How to Shabby Chic Furniture

by Ahna Fulmer

8 Materials

$40

2 Days

Easy

Do you have a dark piece of furniture that you would love to give a shabby chic makeover? Learn how to refinish any piece of furniture from stained to shabby chic with this easy tutorial!

This oak pedestal stand originally belonged to my great-grandmother and likely dates to the early 1900s. It has been sitting in the far corner of my library waiting patiently for a makeover. Well, her time to shine has finally come.The following process is applicable to any piece of finished wood furniture that you would like to redo into a painted shabby chic finish.

#1. Degloss

Using the scrub pad rub the deglosser over the piece of furniture. This removes the polyurethane that is used to finish the wood piece. This step is crucial for paint adherence. Wipe off residue with a clean, old sock.

#2. Paint

Inspect to ensure there isn’t leftover residue from the deglosser and apply one thin layer of paint. A piece this dark will likely need 3 coats.** TIP ** Thin wins. Applying thin layers helps to avoid streaking and bubbling.After your first coat allow to dry to touch before applying a second coat.** TIP** Wrap a paint brush in plastic wrap, and it can be reused within 2 days.

#3. Paint second coat.

Apply thin second coat of paint.** TIP ** Only dip approximately 1/3 of paint brush in the paint to give you better control of the paint application. Also easier to clean off! After the second coat allow to dry to touch and reassess. If you see variations in the shade of white, then it needs a third coat as I did here. Allow to dry overnight.

#4. Distress

The last step is to take your sand paper and lightly sand all the edges of the piece of furniture to let the dark stain show through. This gives it the distressed appearance as edges are typically the first area that gets bumped and nicked on furniture. Feel free to be creative with your distressing!Vacuum the dust off and then wipe with a tack cloth to get off the finer film of dust.

Voila! From stained to shabby chic in 4 steps!

This is a VERY easy process, and I have finished dozens of pieces using this exact technique. Visit a local thrift store. Find a piece of furniture. Give it a try. You can do it!Visit Hammers N Hugs to discover lots more DIY inspiration for the home and family!

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