How do you bring life back to an old furniture piece that has sentimental value but is very much out-dated? Of course, you don’t want to throw it away but it has become an eye sore amongst your up-to-date furniture. I had a client recently who had this very dilemma. Making some changes to her interior, she did not want to get rid of this sofa table passed down through her family…

After learning her style and the room’s colors where this piece would reside, we came up with a plan. I would bring life back to this old furniture piece by applying a distressed finish.

Distressing an old furniture piece:

Following a light sanding, I mixed 2 tablespoons Junk Gypsy Happy Camper with 1 tablespoon JG Wild Oats…

and applied my first coat of paint…

Junk Gypsy is a chalk paint and therefore will adhere to pretty much any wood surface. Including a wood surface that has been stained, painted, polyurethaned, etc. It is amazing paint to work with and requires minimal prepping…

I just have to throw in this picture..This little lady was a bit of a distraction. So stinkin’ cute, but her choice of a place to lounge was not exactly ideal…

It’s always a good idea to lightly sand your piece after using chalk paint to get rid of the grittiness and achieve more of that smooth furniture surface.

Now it was time for some distressing. Using my Ridgid Electric Sander, I randomly sanded different areas. Some more than others. I continued this process until I achieved the look I was going for…

Given that this was an heirloom passed down, I wanted to add in somewhat of an antique look. I acquired this semblance by rubbing Miss Mustard Seed’s Antiquing Wax in sections over the entire sofa table. The key is to rub on the wax, let it sit for a couple minutes, wipe it off. Repeat this method until you attain the look you want…

The wax is two-fold…it antiques and protects. No need for a coat of poly. Note: You can start using the piece right away, but it does take 30 days for it to fully cure.

I should probably give these guys a moment of fame too…

Aren’t these before and afters amazing??

What a coat of paint, and a little distressing and antiquing can do to a piece of furniture. Hard to believe it’s the same sofa table.

Do you have a furniture piece that needs some updating? Have you updated a piece of furniture lately? Send me a picture and I’ll share it on the blog. I always love seeing what you’ve done.

Until next time,

Happy Building!!

For more information on mixing paint check out this blog post.

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