color underneath. One-color distressing exposes the natural color underneath. You can use chalk-type paint or Jolie Matte Finish Paint.
Distressing furniture
Whether you’re trying to give a farmhouse kitchen a country look or a more contemporary space a more country feel, distressed furniture can be an excellent accent piece. Wired baker racks and pickled cabinets add a rustic touch to the kitchen. And a crackle-finished urn adds a country feel to a sitting room. It doesn’t matter what type of room you’re trying to decorate, learning to distress furnishings is a valuable skill to have in your toolbox.
One of the easiest ways to distress furniture is to sand it. The idea behind this technique is to recreate the look of natural wear and tear over time. You need to know which spots need sanding so that the finished product looks authentic and worn. You may need to do some research to learn about the appropriate areas for sanding. However, once you have determined the best areas to sand, it won’t take much to create the look you’re looking for.
Using chalk paint
Before you start painting your furniture with chalk paint, make sure that you clean it thoroughly and remove all debris. If the furniture is a bit worn, you may need to repair it with wood filler. You can use a putty knife to do this. If you’re painting a piece of furniture that contains drawers or shelves, you may have to remove them first before painting. Before painting, you should sand the surface lightly with 220-grit sandpaper.
After painting your furniture, you should apply two or three coats of wax. Buffing the furniture will remove excess wax and work the wax into the chalk paint. This will give the finished piece the ultimate protection. The dresser shown here has three coats of paint and a waxed finish. Once it has dried, you can install hardware to make the chalk paint accent shine. Then, you can enjoy your freshly painted furniture!
Using sandpaper
If you are going for a rustic look, you should use sandpaper. It’s easier to use than plain sandpaper, and it’s less likely to leave visible marks. You can use medium or fine-grit sandpaper, depending on the look you’re going for. Just remember to use light pressure and avoid sanding too deeply. After completing the process, you should wipe away any excess dust.
After the paint has dried, use a yellow sponge applicator to apply the clear sealer. Make sure that you clean the sponge well first. Then, apply the sealer to the furniture. After sanding, the furniture will have a distressed look. Use a yellow sponge to apply the clear sealer to it. Don’t worry if you don’t have any extra sandpaper – this sandpaper will come in handy.
Using wax
You can create a distressed look for your furniture by applying wax. This finish will darken your wood and give it a buttery finish. It is an alternative method to a polyurethane coating. This method is usually applied over chalk-type paints, such as Fusion Mineral Paint. It is not suitable for use on acrylic-based paints but will add a distinctively aged look to the piece.
The darker the wax, the more rustic the finish. The dark wax will highlight the wood grain, while a light-colored one will make the piece look light. To achieve a vintage-style finish, rub the furniture with complementary-tinted wax. This will push the color deep into the wood crevices, giving it a rich aged appearance. If you’d like a lighter, more delicate feel, use White Soft Wax.
