How to Recondition Antique Wood for a Distressed Finish

Sandblast big pieces of wood furniture with an electric sander. Put tarps on the floor around furniture, to protect flooring. Seal off air conditioning vents, to prevent wood dust from circulating, and open up windows for proper ventilation. Wear a dust mask to prevent dust inhalation, and disposable plastic gloves to protect from splinters. Sand by hand, smaller pieces of furniture with 320 grit sandpaper. Remove wood dust with a clean paint brush or tack cloth.

Strip furniture with a chemical stripping agent to completely remove old paint. Apply a stripping agent to furniture surface with a clean paint brush. Wait for the stripping agent to bubble, and scrape off stripping agent with a scraping tool, such as a putty knife. Sand gently with 150 grit sandpaper to remove remaining chemical residue. Remove wood dust with a clean paint brush.

Prime furniture with paint primer made for antique wood. Apply one coat of primer and let dry. Paint furniture with latex enamel paint in the color of your choice. White paint on sanded or stripped wood looks best distressed. Apply two coats. Let the first coat dry, then apply a second.

Take an old stainless steel utensil, and before the second coat of paint fully dries, scrape at the paint surface with the utensil. Take a carpenter’s hammer and use the claw part to chip away at edges. Chip away at the edges enough to give furniture a worn look. Take a chisel to lift up pieces of wood where there are puncture marks in sections.

Finish furniture with polyurethane once it is fully distressed. Finish will seal in the wood, and protect furniture that it is newly reconditioned and distressed. Use waterproof polyurethane, if possible. Apply two coats of polyurethane, letting the first coat dry before applying the second coat.