What is the best way to distress furniture

I'd clean them up real well and then add some distressing with nails and chains. Then paint them a new color and buff off the edges lightly with sandpaper to scuff the paint. You can always add a darker wash in paces rubbing it in with rags for a light stained effect in certain areas for it to appear aged.

Cindy gave you great advice, I'm adding a little more. Sand any finish so it isn't flakey. Use a good primer after distressing (sanding, making some holes and whipping with chain.)

I have used paint of different colors with excellent results. As an example paint everything a pale yellow, then a chartreuse, a light blue and then a white satin enamel. Then sand through to bring out color hi lights. A matte or satin enamel on the final coats give a finish that lasts, a finish wax makes it turn out fabulous.

Whatever you you want for the color is your choice. Be sure to prime and then paint a few layers of thin paint and sand between with 130 grit sand paper. These projects aren't fast, but with patience and good technique you have something beautiful.

If you don't want to paint several layers, you can just sand a few spots and add the distressed color and lightly sand only the edges again, after dry.

If time is an issue also for you, and you want to skip sanding, you can just clean your pieces very well and use chalk paint, which requires no prep work or sanding. You want to paint a base coat that will show through your distressing and then a top coat that you want to be the main color of your piece. There are several ways to distress furniture. You can paint your base coat, let it dry, then rub vaseline on edges and spots you want to show through as the distressed part, then you paint right over that with your top coat, let it dry and then use a cloth to rub the vaseline off, and those spots will wipe off and show the base color. Or you can just paint both coats and sand like they said above.

you can add a distressing wax/antiquing wax. You can lightly sand with 220 grit sand paper, and if using a chalk paint, you can also wet distress which is where you take a damp cloth right after paint dries and distress it that way!

A hammer and some sand paper.

Thank you all for your tips, some websites suggest chalk paint, others say to use water based paint which I assume is emulsion does anyone have a preference?