# How to Make Furniture Finishes Look Old
Distressing is a popular technique for making a new piece of furniture look like an old antique. With proper materials and procedures, almost any piece of wood furniture can be distressed in a weekend.
Things You'll Need
- Power drill with bits
- Fine-grained sandpaper
- Wire brush
- Mallet
- Hammer
- Wood file
Instructions
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1
Create small dents in a new piece of inexpensive furniture with a mallet. Hammer small chips out of table and chair legs; hammer carefully so you don't break the legs. The small dents and nicks make the piece look gently worn.
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2
Use sandpaper to sand sections where the piece would naturally become worn over time, such as the arms and seat of a chair or edges of a dresser. Sand in the direction of the wood grain to make it look more realistic.
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3
Use a wire brush to create scratches in areas that would become worn over time, such as around the pulls on a dresser or chest, the front of a chair or the top of a table. Use a file on edges. File in the direction of the grain.
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4
Drill a few holes in a grouping to make the wood look worn and damaged.
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Dining Room Furniture
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