How to Distress Rustic Furniture

Rustic furniture is appropriate for a country home and it is also be used to great effect in urban spaces as well. While rustic furniture is easily available, it might still have a like-new effect that greatly contrasts with your home and décor, especially if you like a shabby-chic aesthetic. Distress your rustic furniture. Because rustic furniture is typically made of wood, distressing it is straightforward.

Drop cloth
Screwdriver
Paint stripper
Plastic scraper
Spray primer
Paint
Paintbrush
Wax candle
0000 steel wool

Instructions

- 1
  Put down a drop cloth protecting your work area. Place your rustic piece of furniture on top of it. Pull out the drawers if there are any.
- 2
  Remove all of the hardware with a screwdriver and set them aside.
- 3
  Apply a thin coating of paint stripper to every surface you want painted. Use a paintbrush and allow the paint stripper to sit for the amount of time designated on the can.
- 4
  Scrape the paint stripper completely off with plastic scraper.
- 5
  Apply a coat of spray primer to the stripped wood and allow it to dry.
- 6
  Apply a base coat of paint using a paintbrush. This color will not be wholly visible, but peeks through. Allow the paint to thoroughly dry.
- 7
  Rub a wax candle along some of the edges, especially where the furniture sees wear.
- 8
  Paint the piece of rustic furniture with a top coat of paint using a paintbrush, and allow it to dry thoroughly.
- 9
  Rub the areas you rubbed with wax using 0000 steel wool. This allows the top coat to easily flake away, leaving behind a glimpse of the base coat. Rubbing a little harder exposes the wood. This gives your rustic furniture a gently worn look.
- 10
  Reattach all of the hardware using a screwdriver.

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