Painting Furniture in an Antique Style

1. Find a space to work in. You’ll need a space big enough for your furniture and it needs to be well-ventilated. A garage works well, just make sure you keep the door open to get fresh air. Lay down a tarp or newspaper before you get started for easier cleanup later.

2. Unscrew any knobs, hinges, or pulls from the furniture and set aside. It’s easier to paint without them.

3. Start by sanding the furniture in the direction of the grain. Coarse grit sandpaper will create a more distressed surface than a fine grit. The more distressed the piece is, the older it will look. If you’re working with a large piece of furniture like an armoire or a dresser, use an electric sander to save time.



4. After sanding the surface, concentrate on the edges and corners. Generally the corners on antique furniture show more wear than the rest of the piece and this will make it look authentic. Wipe away and debris or dust with a damp cloth.

5. Prime the furniture with a wood primer. Allow at least 1-3 hours to dry.

6. Antiquing furniture can be dangerous, so make sure to wear safety goggles and gloves. Use some of the following techniques to distress your furniture and make it look well-worn. Brush off any dust after distressing.

* Bump furniture with a hammer to create light depressions.
* Whack furniture with a bag of nails to create indents or small nicks.
* Roll a large nail across flat surfaces to create a track.
* Give furniture a whack with a metal chain.



7. Once you’re finished distressing, you’re ready to apply the base color. This is the color that will show through any rough areas. Let this coat dry completely before moving on.

8. Take a candle and run it over the edges of your painted furniture. This step ensures that the top coat will come off easily showing the base color of your painted furniture.

9. Apply the top coat of paint. Remember that when painting furniture, a few light coats are better than one thick coat. Let the paint dry completely.



10. Use a putty knife to scrape along the edges of your furniture. The wax from the candle will help the top layer of paint come off easily, showing the base color underneath. Sand anywhere where you would like to see more of the base color come through.

Keywords: Antique Style Painting Furniture, Painting Furniture Tips, How to Paint An Antique Style
This article was written by Erie Construction.