If you re using white paint on your distressed furniture project apply primer to prevent bleeding.
Distressed furniture paint and stain.
If the stain is oil based use an oil based polyurethane.
Sand again once paint has fully dried and before applying stain give the furniture s edges a thorough sanding so areas of wood are showing through to simulate years of wear.
Parsons urges anyone who is.
A finishing coat of polyurethane will seal the dried stain making your new distressed furniture durable for the long haul.
Numerous faux painting techniques mimic the distressed look of age worn antiques but the methods that call for stain frequently look the most authentic.
Brushes are good for precision control over fine details but an airless paint sprayer provides quick coverage of large pieces of furniture.
The primer will also protect the furniture.
Read on to learn how to distress furniture and start giving those bland pieces new character and patina.
Distressing the furniture with a sanding block or sandpaper.
Distressed painting techniques using stain.
Apply stain blocking primer to the surface using a paintbrush or airless paint sprayer.
After you distress the furniture apply glaze on the surface.
Applying paint with a paint brush creates peaks and valleys that will be more visible when you apply the stain resulting in a more accurate antique look.
For example i used light blue and coral wood stain to distress furniture for a coastal beach look.
You can begin to remove some of the paint and distress the piece.
One of the console tables needed to match the farmhouse pantry door so i used the same distressing technique.
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.
Ultimately any color stain works for distressing painted furniture.
When antiquing furniture you add layers of paint and stain to achieve a grunge patina whereas when you distress it you remove the finish to simulate years of wear.
A 320 grit sandpaper can do the trick.
I use light stain on dark paint and dark stain on light paint.
Wait for the stain blocking primer to dry before proceeding.