How To Antique Painted Wood Furniture
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Learn how to antique painted wood furniture and make your furniture look old in just a few easy steps. Antiquing paint adds depth and character to furniture. The aged or timeworn paint look is very popular, but buying new furniture finished in this style can be expensive.
If you want that old, timeworn look, products like toner, glaze, stain, or dark wax will give you a beautiful, realistic finish. They settle into the details and low spots, adding depth and character. It’s an easy way to get that soft antique look while keeping the furniture’s finish natural-looking. In this tutorial I show you how to use toner.
The process of antiquing painted furniture is really simple. Anyone can do it, and I have plenty of tips, tricks, and photos to help you make your project the best it can be.
How To Antique Painted Furniture Using Toner, Glaze, Or Stain
My favorite part of blogging is interacting with my readers and knowing that I might actually inspire someone through my projects. The first time I received an email asking for more information about how to do a project, I was a little surprised and a lot humbled. The idea that someone would ask me for guidance was new to me.
I do my best to explain special techniques and paint finishes, and I love it when readers send me photos of their projects. So far, no one has hunted me down over any questionable advice I may have given. Many comments and emails are about how to antique furniture or give painted furniture an aged finish. The next most common questions are about how to distress furniture, and I have the answer for that in another post.
Antiquing Technique for Any Piece of Furniture
This technique can also be used on painted cabinets, accessories, and just about anything else that is painted. You can even use it on shiny brass or other finishes to tone down the brightness. On slick surfaces such as hardware, you may need to let the toner sit for a few minutes before wiping it off. Play around with it and see what works best.
I painted and antiqued this table while taking lots of photos to share with you guys. After you read the tutorial, if you have any questions about how to antique painted furniture, shoot me an email.
Paint Choice for Antiquing Method
I like latex paint when using the antiquing technique, and the best sheens are flat, eggshell, or satin. Semi-gloss and gloss finishes do not absorb toner or glaze as well, so they are not the best choice if you want an authentic antiqued finish.
Milk paint also works well for making furniture look old. Chalk paint tends to grab onto dark toner and can sometimes create a heavier look than you want.
Types of Antiquing Products
There are several products you can use to antique painted furniture, and each one creates a slightly different finish.
Toner: Toner is one of my favorite products for antiquing furniture because it is easy to use and gives consistent results. It settles into details, crevices, and carved areas beautifully, creating natural-looking age and depth. Once it dries, it stays put better than some other products.
Glaze: Glaze gives you a little more open time to work, which makes it a good choice if you want to experiment with your finish. It can be brushed on and wiped back to highlight details and add softness to the painted surface. Some glazes may need a protective topcoat.
Stain: Stain can also be used to antique painted furniture, especially if you want a darker, richer aged look. It works best when applied lightly and wiped back well. Depending on the paint and stain combination, drying time can vary, so always test first.
Wax: Dark wax is another popular option for antiquing painted furniture. It adds color, depth, and a soft aged appearance. Wax is especially nice if you want a subtle sheen, but it usually gives a different look than toner or glaze and often requires buffing.
Apply Caromal Colours Toner Over the Paint
The miracle product that makes antiquing easy is Caromal Colours Toner. This stuff goes a long way. The 16-ounce size will cover several pieces of furniture unless they are extremely large. You can order the toner here: Caromal Colours Toner.
Toner is a little like glaze or stain, but glaze can eventually wear off or wash off, while toner does not.
This little table was perfect for antiquing because of the turned legs. Those beautifully turned legs collect the toner in all the right places. Plus, the table was only $5 at My Favorite Junk Shop. The paint is Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Eulalie’s Sky, my new favorite paint color.
Apply The Toner to Age the Paint
The technique is as simple as brushing the toner on with an inexpensive chip brush. Be sure to brush the toner into all the cracks and crevices because this is where the paint would normally age or darken.
Apply the toner with a brush or rag to small areas, working in sections so you have time to let the toner settle properly. Next, remove some of the toner to achieve the look you want. Use a dry rag or a slightly damp one, depending on how much toner you want to remove.
