Repurposing Old Furniture With a Distressed Finish

Before

One of my favorite pieces of our remodel project is this coffee table I found on Craigslist from a resale store.  Not only did my purchase help fund a nursing home, it saved me a lot of $$ and gave me a unique piece you won’t find anywhere else!  Today I thought I would walk you through the process in case you have some old furniture you would like to repurpose for little money out of your pocket.

My favorite thing about this piece is all of the curves and detail.  In its prime it was a high quality piece that is very sturdy and made of solid wood.  It does have some nicks and dings, but I think they made this type of painting make it look even neater.  If you want to make a piece look more distressed carefully take a hammer and make your own distress marks using such items as a nail head, chain, chisel, etc.  I would recommend practicing on a scrap piece of wood.  Then follow the steps below. The amount of distressing is up to you.  I did more distressing on this piece that I did on our kitchen table.

Don’t worry, distressing is easy.  However, I do not recommend this to a perfectionist painter (this type of painting drives my husband crazy).

After

Step 1: Pick a paint color that you like.  You can go with an enamel spray paint for a smoother finish, but you will be very limited on colors.  I used an Olympic enamel paint that I color matched to a Benjamin Moore paint I had previously gotten a color sample of.  Just make sure it is an enamel paint so that you doesn’t rub off easily.

Step 2: Other items you may want to have on hand: a good paint brush, liquid sander, cut up old t-shirts, something to protect your floor, disposable gloves, eye protection and a 7” paint pad.

Step 3: Clean the surface with a damp rag

Step 4: Take a liquid sander (Yep, no sanding required!!  So no dusty mess!) and apply to your piece and let completely dry.  Liquid sander products are available at most home improvement stores. Use the old t-shirt pieces to put the product on in a circular motion (don’t forget eye protection and gloves for this part).

Step 5: If you have an edge like I did that connects to the top I recommend painting this first.  Take your brush and paint in small sections.  Wrap a t-shirt piece around your finger and wipe off edges and details that you don’t want to have paint on them.  This type of paint does dry quickly.  For any places on the main part that you want to have the worn look, let them dry a little more so you don’t just wipe all of the paint off before wiping them.  For flat areas I recommend wadding up your t-shirt for a more natural look.  If you mess up, no big deal you can always go back with a sanding block.  Just make sure your pattern is irregular.

Step 6: For the top take the paint pad and go in long swipes across the top.  Just make sure not to use too much paint or you won’t get the “striping” and may mess up what you have already done below. 

Step 7:  If you need to do another coat, although you most likely won’t need it.   Just keep in mind a second coat makes it harder to wipe the paint off the edges. 

My other favorite piece is this old dining table.  Believe it or not, I found it FREE on Craigslist.  I was sooo excited and loved the way it turned out!  I also has a leaf so we have more room when entertaining.  I didn’t distress this piece as much as the coffee table and for the top we used a cabinet and door foam paint roller for a smoother finish.

Before

Stay tuned for next week when I give some tips about choosing colors and show you how to repurpose some of your old pillows for your four legged friends!  Once we get our room together I’ll post pictures of these furniture pieces in their natural setting.

Partially Done

After

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