Furniture Antiquing Technique

I’m super excited to share a tutorial for my all time favorite Furniture Antiquing Technique. I, like many of you, am obsessed with the Modern Farmhouse look that swept the nation after Fixer Uppers, Joanna Gaines brought this design style mainstream. One of my favorite things about the modern farmhouse design style is that you can achieve the Fixer Upper look on a shoe string budget. That’s why I’m so excited to share an antiquing technique using chalk paint and antiquing glaze.  

I have used this type of Antiquing Technique on a number of pieces in my house, it’s such an easy and inexpensive way to give your furniture a Farmhouse look (without the mess and time of sanding). 

I absolutely despise sanding, so 95% of the time, I use chalk paint. If you aren’t familiar with chalk paint, check out my DIY Chalk Paint tutorial, as it has a lot of info on the benefits of using chalk paint, as well as, a tutorial on how to make your own Chalk Paint. Not to mention, DIY Chalk Paint is a HUGE cost saver, especially if you’re painting multiple pieces of furniture. Chalk paint is especially great if you’re looking to create a distressed look; however in this case I wanted to create a look that has a blend of antique/aging with a stain/wash look.

Another thing I want to mention is the way I go about selecting my paint color. I have an enormous selection of acrylic/craft paint and paint samples, so about 99.9% of the time, I mix my own paint color. Once I get the perfect color I take it to Lowes and have them mix a quart of that color.

I also mix my own antiquing glaze. To do that you purchase clear mixing glaze and mix that with whatever paint color or colors you’d like.

The piece of furniture I’m showcasing in this farmhouse furniture makeover is the chest of drawers in my master bedroom. I used this technique on several pieces in the master bedroom, the media console in the living room and the cabinets in the half bath. I’d say it’s probably my all time favorite antiquing technique. I hope you like it as much as I do!!

Okay, now to the good stuff!!

Here is what you will need:

• Furniture – make sure it’s nice and clean before you get started (I would use a very damp paper towel or cloth and wipe it down.
• DIY Chalk Paint
• Paint Brush
• Paint Roller and Tray
• Antiquing Glaze
• 2 Microfiber cloths
• Damp cloth (this is if you accidentally over-glaze an area) you wipe it with the damp cloth and it comes right off.
• Minwax Finishing Polish

Okay,  now it’s time to bring your piece of furniture to life again!!

Step 1: Paint your furniture with Chalk Paint. I usually do 3 sometimes 4 coats (in areas that need a little extra coverage).

Let me start with PLEASE don’t worry if you can still see the original color showing through after the first coat of chalk paint, as this is normal,  the first coat basically provides a base (the same as if you sanded your piece of furniture).

If you’re painting a large piece of furniture, I definitely recommend using a foam roller. I used a roller for the sides and most of the drawers, then used a brush for the smaller drawer and corners.

Step 2: Dip your paint brush into the antiquing glaze then dab off all the extra paint until there is just a little left.

Step 3:  Paint various strokes over a small area in the direction of the grain (if the piece you’re painting doesn’t have grain then paint the sides with vertical strokes and the top with horizontal strokes) think of what direction the grain would be in if the furniture were made of wood.

Step 4: Right after you paint a section use a microfiber cloth to rub it in,  this blends the paint so it looks natural. If the glaze dries quicker than you can wipe it with your microfiber cloth and it looks choppy or streaked use a damp microfiber cloth to gently go over the area that you want to blend.

Step 5: Once you complete a full section(the entire top or side of the item you’re painting) take a step back and make sure you’re happy the way it looks.  If you don’t like an area you (if it’s to dark or not dark enough) you can adjust the amount of glaze you’re using. For instance,  if you want to add a bit more texture you can add a few additional strokes in the desired areas, and blend it in just like you did previously. Once you’re satisfied with the antique finish of your piece of furniture move on to the next section.

Step 6: Once you’ve completed all areas of your piece of furniture apply Minwax Finishing Polish

VIOLA…. my chest of drawers went from plain and boring to Farmhouse Chic

This Farmhouse Furniture Antiquing Technique is Easy Peezy Lemon Squeeze! In fact, it was so easy and I loved the look of it so much that I used this technique on my entire bedroom suite, the media console in my living room and the cabinets in my half bath. 

SOOOOO……What do you think of this Chalk Paint and Glaze Antiquing Technique?

Until Next Time…..