How to Paint Outdoor Furniture to Look Old

Place drop cloths on your work area to catch drips and spills.

Fill a bucket with warm water and add three to four generous squirts of de-greasing dish soap. Swirl your hand around in the solution to mix it up.

Dip a clean shop cloth in the soap and water and wring it out until it is just damp. Use this to clean off any stains, sticky stuff and dust from the furniture.

Apply a thin, even coat of primer to the furniture. Let it dry according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Do not skimp on the drying time.

Paint a thin, even coat of flat paint onto the furniture, working with the grain on wooden furniture. Use a small roller to get a smoother coat. This coat will show through the distressed areas. You can use a flat color that contrasts with your top coat, or the same shade in the flat coat and the top one. Let the paint dry for 24 hours.

Dip your staining sponge in to the wood wax and apply it to any area where the furniture would show natural wearing, like chair arms, legs and backs. Let the wax sit for at least an hour, undisturbed.

Put a thin, even layer of your top coat over the flat paint and the wax. The top coat will not adhere to the wax, allowing the flat layer to show through. Let this coat dry for 24 hours, but no longer than that.

Sand the edges of the top coat where it has covered the wax. Use a very light touch, just sand away the top layer of paint until the flat coat shows through. Wipe away any sanding dust.

Seal the furniture with a good spray sealer formulated for outdoor furniture. Let it dry according to the directions on the label.