Crafting a Creative Space: Ideas and Instructions

To distress an item you will need: an item to distress, ivory paint, wood stain, sandpaper, paint brush, and a damp rag.

1. Start by painting the item that you would like to distress with the ivory paint. If the item is already painted, you will need to sand off the original paint. Once you are done sanding, brush off the debris left from sanding and paint with the ivory paint. I found that I needed two coats of paint for the chair that I distressed (on left). Let the paint dry completely, typically this takes about 24 hours.

2. Once the paint has dried, sand the item where you would like the distressed look to show up. Focus on edges and where the item would wear naturally. For the chair, I sanded all of the edges, corners and the seat.

3. Brush away all debris left from sanding.

4. Working in small areas, brush the wood stain on the item. Then, wipe the stain off with a clean, damp rag. If the stain is not as dark as you would like for it to be, simply use a dry rag to wipe away the stain rather than a damp rag. Be sure that the rag is clean each time you wipe the stain away.

5. Let the stain dry for approximately 12 hours before using the item in your home.