distressing 101.

Alternately titled: So many pictures, your eyes might bleed.

I love distressed furniture. Actually, I love furniture. And paint. And decorations. And everything else that has anything to do with decorating a home. I was going to be an interior designer, you know.

So here it is. Weeks and weeks after I said I would post it:

How I Distressed My TV Cabinet (with help from my assistant, Mama)

I didn't think to get a before picture (shame on me!) but before we started, the cabinet was a light wood. We then stained it Dark Walnut and it turned out the color seen below:

Mmm. Pretty.

We then did a test board to try to figure out the exact way we wanted it.

Since it was such a dark color and I wanted the end result to be... well.. vibrant, we then dry brushed a cream color over the dried stained cabinet.

See?

Lovely. Just lovely. It looks old already.

Oh yeah. That's the stuff. I loved it at this step. I actually thought about stopping here, but I pushed through it. And it was tough. (BUT I will be painting something this color, someday. Have no fear.)

I'm in love...................................

Or so I thought. Oh Mama. Here comes the color.

That color.

It's better than chocolate.

Dry brush it on, just like the cream color.

And as demonstrated by my lovely assistant (Hey E!), don't forget the feetsies.

Best looking feet I have ever seen.

Just look at them. No seriously. Look.

Still dry brushing.

(Side note, because you know I love those: I promise I was doing actual work and not just taking pictures. Promise)

Look. At. That. *Swoon*

Now? The fun part.

After painting the cabinet, use a heat gun to make the paint bubble.

The thicker the paint, the bigger the bubbles.

See the teenie tiny bubbles? Thin paint.

After it dried, it was time to sand. It is a little scary at first because the larger bubbles like to peel.


But don't distress... (pun intended)

Sand it until you like how it looks, then put a coat of polyurethane on it. My finished product?

I


am..

obsessed..


Please send help.

Because sometimes I just shut the doors and look at it.

Obviously I like mine severely distressed.

But if you don't, don't sand so much.

So easy yet SO make me want to just snuggle it but that would be totally weird pretty.

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