How to Make New Furniture Look Vintage

Vintage furniture shows signs of wear and tear, including scratches, dings and chips. The shabby chic style of decorating relies heavily on vintage pieces, but those pieces are sometimes expensive. As long as you have a few tools available and wood furniture, you can recreate the vintage look. Give a new piece of furniture that great vintage look with just a little bit of work.

Plastic tarp
Wood furniture
180-grit sandpaper
Soft cloth
2 paint colors
Paint roller
Paintbrush
Paint scraper
Paste wax

Instructions

- 1
  Lay down a plastic tarp and set the furniture on top. Sand down the wood with 180-grit sandpaper, working the sandpaper over all areas of the piece, including the top, sides and legs. Wipe away any sawdust or paint with a soft cloth.
- 2
  Paint the furniture with one shade of paint, using the paint roller on flat surfaces and the paintbrush for raised or decorative areas. After the first coat of paint dries, apply a second coat. Make sure that you provide an even coat of paint on the wood.
- 3
  Cover the furniture with paint in a completely different color, such as green paint on top of white or cream paint on top of blue. Paint the shade with both the paint roller and the paintbrush, applying two even coats.
- 4
  Hold the paint scraper at an angle and gently run it across the corners and edges of the piece, pulling off some of the top coat and revealing the paint underneath. Use sandpaper on other areas of the wood, sanding until you reveal more of the other paint coats.
- 5
  Apply paste wax to a soft cloth and rub it on the wood, using a circular motion. Keep applying more wax until you apply an even coat to all areas of the wood. After 15 minutes, gently buff the wood with a second cloth, removing any excess paste.

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