Antiquing Furniture Technique

Beeswax Technique

• 1

  Paint the item of furniture with a light-gray paint. If the furniture was already painted, give it a good sanding with a medium-grade sandpaper before applying your gray base coat. Allow the base coat to dry.

• 2

  Place a dab of beeswax on a soft cloth and rub it over the furniture. When the top coat is applied, it will not stick to the areas where the beeswax is, so concentrate on the corners and edges and high points in any detailing, to create a worn, distressed look.

• 3

  Paint a top coat in a color such as dark brown or burnt umber. Allow to dry. Rub a soft cloth over the furniture to remove the paint from the areas where the beeswax was applied. If necessary, use a fine-grade sandpaper to remove more of the top coat, creating an even more distressed look.

Painting Technique

• 4

  Paint the item with a stain latex paint and allow to dry. Green is an ideal base color for creating an antique effect.

• 5

  Apply a coat of glaze. Adding a few extra coats of glaze to the corners and edges of the item creates a more worn, antique look.

• 6

  Sand the furniture with fine-grade sandpaper. This will remove the glaze and create a worn appearance. Concentrate on edges and corners.

• 7

  Place a dab of wood wax on a soft cloth and apply to the entire surface of the furniture. Allow to dry and use a fresh soft cloth to buff the item.

• 8

  Thin down black acrylic paint. Apply the tips of the brush to the paint and dab off any excess paint on a paper towel. Flick the bristles to create a light spatter of paint onto the furniture, around the edges and corners. This creates a very authentic-looking worn, aged appearance.

Alternative Painting Technique

• 9

  Prepare the item if necessary and apply a coat of dark-color wood stain. Allow to dry.

• 10

  Select two colors, one base coat and one top coat. Apply the base coat to the furniture. Before the base coat turns tacky, apply the top coat. Drag a soft rag over the surface to blend the two colors together. Allow to dry.

• 11

  Sand the furniture to expose the dark stain underneath the paint.

• 12

  Mix a dark brown wash and apply to corners and crevices. Wait a few seconds and wipe with a soft cloth. This will create the appearance of years of accumulated dirt and stains.