How do you distress metal dining chairs?

Karen P Murphy
by Karen P Murphy
I’m going to paint the table black and I would like the chairs distressed with colors still showing. May add a wood seat to the chairs.
  7 answers
  • Rowgop (Pam) Rowgop (Pam) on Feb 09, 2018

    https://michellejdesigns.com/how-to-give-painted-metal-a-distressed-look/


    https://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/furniture/q-painting-and-distressing-metal-chairs-7005003

    Metal chairs
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Feb 09, 2018

    Try using some paint to distress. I would not "break" the seal of the baked on paint!

    • See 1 previous
    • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Feb 09, 2018

      When I thought about this just now, I thought maybe some type of semi-clear tinted coating specifically for metal could be used to tone down the color like a wax does to paint and adds character!

  • Kay Kay on Feb 09, 2018

    I've done this on several pieces that were way to bright, like your chairs. Buy a small pot of black enamel paint (not latex). Put on your rubber gloves. Get a few of your husband's favorite t-shirts. Use a cheap disposable sponge brush and apply a little paint here and there, rubbing it in as you go. Do not brush it on without rubbing it in right away. This will look better if you remove most of the paint as you go. The rag (hubby's fave tee) will leave paint residue over the whole piece, you can leave more or less paint residue, depending on the look you want. Naturally, the distressed look will be darker in the corners and nooks and crannies. Whatever you do, do not use a brown tone for your project, because you are painting the table black! I'm jus sayin...

  • Kay Kay on Feb 09, 2018

    Hey, me again. I forgot to tell you that this sounds like it'll be a quick and ez job, but it's not either of those things! If you want it to look good, you'll need to really take your time with this project. And trust me when I tell you that by the time you finish about the 2nd chair, you'll be so sick of it already. But it'll be too bad, you'll have to keep going to get them all to look the same. Here's a really important point: The SAME person has to do all the chairs. You cannot have help with this project. Why? Because everyone has a different 'hand', a different pressure and a different motion they use when they do a job like this, and 2 different people will have 2 very different looking chairs at the end of it. Believe me, it WILL be obvious that they were done differently. If you know any artist, ask them about this. They will know exactly what I'm talking about, it's a bit hard to explain. There's no need to seal this paint job with a poly product, although you can if you choose to. But seeing as you'll be using an enamel paint product it's unnessary. It won't rub off on clothes or on your wet dishcloth or anything else. The product I always used successfully are the small cans of Minwax black enamel paint, I think you should buy the 16 oz size can. It's in the same section of the paint dept at Lowes where you find the Minwax wood stains. It comes in several basic colors like black, brown, red etc. Oh, let the chairs dry for a good 24 hours before using, no matter what it says on the can for drying time. If I were you, I would use the same exact paint to paint the table. Of course you'd be brushing it on with a paint brush and not rubbing it back off ! Have fun. I'm jus sayin...

  • Eric Pearson Eric Pearson on Feb 09, 2018

    Just tell them you're pregnant. That would distress me!

  • Wil32087552 Wil32087552 on Feb 09, 2018

    Why ruin a set of classic chairs with distressing. Just add tie down cushions for comfort from Big Lots or some such place