18 Latex Painted Furniture Makeovers Distressed And Antiqued To Look Old

It is a simple process to paint furniture with latex paint and make it look worn and old. I often use several methods on a single piece to achieve the desired antiqued finish.

How To Make Painted Furniture Look Antique or Old

Step 1. Choose The Right Paint Sheen

A glossy or semi-gloss paint sheen looks shiny and new. Always choose a flat or matte sheen as the base for your “antique finish.”

Step 2. Paint Your Furniture

Choose latex paint that includes a primer. Apply two coats of paint to your furniture for full coverage.

Step 3. Choose Your Distressing Method

Distressing the furniture in areas that would normally wear over time is one of the most popular techniques for antiquing furniture.

There are several methods to distress paint:

Wet Distress. This method uses a rag dampened with water or a cleaning solution to wipe the paint away in strategic areas. Baby wipes, Chlorox wipes, and other premoistened wipes work very well for this technique.

The wet distress technique also allows the original stained furniture finish to shine, rather than distressing the paint to raw wood with sandpaper.

Sanding. Removing paint with sandpaper, either by hand or with a power sander, is an easy way to distress paint. This method will generally sand the paint down to raw wood. To make the wood look aged a toner, glaze, or wax should be applied over the raw wood.

Vaseline Layering Method. This technique is used to make furniture look old by layering paint as if the furniture had been painted several times over the years.

Applying petroleum jelly between layers of paint works as a paint resist. Brush a layer of paint onto your furniture, and once it is dry, apply a light layer of petroleum jelly over the areas where you would like the bottom layer of paint to show through the top layer.

Then paint with your second color of paint. Next, gently sand the top layer of paint in the areas where the petroleum jelly was applied. Now you have a visible layer of paint under the top coat.

Step 4. Antique The Paint

There are various ways to make the paint look dark or worn.

Dark Wax

Wipe a coat of dark wax over painted furniture using a lint-free rag, then buff the wax when it is dry. This will make the paint look dark and old.

Toner or Glaze

Wipe over dry paint with a toner or glaze and wipe it back with a rag until you acheive the perfect “dark” aged look.

Dark Paint Wash

A dark paint wash is similar to a whitewash, only you use a dark brown or black paint for your wash. To make a paint wash with any color paint, mix 3 parts water to 1 part paint.

Apply with a lint-free rag, then wipe back with a damp rag to achieve the aged look.

Step 5. Seal the Paint Finish

If you applied wax as your aging method, then your project is sealed. Apply wax over toner, glaze, or layered paint to seal the finish.

The following 18 furniture tutorials feature various methods for antiquing furniture to acheive an aged worn paint finish.

18 Inspiring Latex Painted Furniture Makeovers (With Step-by-Step Tutorials)

These tutorials cover basic and in-depth techniques to age or antique paint.

How to antique old furniture.

This true antique piece was in bad shape and we had to do a lot of repairs before painting it. I love the details on this unique piece.

How to age already painted furniture.

The vintage dresser was already painted when I found it at my favorite junk shopWhen I found the vintage dresser at my favorite junk shop, it was already painted. I brought it home, distressed the paint heavily, and then waxed it with dark wax.

How to paint and distress an old bed.

There is just something about spindle beds. The curved details are perfect for distressing.

How to wet wipe distress paint.

Vintage radio cabinets are favorites of mine. I remove the radio and usually add shelving for storeage. This cabinet was painted and wet distressed for no mess.

How to distress paint using Clorox wipes.

Wet distressing furniture means you don't have a mess to deal with and the original stained finish can still be seen.

How to make white furniture look old.

For this antiqued piece I used a baby bottle brush to give the paint a "fly speck" look.

How To Make A Wood And Iron Table Look Old

The top of the cherub table was scarred and needed painting. I dry brushed the metal base.

Repaint An Old Farmhouse Buffet And Hutch

This buffet with hutch is very eye-catching. I love all of the straight lines. When I spotted it at the Nashville Flea Market, it had a very country-style paint job. Painting it black gave it a more classic look.

Use Dark Wax To Antique Paint

One of the easiest techiniques to antique painted furniture is with dark wax. Just paint the furniture then apply one or two coats of dark wax over the paint.

Make White Paint Look Old The Easy Way

If I can save part of the original stained finish I will. This table is an example of that. The base was in great shape and I just painted and aged the tabletop.

How To Make Painted Furniture Look Old And Antiqued

The chest of drawers got the works. I distressed the paint, used a toner for aging the paint, and then applied dark wax.

The Secret To Antiquing Furniture The Easy Way

Wood trunks and cedar chests with an outdated look will shine when painted. No distrressing for the trunk just a lot of dark wax.

Two Color Furniture

Two-tone painted furniture looks very modern,, especially when the details are highlighted with paint.

Paint Furniture Black And Distress Lightly

Black furniture is so classy and when you add high contrast knobs the furniture is very modern looking. I very lightly distressed the paint here using an electric sander.

Distress And Antique White Painted Furniture

Yep, this is one of my best furniture makeovers. I love the way this dresser or buffet turned out. The antique finish is light and bright compared to the original stain.