Furniture Distressing = No Stress at all!

Looking for a quick DIY to spice up your décor? So many times there are budget friendly jobs we can do ourselves at a low cost and with minimal work without even realizing it! Here is an EASY paint do-it-yourself project that will make a difference in any home. 

 

A very popular paint technique we are seeing a lot of these days in magazines and on home décor websites is “Distressed Edging”. This is a technique that creates an aged look using paint and glaze, without any sanding required. Talk about easy DIY! The glazing softens the colours producing an aged/distressed finish. Since no sanding is required, this means that there is no dust and no mess! There are many wooden surfaces in your home that could work with this technique such as a dining room table, kitchen cabinets, headboard, chairs or stools, coffee or end tables, doors and window trim, and that’s just naming a few!

There are only a couple basic tools you will need and no mess to clean up afterwards:
-Basecoat (only needed if you are starting from scratch and painting an entire piece of furniture.)
-Paint/Glaze for your “distressing” (the colour which would be showing through “underneath”)
-Flat Edge Foam Brush (for distressing the surface, this will be the only brush you need.)
-Plastic containers to hold paint & glaze mixtures.
-Soft cloths for wiping (in case of paint running or applying too much at a time.)
-Spray bottle with water for cloths
-Sealer or varnish for final protective coat once distressing is complete.

 

 

Here’s how it works: Paint the surface in the desired colour or use an already painted item or surface. Where you want the surface to look worn and distressed, paint another colour that would represent the colour underneath, this is where the paint and glaze comes into play. Make sure to use small amounts at once. The paint/glaze will likely be a fast drying product. It is much easier to apply less than you need than to try do it all at once, on the off chance you apply to much and cannot fix it. For example, you want to paint your kitchen cabinets yellow, you could chose a medium brown tone to “distress” with. This would look as though the original wood was beginning to show through the paint. This would give the illusion that the previous colour is coming through from normal wear and tear, when in actual fact, this colour is painted on top! Easy! Depending on the extent of the paint job you’re doing, you may want to seal or varnish the surface upon completion. Check with your local paint store for the product they would recommend.

Make sure you record your recipe. When the product is finished and your admiring the fabulous job you did – you want to be sure you remember how such perfection happened!