How Make Distressed Wood

Fill a canvas bag with heavy blunt objects. You can use rocks, nuts, bolts or anything that is heavy and reasonably sharp. Place these items in a canvas bag and securely tie off the top.

Hit the wood with the bag of objects several times. This will create dents and dings in the surface of the wood. Make sure to wear protective goggles during this phase, as well as gloves, to avoid getting splinters. Hit the wood in a random pattern to give it an authentic, aged appearance.

Sand off any sharp edges. You may have some areas on the wood that are sharp after being distressed. Sand these with a medium-grade sandpaper, and rough up the areas around the damage a little more. Wipe down the wood with a soft, damp cloth to remove any dust, and allow it to dry completely before proceeding.

Apply wood stain. Using your desired color of stain, apply it to the wood, going with the grain. You can be heavy-handed here and use multiple heavy coats if you prefer. Pay special attention to the newly damaged areas, and heavily saturate them with the stain. This will make them look darker than the rest of the wood. Give the stain at least six to eight hours to dry, or until it no longer feels tacky to the touch.

Clear coat the wood. Even though the finish is distressed, you will need to protect the wood from further damage over time. Use a clear coat polyurethane and brush it on lightly, going in the direction of the grain. This will also help highlight the damaged areas. Give it at least six to eight hours to dry.