DIY Network

Distressing Furniture From "Ask DIY" episode ADI-303

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Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E

Q: Do you have any tips on how I can give my unfinished furniture more of an antique, distressed look?

A: (Bruce Johnson, Ask DIY antiques and woodworking expert) You're probably thinking I'm going to tell you to go out and get a chain to beat on your furniture. Nope, those days are over. Today we're a little more sophisticated about how we distress wood.

Here are some tips and suggestions on how to distress furniture:

• Start by studying the antique you want to duplicate. Johnson used an old child's chair to detect some signs of how antique furniture becomes distressed. On this chair, for example, at the point of each arm (figure A) there was some loss of color and rounding of the edges. That is a great clue for something to do to the new chair or piece of furniture. You also want to duplicate any chips and marks that can come with age -- a child's heels on the slats of a chair, for example.

• Be sure to check the legs of furniture. Wear and tear can create nicks and rounded edges (figure B). These are great to duplicate as well.

• The first step for distressing the new wooden furniture is to apply a clear coat of satin sealer. Remember that all antiques start out as new furniture with a new coat of finish.

• Start the distressing process by sanding the arm edges (figure C) of the furniture to create a rounded look.

  Note: Don't use a power sander for distressing furniture.

• Repeat the sanding process for any foot rung that may exist. Do only the front portion because feet can't reach the back.

• Use a coarse file to round off and scruff up the feet or runner (figure D) of the chair (or, in this case, rocker).

• Create some slight dents in the arms of the furniture with a hammer.

• Use a 1/16" drill bit to place "worm holes" (figure E) in the legs of the furniture. Four or five holes clustered together should do the job.

• Another great distressing technique is to take a fine-point black marker and create a few specks on the legs and arms.

• A special technique for creating black rings is done by spraying black paint on the bottom of a tin can, then pressing the can on the wood to create a black ring. Note: This works best on tabletops, not chairs. This works better than placing a water glass on the surface and waiting forever for a ring to set in.

• The last thing to do for distressing furniture is to apply a coat of paste wax. It's best to use a dark paste wax to create an antique look. The wax brings out those worn areas created by the distressing process.

Be Smart: Don't go overboard with distressing furniture. Too much can be detrimental to the process.

More Questions for Bruce:

Q: We just purchased a hundred-year-old home. How do we go about matching the reddish-orange stain on the trim? We haven't found any stain that's even close.

A: The problem is you're looking for one stain that's going to give you two colors, and that's not going to happen. What you need to plan on doing is to use two stains. Lay down the reddish color first. After that dries, come back with a corresponding color -- perhaps a little bit of brown -- that will give you that two-tone effect you're looking for.


Q: Can you refinish furniture that has a veneer?

A: Veneer is actually wood, but it's very thin wood. You have to realize NO heavy sanding. Treat veneer carefully and keep any water away from it, especially any water used as a rinse after staining, etc.


Q: How do I thoroughly clean a cherry table? The dark scratch remover isn't working. Please help!

A: The problem is that you're asking a scratch remover to clean the table. We're actually talking about two different ideas here. If you want to clean the table, get some ordinary mineral spirits and a soft rag. That will dissolve any old wax and oil that's on there and will take it right down to the original finish without removing it. You can attack those scratches with a scratch remover or a little bit of stain.

RESOURCES :
ITT Technical Institute

Special thanks to the ITT Technical Institute for providing the personnel for the Ask DIY Web site video.

ITT Technical Institute
Website: www.itt-tech.edu/

The Complete Manual of Woodworking
Author: Albert Jackson
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0679766111

Making Antique Furniture Reproductions: Instructions and Measured Drawings for 40 Classic Projects
Model: 0486279766
Author: Franklin H. Gottshall
(September, 1994)

Dover Publications Inc.
Website: www.doverpublications.com