Published on October 17th, 2022

Last updated on February 6th, 2023

How To Antique Furniture With Paint: Ultimate Guide For Top Result!

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
furniture antiqued with paint

From time to time, people want to refinish their furniture. Sometimes their choice falls on the old antique painting techniques. So if you are wondering how to antique your new or old furniture with paint, use the following steps:

  1. Protect everything around your furniture;
  2. Prepare furniture surfaces for painting;
  3. Sand your furniture;
  4. Dissolve dried paint;
  5. Apply the first layer of stain to the surface of the furniture;
  6. Apply base paint to furniture;
  7. Apply a second coat of paint;
  8. Add a touch of antique to your furniture;
  9. Work with the edges of your furniture;
  10. Do the final work.

You can’t go back to the past, but you can bring the past into the present. Now, you can face a lot of antique painting techniques. You can easily create an antique look for your furniture with just a few simple steps we’ll walk you through. Don’t try to age your furniture too much during the painting process, as it won’t look natural. We’ve compiled our furniture painting steps into a single guide that will help you finish any wood, even if it’s laminated veneer.

In this article, I will share my antique furniture DIY that can help paint your tree in the old style quickly and efficiently.

Antique Furniture Painting In 10 Steps

antiquing furniture with paint

We have already told you that the process of furniture antiquing with the stain is not difficult. Now, we want to tell you the steps you must follow to paint your furniture. To begin with, you should prepare a number of necessary tools and materials with which you can do the job.

Required tools:

  • Sanding blocks grit equal to 150 and 220;
  • Paint brushes;
  • Adhesive tape for painting works;
  • Clean rags;
  • Stain or brown paint
  • Matt paints for basic painting.

Now let’s move on to the steps you need to follow to paint your antique-style furniture.

1. Protect Everything Around Your Furniture

Before starting work on furniture antiquing, you must remove all the equipment you will not require when painting. Also, tape all surfaces near the furniture so as not to stain them with paint.

2. Prepare Furniture Surfaces For Painting

Use damp cloths to clean your furniture from dust and any possible stains. After that, wait until your furniture is completely dry, and then you can proceed to the next step.

3. Sand Your Furniture

Use a pre-prepared sanding block to sand your furniture to remove the shine from its surface. Also, carefully sand the vulnerable areas of your furniture that are badly damaged or where traces of past whitewashing are present. This way, you can get to the raw wood so the paint can get inside. If you have a dedicated sander, this would be a good option.

4. Dissolve Dried Paint

It will be the next step in antique furniture DIY. There may be areas of dried paint on the surface of your furniture. To do this, you need to put in more effort and time. Alternatively, you can get a professional to help you remove layers of dried paint with a thinner or do it yourself. If you decide to work with the solvent, open all windows and wear a respirator. Be careful and wear gloves.

5. Apply The First Layer Of Stain To The Surface Of The Furniture

Now you can start work with the stain for antiquing your new or old furniture. Start by applying stain or dark brown paint to heavily damaged areas of your furniture. If you decide to use the paint option, add a little water to it. Use a clean rag to apply paint. In the end, wipe your furniture with a clean cloth to remove excess layers of product.

6. Apply Base Paint To The Furniture

Using a pre-prepared brush, apply a thin layer of paint to your furniture. Try to keep the paint layers as thin as possible. It will make it easier for you to paint the furniture. We advise you to use matte paint, which is especially suitable in cases where you do not want to use a primer before painting the furniture. Leave your furniture to dry overnight.

7. Apply A Second Coat Of Paint

When you try to antique your furniture with paint, you need to apply a second coat of stain. That will be the finishing step of staining your furniture. After the first coat of paint is completely dry, you can start applying the second one. Using the same brushes, apply another coat of paint. As with the first layer, apply the paint thinly. Leave your furniture to dry before moving on to the next step.

8. Add A Touch Of Antique To Your Furniture

Now that the paint is completely dry, we can start working on furniture antiquing with a special tool. This time take a 150-grit sanding block and start working on the edges of the furniture. Your goal is to get the dark areas to show through. Take your time and step back at regular intervals to look at the result of the work done. Don’t sand too hard; it will only make your furniture look worse.

9. Work With The Edges Of Your Furniture

Using a 220-grit sanding block, sand the edges of the furniture to remove more of the top coat of paint. After that, moisten a rag with dye and polish the edges. If you want to achieve a rustic look to your furniture, you can polish the matte paint with a colorant.

10. Do The Final Work

As the last step of the job, you will need to use a sanding block with a grit of 220. It will help to sand your furniture as efficiently as possible and achieve its antique look. You can use a knife or other tool to sand certain areas of your furniture. Also, you can cut off the corners of your furniture to make it look more natural.

Bottom Line

I have given you a list of steps of one of the antique painting techniques that will help you paint wooden furniture in an antique style. Use each step of our guide to give your furniture a new look. Proceed with care to give your furniture a natural look. We believe that you will succeed.

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FAQ

How To Antique Furniture With Paint?

To paint a tree antique, you need to sand the tree, remove the old paint from it and apply two layers of paint in turn. After the last layer of paint has dried, you will need to sand the furniture’s surface again to make the bottom layer a little translucent. Don’t rub too hard; your furniture should keep its natural look.

Is It Possible To Give A Tree An Old Look With Ordinary Paint?

Yes, you can use any paint to give your wooden furniture an antique look. Some designers advise using latex paint to give the wood an antique look. However, the main thing in giving the wood antiquity is the proper polishing, painting, and final polishing.

What Tricks Do You Need To Know When Trying To Age A Tree With Paint?

The main point in working on giving old age to a tree is using several layers of paint of different colors. The top coat of paint should be darker than the bottom. Once you’ve carefully polished the top coat of paint, you’ll notice how the wood has gotten the vintage look you want.

How To Quickly Get Antique Wooden Furniture?

If you don’t have time to wait for layers of paint to dry one by one, use the quick and natural method of painting antique furniture. To do this, brew two cups of tea and apply it to the wood. After it dries, use an iron bite to it and let the wood dry. The result will pleasantly surprise you.