Leave a lot of toner on the paint for a really aged look, or wipe most of it off for a slightly worn look. Using a dry rag will leave more toner on the furniture. A damp rag works best, and one that is too wet will wipe all the toner off.
Brush the toner on, then wipe the toner off. If you remove too much toner, just apply more and wipe it down again.
Brush the toner on…..
…..you get the idea!
Antiquing Painted Furniture, Tips and Tricks
If the Toner is Really Dark
Don’t try to water the toner down because it will dry faster and then be harder to work with. I speak from experience. Use a damp rag to remove a little toner, a dry rag to leave more toner on, and a wet rag to remove most of the toner.
Wiping the Toner Off
Once the toner is applied, wipe it off to achieve the antique paint look shown in the photos here. If you want a really dark look, let the toner sit for a while before wiping it off. The toner is easy to work with and gives you time to get the look you want, but once it dries, it is there to stay.
Paint a Sample Board First
Practice on a sample board if you are nervous about using the toner. I promise it is easy to use, and you will love the results. I suggest wearing gloves, or your hands will be toned, and not in a good way.
Sandpaper and Antiquing Furniture
Sandpaper isn’t always the best way to antique furniture because it can make the finish look a little too harsh or fake. Natural wear usually happens over time in small areas like edges, corners, and spots that get touched the most. When you sand too much, it can take the paint off in places that don’t look natural, leave scratch marks, and make the piece look more damaged than beautifully aged.
No sealer is needed, but if you want to add a little sheen, apply clear wax after the toner has cured for several days.
Watch my video on how to antique painted furniture……
Additional Ways to Achieve Antique Paint Finishes
Layers of Paint
Brushing on multiple colors of paint, allowing each layer to dry before painting over it, and then distressing the finish will make painted furniture look old or antique.
Apply Dark Wax
There are many brands of dark wax to choose from. I like Liberon Wax, but I’m not a fan of the new Howard’s Chalk-Tique Wax. I really liked the earlier formulas of colored wax. I still like Howard’s neutral wax for protecting furniture and giving it a nice sheen.
To use dark wax to antique paint, wipe the dark wax over the paint, let it dry, then buff it. Dark wax works great on both light and dark paint colors.
Distress the Paint
Sanding the paint on furniture once it is dry will give the finish a worn look. You can stop after distressing to expose the raw wood, or you can apply toner, glaze, or dark wax to the distressed areas to make the wood look older.
Apply a Dark Paint Wash
A dark paint wash is similar to whitewash, only you use dark brown or black paint for the wash. To make a paint wash with any color paint, mix 3 parts water to 1 part paint. Depending on the paint type and thickness, you may need more or less water in the mix.
Dampen a lint-free rag with the wash and wipe it over the painted furniture, working in small areas. Keep a damp rag handy to wipe the wash back if it is too heavy. If you are new to this process, it is a good idea to practice on a sample board until you get the hang of it.
More posts with tutorials on using toner on furniture and how to antique paint:
How To Make New Furniture Look Old
Vintage Dresser with a two-tone toner application.
Remember, if you have any questions, email me, kathy@petticoatjunktion.com.
I have never used the Caromal Colours Toner on oil based paint. I know if you use it on water based or latex paint it will dry in a matter of a couple of hours but I always wait a few days to use a sealer. I normally don’t seal it though. Hope this info helps. Good Luck!
I tried to antique some dining rooms chairs that I painted with cabinet & furniture oil-enriched enamel paint. I was told to use oil-based stain to do the antiquing. It looked great. The problem is that the stain with not dry. It’s still wet and/or tacky everywhere. It’s been 3 days! Will the product you talk about here dry in a short amount of time so I can seal the chairs? Thank God I only used one chair to get the hang of it. Help! Thanks so much.
Would I get the same effect using wiping stain instead of the toner?
I didn’t realize you have an Etsy shop. What’s it called?
The finish looks like one you would get from using dark wax. How is it different? Btw, that milk paint color is beautiful — right up my alley! The table came out really cute.