Painting Furniture in a Vintage Style

Stripping

• 1

  Place the piece of furniture on a tarp or other protected work surface out of direct sunlight in a well ventilated work space. Put on protective eyewear and chemical resistant gloves before beginning the stripping process.

• 2

  Pour a small amount of gel or semi-paste paint stripper onto the surface of the furniture piece and slather it over the surface with a paintbrush to form a thick, wet coat. Repeat until the entire piece is coated with the stripper.

• 3

  Allow the paint stripper to rest as indicated by the manufacturer's instructions, usually about 10 minutes. The surface will take on a wrinkled appearance when the stripper is ready to remove. Use a scraper to see if the stripper comes off easily, if it hasn't wrinkled after sitting.

• 4

  Remove the soft paint stripper from flat furniture surfaces with a plastic or metal scraper. Remove the stripper from curved or recessed areas with a stiff-bristled brush. Apply lacquer thinner to the entire surface of the piece with a sponge to remove any remaining residue. Allow the piece to dry for 24 hours before painting.

Painting and Distressing

• 5

  Apply an even coat of latex enamel paint in your base color to the piece of furniture. This color will show through when you distress your top coat, so choose a color that complements your top coat. Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.

• 6

  Apply paste wax with a clean cloth to the areas of the furniture piece you wish to distress. Apply a thin, even coat for a more uniform distressed look on the entire surface of the piece. Apply the wax to corners, edges, chair and table bottoms, table tops and other areas likely to receive wear and tear, for a more natural vintage look.

• 7

  Apply an even coat of a flat or eggshell paint in the color you want the finished furniture to be. Keep the coat thin if you want some of the base coat to show through. Allow the top coat to dry for eight to 12 hours.

• 8

  Sand the surface gently to remove some of your top coat to let the base coat show through. Apply more pressure to the areas that tend to look more worn on real vintage furniture. The coarser the grain of your sandpaper, the more distressed the finish will appear.

• 9

  Wipe away any dust from the sandpaper with a damp cloth. Allow the surface to dry before applying an even coat of finishing wax or clear glaze to seal the surface and protect your hard work.