Distressed Furniture - Getting that Antique Look

Though people generally want their furniture to look good, there are varying opinions on what that really means. Some people like the modern look, while others like the look of distressed furniture; whether that means naturally or artificially distressed. The distressed look makes furniture look antique, which can add a certain charm to the look as well as to the room in which the furniture is located. You can get this look by actually buying antique furniture, you can buy new furniture that has been made to look antique, or you can buy furniture and distress it yourself. Distressed furniture, in the right setting, never goes out of style, and if you like the look you can probably save a lot of money by distressing or "weathering" furniture yourself.

There are various ways that you can approach creating the look of distressed furniture. Keep in mind, however, that your goal is to have it look as realistic as possible. You want your furniture to look like it has been naturally weathered; anything else defeats your purpose. Along this line, one thing that you want to remember is that no piece of furniture weathers uniformly; there are places where it will look more worn and places where it will look less worn. You don't want to go for an even look with distressed furniture; when going for authenticity, asymmetrical is best.

One thing that you can do—and as an added bonus this can be great for stress—is to actually "beat" the furniture in strategic places. Think about where furniture gets worn the fastest and do a little weathering in those places. The trick is not to beat the furniture up so that you actually make it fragile; it is to make it look careworn but loved! Experiment with different implements on furniture that you are about to throw away, or on a piece of wood that resembles the wood frame of your furniture. When creating artificially distressed furniture, you don't really want to practice on the main piece at first; it's hard to correct distressing mistakes.

Some examples of homemade distressing implements are a bag filled with different kinds of rough rocks or nails, rough sandpaper attached to a long-handle (for easy striking), or chains. You can also stain the furniture after it is distressed, but you may want to practice on other wood to try to perfect an antique effect. In the end, you may find that you are pretty good at creating distressed furniture. It could become a hobby that you enjoy, or even a way of making some extra money!

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Title:	Distressed Furniture - Getting that Antique Look
Author:	Joy Stoyle
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Distressed Furniture - Getting that Antique Look