The Ultimate Distressed Look DIY Guide

How many times have you caught yourself admiring a piece of distressed décor or furniture at various windowfronts or stores & felt intrigued by how beautifully aged & classic the pieces look? With this blog post, we break down the intricate process of distressing products into 10 easy DIY steps using as less as 6 tools & materials, that you would find at a basic hardware store & at home.

This simple DIY process results in a product that exhibits an antique look that you would have achieved in an extremely pocket-friendly manner! So, roll up your sleeves & prepare to transform your product into a chic distressed version of itself that will bestow your nook with a vintage vibe that is so sought after & in vogue.

Here’s a list of Materials you’ll need:

1. Wax (Mansion Wax Polish White)

2. Royal Luxury Emulsion (White): The color will depend on what color distress you want to achieve (shades of white, light blue & mint green work well)

3. 220 grit sandpaper

4. Paint Brush

5. Cloth

6. Water

Now just follow the following series of 11 Steps to create your very own distress finish product:

1. Choose the product you want to distress, start with smaller products.

2. Polish the product well with wax using the cloth

3. Coat the entire surface of the product evenly with the paint of your choice; in this DIY guide, we have used a white shade of emulsion.

4. Allow the surface to dry completely.

5. Once the paint has dried completely, dip the sandpaper in water and start distressing the product by scraping off the paint from the product’s surface using the wet sandpaper. 

Please note that the pressure applied while carrying out this process can vary depending on the extent of distress (worn off look) required.

6. Wipe the surface of the product at regular intervals with a damp cloth to see the result of the scraping process and proceed accordingly.

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the product is distressed to your satisfaction.

8. Once the product is distressed, wipe the product’s surface with a damp cloth to remove excess paint from the surface.

9. Once the surface is clean, let it dry for a while and then polish it with the wax to seal the effect that you’ve created.

10. Allow the wax to dry for 15 whole minutes.

11. Voila! Your very own distressed look product is ready.

The final product brings to life an exclusive piece that has a rustic finish and builds on the identity of the piece. While there are numerous ways to go about this process, this method in our opinion is one of the easiest & least time-consuming ones out there. This DIY project is an innovative & hands-on way of celebrating the imperfections in a piece, to render it in a beauty that you have worked towards & in a matter of a few minutes! It’s a great method to give your décor palette & products of various sizes & scales a makeover in the comfort of your own home.

We’re so excited for you to try this process out for yourself & we’d love for you to share the resultant product images with us. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook, so we can see how your pieces have turned out! So, get your crafting mojo on & let the distressing begin!

Text By: Lavanya Chopra