Distress Modern Furniture for a Fun New Look

Today in the digital age, everything is all about moving forward and making progress. But in the realm of furniture, many designers are taking more than a few steps back. In modern furniture design and sales, the vintage distressed look is sometimes even more popular than contemporary pieces.

Distressing a piece of furniture is a great way to add character or help it better fit with your decor, especially in rooms that have a more “shabby chic” theme. You can buy furniture with the weathered look. Or if you have furniture you want to repurpose, you can rough it up all by yourself to make it fit your decor perfectly.

We want to offer you step-by-step instructions on how to distress modern furniture to give it a vintage vibe.

DIY: Give Your Furniture a Make-Under

Making modern furniture appear older may seem counterintuitive, but the results can be charming and beautiful.

What you’ll need:

• Object to be distressed
• Stain latex paint
• Wood stain
• Paintbrush
• Dry brush
• Candle
• Medium-grade steel wool
• Sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Polyurethane to finish (optional)

What you’ll do:

1. First, you’ll want to sand the piece of furniture to be repainted. Once finished, wipe it down with a tack cloth to remove debris and dust.
2. Paint the whole piece with the satin latex base coat.
3. Here’s where you get creative. Start sanding off areas that would have naturally worn away: like where hands would touch or corners would rub up against a wall. If you plan to add a color paint, rub candle wax on areas where you want color to show through.
4. If you aren’t using a color, wipe your piece down with the tack cloth.
5. I you are adding a color, apply color paint on the furniture over the base coat and wax. Then rub the steel wool over the areas you waxed in step 3.
6. Apply your finish if you chose to use one.

Shop Furniture for all Rooms at Home Comfort

Feeling inspired? Find a new piece to distress or keep as-is in Home Comfort’s vast selection of designer furniture. We have something for everyone, and something for every room from bedroom to kitchen. Visit one of our stores in Raleigh or Cary, easily accessible from nearby Durham, Chapel Hill and Apex.