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DIY, Painted Furniture, Crafts, Tutorials, Painting Tips, Before and After

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Tutorial-How To Antique Painted Furniture

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How To Antique Furniture

Learn how to antique furniture in a few easy steps. Antique paint and painted furniture to add depth and character. No hum drum stuff here.  Tips, tricks, and lots of photos to make your project the best it can be are included.
how to antique furniture

How to Antique Furniture 

Step 1. Paint furniture the desired color using latex paint with a flat, matte, or satin finish.

Step 2. Brush on Caromal Colours Toner, a product you can find locally or online. 

Step 3. Wipe off excess Caromal Colours Toner with a rag. Done!

The process To Antique Painted Furniture is really simple. Anyone can do this…..meaning you too.

My favorite part of blogging is the interaction with my readers and the knowledge that I may actually be able to inspire someone… anyone…. with my projects. The first time I received an email asking for more information on 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 when readers send me photos of their projects. So far no one has hunted me down for any questionable advice I may have given. A large number of comments and emails are about how to antique furniture or how to give painted furniture an aged finish.

I painted and antiqued this table all the while taking lots of photos to share with you guys. If you have any questions about how to antique painted furniture after you read the tutorial just shoot me an email!

Caromal Colours Toner for antiquing furniture Petticoat Junktion

The miracle product that makes antiquing easy is ….Caromal Colours Toner. This stuff goes a long way. The size is 16 ounce and you can do several pieces of furniture with one jar unless they are humongous.

At one time I sold the Toner in my Etsy shop but found the process of taking orders, packing the product, and shipping it very time consuming. You can order the toner here….Caromal Colours Toner...or visit the Find A Local Store Page here.

how to antique painted furniture before and after

This little table was perfect for the antiquing process because of the turned legs. Those beautiful 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.

how to antique painted furniture

The technique is as simple as  brushing on the toner using an inexpensive chip brush. Then…..

how to antique painted furniture

……wiping the toner off until you get the perfect look. Leave a lot of toner on the paint for a really aged look or wipe most of the toner off for a slightly worn look.

how to antique painted furniture

Brush the toner on………Wipe the toner off.

toner tutorial how to antique painted furniture

Brush the toner on…..

how to antique painted furniture

…..you get the drift!

toner tutorial to age furniture

a few tips and tricks to help with your project

  1. The toner is really dark, don’t try to water it down because it makes the toner dry faster and then it’s hard to work with. I speak from experience!

 2. Use a damp rag to wipe off a little toner, a dry rag to leave on a lot of toner, a wet rag to wipe off most of the toner.

 3. The toner is easy to work with and you have time to work it and get the look you want but once it dries, it’s there to stay!!

 4. Once the toner is applied start wiping it off to get the look shown in the photos here. If you want a really dark look then let the toner set for a while before wiping it off.

 5. Practice on a sample board if you are anxious about using the toner.

 6. I promise it’s 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.

 7. No sealer needed but if you want to add a little sheen then wipe on a clear wax after the toner has cured for a few days.

The following video is a complete tutorial showing how to antique furniture using toner…….

 

antiquing furniture tutorial

How To Antique Furniture

This technique can be used on painted cabinets, painted accessories, painted anything! Also for  shiny brass or other finishes to tone the brightness down. On slick finishes such as hardware you may need to let the toner set for a few minutes before wiping off. Play around with it. 
how-to-antique-furniture-antiquing-or-aging-furniture-is-a-simple-process

Check out the links below for other ideas using toner on painted furniture.

How To Make New Furniture Look Old

Vintage Dresser with a two-tone toner application.

Pair of Nightstands Painted Silver Metallic and Aged with toner.

Visit my video page for more tutorials….
Remember, if you have any questions just email me, [email protected] Have a great day, Kathy

This post was originally published on Petticoat Junktion in September 2013. The post has been updated with new information and photos. 

Comments

  1. I was interested to read that you don’t use glaze. It seems to be all the rage everywhere, even here in the UK although it is next to impossible to get. I had been thinking of trying nonetheless to get some for a project but if it’s not something you use, that would definitely weigh with me as your ideas and techniques are GOOD. I will try to get toner instead.

  2. I have a table very similar to this, just doesn’t have the turned legs and has a little drawer. Shape and height wise it’s very close. Have been wondering what to do with it and now I know. Thanks so much for the how-to. You are so imaginative.

  3. I agree with Linda, Kathy. You are the best at giving new life to furniture! And at posting tutorials. And at answering questions…and probably many more things that I’m not aware of!

    • No glaze and toner are not the same Linda. In my experience the glaze dries faster than the toner so you have less time to work with it and also the glaze tends to wash off over time.

      • ok, so otherwise they do the same thing — give an antique look to furnishings? Glaze is just more difficult to work with?

        I appreciate your taking the time to reply.

        Linda

  6. I love what you did with that table…it’s perfect. I have a bedroom suit that was my grandpa’s and I want to refinish it for my son. It’s wood and I am going to paint it but I am not for sure if I need to sand it and then paint it or what??

    • I think it’s similar to glaze. I don’t really use glaze so not sure. If I “glaze” something I mix up the stuff myself, lol.

  9. Oh I love tutorials like this. I am trying to create an antique feel to my home and once i find the perfect piece i will defintley give this a try. Who doesn’t like the old antique look? For me it certainly trumps the contemporary Ikea furniture around at present

  11. Nice little table, it is an alternative to stripping down to the bare wood and staining and gives an authentic antique look. Well done.

  12. Hi! Love your work! I have a question u may be able to answer. I have painted kitchen table from pottery barn. Many years ago someone wiped the top with a magic eraser and messed up the finish. Eventually it became an arts and crafts table for the kids, so now there is glitter and acrylic paint on the top! We are moving and this table is the perfect size for our new kitchen, so I want to try to salvage it! I was thinking I could sand the top just enough to get it level, and then priming the whole thing, legs and all, so that I can change the color of it ( and then follow your antiquing method!). Do you think that will work? Any advice? Thanks in advance!

  13. Thanks for sharing your technique. I paint a lot of furniture, but I don’t usually give it that time worn look…mostly because I don’t want to mess it up! You make it look simple! 🙂

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