by Silva Payne

Created on: June 06, 2010

While many people want to fill their homes with new modern furniture, there will always be a place for older styles and items that look like antiques. If you live in a period property, antique look items of furniture and accessories can give your home a comfortable shabby-chic feel. Knowing how to distress wood or metal can help you create an antique look on any new item.

Distressing wood or metal is done by either taking off some of the protective paint or varnish, or by adding another layer to create the same effect. Take a look at an old table, stair banister or ladder-back chair. You will probably see parts of the furniture that have been worn down by constant use over many years. This creates what is known as a patina, and it is this that you want to try and recreate in order to give something an antique look.

On a smooth unpainted wooden item, specifically one with little or no carved detail, an antique finish can be achieved by using glass paper and wood stain. Make sure your item is clean and dry. Apply a thin coat of wood stain to the item, immediately wiping off the excess stain on some of the edges and corners as you go. Once dry, use glass paper to rub away more of the stain where you have previously wiped it off.

This should leave you with parts of the item being a lighter shade of wood than the rest. Corners and edges are the most likely to get worn naturally, so these are the parts you should remove more of the stain from. Once you are happy with the finish, apply a good layer of bees wax to help protect the bare wood.

Smooth unpainted metalwork can be treated in the same way. Instead of using glass paper however, you should use some wire wool or a wire brush, available from most hardware stores. Rub the wire wool over the parts of the metalwork that are likely to receive more wear. This will create a scuffed or brighter finish depending on the type of metal.

Wood and metal that is painted can also be distressed by rubbing away some of the paintwork. You will need to be more careful with old paintwork as it may begin to flake or chip when you rub it. This will also expose raw wood or metal beneath which may need protecting with wax or a metal anti-corrosion application. Alternatively, you can use a crackle glaze, which is simple to apply and dries to leave a cracked pattern across painted wood.

Wood and metal that is intricately carved or is ornate and may already be painted can be distress by applying another layer of paint. Your choice of colours will depend greatly on the existing colour of the item and the effect you wish to create. For a vert de gris finish you will need a base colour of light turquoise. On top of this, in the areas where natural wear would occur, you need to apply some bronze or gold metalic paint using the dry brush method.

To dry-brush, you will need a paintbrush that has a flat end to the bristles, rather like a stencilling brush. You can use a sponge but the effect is not as delicate and the paint may appear wiped rather than speckled. Dip the very end of the bristles of the brush into the paint, and then wipe off almost all of the paint on a spare piece of card until very little paint comes off the brush.

Next, gently brush the paint onto the edges of the carved areas of the item. It is better to have not enough paint on the brush than too much as you can always add more if you need to. This method works well on wooden items when brown paint is dry brushed onto a cream background.

Giving modern items an antique look is a simple process and can transform pieces of furniture in just a couple of hours into something resembling a family heirloom.

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