How To Paint Shabby Chic Furniture

The first thing that you will need to do is prepare the wood by removing any existing wood finish so that the new paint coat you apply may stick properly. To remove any polish that may be on the furniture, you could use spirit or wire wool, but if it is varnished, sanding would be the best option.

To ensure your furniture has a smoother finishing and to make your work a lot easier, it is best to apply a coat of water-based acrylic primer.

Next you will need to apply a few thin layers of the paint you may be using. Before adding a second layer, let the first layer dry completely. You could also sand the first layer lightly with a 180 grit to get a smoother finish.

If what you require is a simple painted wood, then just coat the paint with acrylic varnish to seal it and jump to the last step. However, if you want to distress your furniture, follow onto the next steps.

For distressing, you will follow the first two steps as it is, but instead of using the same color for each coat, you will create a distressed finish of two different colors by removing the second layer in order to expose the layer under. This gives your furniture a natural vintage look.

You initiate by applying the first coat and letting it dry properly. Then for the hack part. Using a paint brush or a sponge, apply clear furniture wax by simply dabbing streaks wherever you want the furniture to seem distressed. Apply the second coat over the entire thing including the wax as well. Once the second layer dries, use a cotton cloth to remove the paint from the areas where you had applied the wax. This gives it an amazing, professional look.

If the distressing does not look enough, you could scrape the paint off the waxed areas or by using a sand paper, you could cause an equally perfect distressed look. If at any point you think you may have made a mistake, you could paint over that particular area again or could even repeat the wax distressing method.

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