• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Shop Favorites
  • About
    • Welcome To My Repurposed Life Home of Repurposed Furniture
    • More About Gail
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Information
  • Gallery
    • Repurposed Furniture
  • Repurposed Items
    • Building Supplies
    • Miscellaneous Household Items
    • Picture Frame/Chalk Board
  • DIY
    • Home Reno
    • outdoor living
    • Painting
    • Shop Talk
    • Tips for Around the House
    • Build It
      • Furniture
      • Home Decor
      • Storage
    • Crafts
      • Dollar Store
      • Easy
      • Holidays Seasonal
  • Furniture
    • Chair
    • Desk
    • Dresser/Chest
    • Headboard | Bed Parts | Cribs
    • Kids Furniture
    • Table
    • Kids Furniture
My Repurposed Life® Rescue Re-imagine Repeat
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Project Index
  • Furniture
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » DIY » How To Distress DIY Projects

    How To Distress DIY Projects

    Published by Gail | Published January 5, 2021 | Updated December 23, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    Do you stress over "how to distress" furniture and other diy projects? I'm sharing many projects highlighting 5 ways to get the perfect look. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #distressing #furniture via @repurposedlife

    Do you stress about how to distress DIY projects? I use to really worry about getting the perfect look. But it's not as difficult as you may think. The key to a great distress technique is not taking it too seriously and overthinking the process.

    There are 5 general ways to distress furniture projects and thrift store decor items.

    1. Sandpaper
    2. Wet distressing
    3. Emery Boards
    4. Tape
    5. Resist Technique

    Distressing Wood Projects with Sandpaper

    Distressing wood projects with sandpaper can be done by hand or with an electric sander.

    distress reclaimed wood sign

    Mindi distressed both the   Curtain Tie Backs used as Towel Hooks and the weathered board sign. You can distress before or after stenciling depending on the look you're going for.

    how to distress repurposed door headboard

    For my Door Headboard project, I used and electric sander. This is one of those cases, where you just need to go with your gut, and then not stress over it. This headboard is still in use in my master bedroom!

    distressed vintage night stand

    When furniture is really old, like this Distressed Antique Night Stand, it might be better to have a heavy hand when you distress.

    Using reclaimed wood for this Scrap Wood Christmas Shelf with Hooks, Angie sanded the new looking paint to give it more of a vintage look. In my opinion, reclaimed wood is the easiest to get a rustic look.

    distressed reclaimed 2x4 projects

    As is the case with this Simple Bench Made from 2x4's project. The table and benches looked okay before I sanded them, but afterword, I was in LOVE with them!

    If something will naturally weather outdoors, sanding works great to make this Chair Planter fit in! Joan does awesome projects!!!

    Isn't this  French Inspired Piano Bench Makeover fabulous? You can see the white paint looks so much better after it looks a little worn!

    Mimi took her palm sander to all edges of this Bifold Door Bookcase. I know a heavy hand of sanding isn't for everyone. It really depends on the project you're working on.

    Wet Distressing

    how to wet distress

    I knew just the look I wanted on this pair of Vintage Black Night Stands Using a damp rag to wipe back the paint on edges, gives a really natural sort of  primitive look.

    Distressing with Emery Boards

    how to distress using emery boards

    If you're nervous about getting the perfect look, I recommend using emery boards like I did for this Upcycled Side Table. It's sort of working in baby steps.

    distressed lamp project

    Making things look worn and old is not just for wooden furniture! These metal Repurposed Lamp Plant Stands looked so much better after their "treatment".

    The best thing about using emery boards? You can see on this T.V. Tray Table Makeover I used the heavier grit side of the emery board. Having two options is a win/win.

    See, really old furniture looks better with a heavy hand. Check out this unique Vintage Sewing Cabinet with storage.

    Here is another lightly distressed Chair Back Wall Shelf project.

    Don't be afraid to mix techniques depending on the area your working on, like with this Garden Bench made from Chairs.

    This Coat Rack | Repurposed Bunk Bed is probably the project that made me fall in love with using emery boards.

    use an emery board for how to distress with a light hand

    They seriously give such a fabulous light way of changing up the look of thrift store furniture. Especially when there are lots of lines in the case of this  Hexagon Side Table Makeover.

    It really works best when there is a base coat, or dark wood tones to show through. See the black peaking through on this Large Coat Rack Shelf?

    Sometimes the distressing is barely noticeable. Let the lines of your project guide your design as I did in this Spindle Mirror Makeover,

    Did you Know you can Use Tape?

    how to distress using tape

    Yes, you can use tape to distress painted projects. You won't want to do a perfect paint job, nor wait too long before applying and removing tape. This Grateful Thankful Blessed Headboard Sign project went through a plan b!

    Resist Technique

    A resist technique can be done with a candle, beeswax, or petroleum jelly.

    You can see on Easy DIY planter made from cabinet doors project that I applied vaseline, then painted over it. Of course you could leave it like this, or wipe back the paint--that's what I did.

    how to distress resist technique

    Guess what! For this 2x4 Farmhouse Bench, I applied the vaseline, and used a paint sprayer to apply the paint.

    I love how this   Sewing Table Makeover turned out with the resist technique!

    As with all of these distressing options, you can do a little or a lot. For my Rustic Farmhouse Floating Shelf I went a little heavy because the other furniture in my bedroom is heavily distressed.

    Don't be afraid of color! You will love this Sewing Cabinet Bar reveal.

    how to distress vaseline and spray painted vase

    Remember when I said I used the paint sprayer? Well, on this Over Sized Vase | Easy Thrift Store Makeover I used spray paint over the vaseline!

    Do you have a different way of distressing your projects? Please share it with us in a comment below!

    gail

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    Related Content:

    • Curtain Tie Backs into Towel Hooks
      Curtain Tie Backs into Towel Hooks
    • How to make Burlap Tie Backs by Beneath My Heart
      How to make Burlap Tie Backs by Beneath My Heart
    • DIY Storage Crates
      DIY Storage Crates
    • Kids Organization Ideas using Repurposed Furniture
      Kids Organization Ideas using Repurposed Furniture
    • IOD roller stamped drop cloth grommet curtains
      IOD roller stamped drop cloth grommet curtains
    • Reclaimed Wood Shelves
      Reclaimed Wood Shelves

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      See comments Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Theresa Fokey

      January 05, 2021 at 11:57 am

      Hi Gail,
      I love all of your projects.
      Do you have a recommendation for drawer handles? I am having difficulty finding some that are 3 and a quarter inches centre. And I thought you might have a source.
      Thank you in advance,
      Theresa

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 07, 2021 at 3:45 pm

        Theresa,

        I do have a source for handles! I buy all my hardware from D Lawless Hardware (.com) The three D's will hook you up! Their prices are very reasonable.

        Good luck!
        gail

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

    More about me →

    Join Our Mailing List

    ​

      Click the topics you're interested in below:

      Subscribing above means you agree to our Privacy Policy​

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      SEEN ON

      Might I Suggest

      • Start Here
      • Furniture Makeovers

      Newsletter

      • Sign Up! for emails and updates

      About

      • Gail's Favorites on Amazon
      • About

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2023 My Repurposed Life · Privacy Policy · Disclosure