General Overview
Distressing or giving rustic look is a simple process that makes your new furniture look antique by adding wear and tear manually. You can easily distress metal, wood, as well as laminate furniture by yourself in order to make the newer furniture unique. This project requires paint with a chalky finish and sealing wax, you can also use supplies and tools around your own home. Once you finish distressing your laminate furniture, you’ll have a brand new piece of your furniture that looks older, rustic and antique.
Steps To Give Rustic Or Distressing Look To Laminate Furniture
Are you bored with the old look of your furniture, then no need to worry, here are some easy steps to give a rustic look to your different types of furniture. Read and follow the given steps carefully to get the best results of your rustic look giving process.
- Chalky Paint: Always use a chalky paint for your laminate furniture. Scrape off chalky paint is easier while distressing your laminate furniture. Choose a chalky paint color that matches the aesthetic in the rest of the room.
- Remember that the chalky paint is not the same paint as chalkboard paint. Chalkboard paint is used to be written on with chalk after it dries fully, but the chalky paint has a finish known as ultra-matte.
- Add Dings And Dents: Add dents and dings to the laminate furniture surface for an extra-rustic look. Adding marks to furniture legs or table surfaces will make it seem older which you want to do. Lightly tap the furniture with the end of a hammer or chisel to make indents on the surface of your furniture. If you can then make these marks random so it doesn’t look like an intentional pattern.
- Always wear safety glasses in case any wood particles accidentally breaks off from your laminate furniture.
- Sand: If you are using unfinished wood furniture then skip this step if not then sand the laminated furniture if it has a finish on the surface. Take 120-grit sandpaper to roughen the surfaces of the furniture because it will help you to paint adhere better so it’s less likely to chip or peel.
- Wipe: Now, wipe your laminated furniture with a damp cloth before starting your painting work. Make your cleaning cloth wet with warm water then wring it out until it’s damp. Wipe all areas which you want to paint and to get rid of any dirt and dust.
- Apply: Now, apply a coat of selected paint and dry it for a whole night. Use a bristle brush for this process and work from the top of your laminate furniture and work towards the bottom.
- Paint A Second Coat: After your first paint coat, now apply a second coat onto your laminate furniture and leave it to dry fully for 3-4 days.
- Giving Rustic Look: Once your laminate furniture is dried fully, it’s time to give a rustic look to it. Simply sand commonplaces and edges of wear and tear with sandpaper (120-grit). Corners and edges are the first parts that wear away over a period of time, so start by distressing these edges and corners. Use sandpaper (120-grit) to rub the dry paint off from the surface of your furniture to expose the laminate underneath. Always apply light pressure to avoid removing more than you want.
- Seal: After giving a rustic look to your furniture, now seal the laminate furniture and paint with finishing wax. Use cheesecloth to rub the wax on the furniture.