Painting Furniture White & Antiquing

Place a drop cloth on the floor under the furniture you want to make look like an antique.

Remove hardware, doors and/or drawers from the furniture. Removing hardware may require a screwdriver.

Sand the entire piece of furniture lightly to prepare it for paint. Wipe off the sanding dust with a clean cloth.

Stir white paint well with a wooden stir stick, and pour some of the paint into a paint tray.

Cover the furniture with one coat of white paint using a paintbrush or paint roller. A paintbrush tends to leave brush strokes while a roller applies paint more smoothly.

Wait for the coat of paint to dry completely, following the paint manufacturer's labeling for drying time.

Sand lightly the furniture's corners, edges and areas where normal wear and tear would occur with the furniture's prolonged use. Sand places more heavily for a more pronounced appearance of age and wear.

Add further signs of distress to the furniture, if desired, by hitting it with a chain, making shallow gouges with a screwdriver or chisel and splattering watered-down dark paint from a toothbrush to create tiny fly specks on the furniture.