Distressing Furniture Techniques

I never know what I will create when I am working on a piece.

Sometimes a piece is easy to work with because of the details, and sometimes I need to get creative and add character.

As I am working on a piece I don’t use conventional methods to distress furniture.

Sometimes besides using vinegar to distress furniture, I also use other methods.

  Distressing furniture techniques can be as simple as using scissors and glue.

I know it sounds like a school project.

There is nothing more exciting than seeing your name on a can of paint.

This is Vintage Green, I LOVE this color!

 I painted this piece with Vintage Green, it was pretty boring without any details on the piece.

I really wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

And it’s often that way, sometimes as I am creating a piece I start off with what I think is a good idea, then halfway through scrap the idea and start over.

So, I thought why not add some wallpaper to the sides.

I know it’s sounds crazy, but I wanted it to look as though someone had applied the wall paper to the sides, but over the years it started to rip and peel off.

Why would someone apply wallpaper to the sides of a piece of furniture?

I don’t know, why not.

Hey when I was a kid growing up in the 1970’s it was a big fad to take torn pieces of masking tape, and apply it to a bottle.

And then add shoe polish to antique it.

Does anyone remember that?

I think we did that in elementary school.

Okay, funny but true story, a friend of mine told me his Mother used that technique to their family room.

Can you imagine, applying masking tape to the walls of a room, and then shoe polish to antique it?

Well, she sounds like my kind of lady.

A risk taker, doing what she wanted to do.

Not caring about what others thought, and a true artist.

Anyway let’s get back to this piece.

After applying the wallpaper I was starting to like how it was looking.

But it still needed something.

I wanted it to look old chippy, and grungy.

Next, I took out my Elmer’s glue and applied a thick coat over the whole piece.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I used Elmer’s glue to apply the vintage wallpaper that I used, and I tore the edges off to give it a fun patina.

So, after the glue was dry to a tacky finish, I applied another coat of paint on top of the glue.

Then took out my hairdryer.

Ha, I know my friend who reads my blog is laughing because once again, my hairdryer comes to the rescue.

Yeah, I am not patient.

 I dried the paint with my hairdryer because I am not patient, and as it dries it starts to crackle.

It’s starting to look better, but not good enough.

What to do next???

Let’s try adding Muddy Pond and White Lime wax.

Why both waxes?

I love layering colors and textures.

Muddy Pond gives it that dirty vintage look.

And White Lime adds another element of texture.

First I applied Muddy Pond, then I went back over that with White Lime.

But I was still not totally happy.

It needed more distressing, so I took out my scissors.

Okay before I share anymore, I need to add a disclaimer.

********* Do Not Attempt If You Are Not Confident Of The Outcome And **USE CAUTION** When Using A Sharp Object (Please Read Disclosure Policy)*********

So this is what I did.

I took my pair of scissors and scrapped the edges off my piece.

This created an amazing patina!

I have used a razor before, but I had much more control when I used my scissors.

I did this all the way around my piece.

This was quite messy to do, but so worth it.

I don’t like sanding a piece, this is just another alternative for distressing and adding an authentic looking patina.

And here is my finished piece.

You can’t see it in this photo, but I have a torn piece of wallpaper on the opposite side.

This is such a fun element and gives it a unique look.

I would totally be drawn to this if I was out at a flea market.

I have a love for things that are chippy and imperfect.

I didn’t want to over style this piece for photo purposes.

It needed to be open so you could see the details and patina.

Yummy lilacs from my garden.

I LOVE the smell of lilacs!

I just wish they would last a little longer.

This lovely piece makes a perfect side table, and will be available for purchase at the sale 🙂

**You can purchase Vintage Green, White Lime, Muddy Pond and all the other paint colors from my collection in the shop.**