I’m going to fill you in on a new tip to achieve an aged, distressed look on your painted furniture without sand paper. It took some convincing but I was finally allowed to take a paint brush to this chunky coffee table that has been living in a spare room:
Who needed to be convinced? My husband, and for good reason. You see, he built this table by himself in a school wood shop class in the SEVENTH grade! I know, I chose the clock, too. Which my parents immediately relegated to our basement. Our unfinished basement that would flood during a 1/4″ rain storm. Back to the table. Seriously amazing. But over the years (there have been quite a few), the coffee table gathered a few unsightly dings and scratches. The best remedy? A distressed finish.
That takes me back to my original point: coconut oil. Coconut oil has skyrocketed into fame for its many uses but distressing furniture? Yes, it’s true!
The process couldn’t be simpler. Before you begin painting your piece of furniture (and after you have thoroughly cleaned and dried it), simply dab a bit of coconut oil on the edges you wish to distress. I spooned coconut oil into a small dish so that I wasn’t dipping into the jar I use for cooking. Keep in mind that a little goes a long way! Also, make sure to have a tarp underneath to catch excess oil.
Next, paint your piece of furniture. In my case, I used homemade chalk paint on my table and it required about 4 coats. When painting with chalk paint, the coats dry very quickly. I allowed the last coat to dry for about 6 hours to ensure it was completely dry. Then I wiped a slightly damp towel (almost dry) around the edges of the table. The paint on the areas where you applied the coconut oil will rub off effortlessly, and the rest of the paint will stay adhered right where it should be!
I had heard of people using Vaseline in the same way but I searched my whole house and guess what? No Vaseline. So I thought, why not coconut oil? I gave it a shot and am so glad I did.
What do you think of this technique? Please come back and let me know if you try it!
