How to Paint and Distress Farmhouse Style

One of my favorite moments is when someone asks “where did you get that?!” or “who did that for you?!”. They always expect a fancy answer. In my blog post about flea markets, I talk about how I usually answer the “where did you get that?!” question with “at a flea market!!”. Today I’m going to answer the “who did that for you?!” question. And I wish I could see your faces;) Because the answer is me!!!! I do 99.9% of all the painting and refinishing in my home! Honestly!!! And you can, too. Really!!! Today we’re going to talk all about how to paint and distress farmhouse style:) That way the next time some asks you, you can say “me:)” and see how great their reactions are;)

How To Paint and Distress Farmhouse Style

1. Clean the surface with warm water
2. Paint with white latex paint
   1. I’m a Sherwin Williams girl myself, but that is just me!
3. Let dry
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3
5. Sand the edges
   1. I use my Ryobi hand sander for this. It makes the project ssssoooo much smoother!!!
6. Dust off any shavings
7. Apply Dark Walnut Minwax stain
   1. I use an old cloth when applying this. I like the texture it gives, and it’s old! So no worries;)
8. With a different cloth, wipe the stain off immediately
   1. Wipe in one direction
   1. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but you just want to darken the white. This gives it the “antique look”. You don’t want to completely cover it.
9. Enjoy your beautiful new farmhouse furniture!:)

And that’s it!!! Really!!! I told you you could do it;)

It really is a very simple technique that is not much different from painting anything else. It just requires a few more coats, a little sanding and maybe a little more patience;) But you can do this, and you can customize it however you would like! Got some darker features in your house? Go with a darker stain! Need something to brighten up your space? Nix the dark stain and just go with the clear finish!! There are ssssoooo many ways to make your piece stand out and make the jaws of your friends drop;) Go get it, girl:)

ps- I did something very similar with my cabinets. You can see how I turned my boring builder’s grade cabinets into beautiful (if I do say so myself;)) farmhouse cabinets here!