The Restyling 101 series includes help for distressing wood furniture, upholstering, freehand painting, stenciling, and spray painting.
The five women offering their expertise include Amanda Brown of Spruce Austin (who also made a great video about upholstery) and Kristen F. Davis, professional decorative painter.
Their handiwork can be seen above — and you can also access the list of posts through Mod Nest. On the site you can also sign up for a free e-book compiling all the information.
Images: 1. Poppyseed Creative Living 2. Spruce Austin 3. Kristen F. Davis 4. Oh Clementine 5. Mod Nest
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I have a brownish headboard and I'd like to paint it white or gray...but I want it to show a bit of distress at the corners.
Do I need to sand the whole thing first or can I just put a white paint and sand the corners at the end...do I also need to put some kind of varnish at the end?
HouseOnClintonAve- varnish, or "polyurethane" should only be used on unfinished wood.
if you are using an an acrylic paint, you can use a "polycrylic" which is a top coat specially made for over acrylic paints. it can be found next to the polyurethanes in home improvement stores.
i recently painted our cabinets, and i started with a greyish coat first, then did white over them sparingly. i then sanded parts of it, including the corners. it is a lot easier than expected.
good luck!
Also I recently heard a tip for easy distressing (but I can't remember where).....rub a candle along the edges you want to distress before painting...then once you've painted, go back in with a light sanding and the areas you applied the wax should come right off.
Re: distressing...I've used the candle technique and it works. I've also used several layers of paint, then abused the piece with a variety of tools, whips and chains (okay, not whips...).
Great tips..thanks.
will try the candle technique.
I'd love to see more of that first room. I painted my bedroom the same shade of red with high hopes... a year later, it's still failing miserably! I need inspiration.