Wood Furniture, Distressing and Other Tips - By: Thomas Bridleman

If you’ve taken a recent stroll through a “regular” furniture store lately (no bare wood furniture in sight), you’ve probably noticed that many of the more popular pieces are “weathered” or “distressed.” It’s the furniture equivalent of “stone washed jeans.”

Unfortunately, because the distressing is done via machine, there’s always a discernable pattern to be found in it, and this, in my mind, makes it almost not even worth buying.

Most of the people who love unfinished furniture are do-it-yourself types who are always on the lookout for new tips and tricks and ways of making what they do stand out a little more, or give their work a truly unique look. Not long ago, I came across a fellow who showed me how to create a natural looking, random distressed look, which I'll share below.

It's actually deceptively simple. Just take a length of chain (3 - 4 feet) and use it on the furniture, striking with moderate to hard blows. Don't go crazy...we don't want to crack the wood, but definitely strike it hard enough to leave marks! Keep this up until you feel it's had enough, and then sand and stain as you normally would. The "bruises" on the wood will stain differently than the non-bruised sections, and the overall effect is a rugged and weathered piece that's very attractive.

If the thought of beating the daylights out of your beautiful piece of bare wood furniture gives you the willies, I’d recommend practicing on a test board, then staining and noting the results, as there’s definitely no taking it back once the deed is done!
Still, if you're unconvinced, here's another tip you may find a little easier to swallow.

Sometimes sweat is unavoidable. If you're out working on a piece during a hot day, bent over the wood...bang. A drop of sweat lands squarely on the wood. If you stain over it, it's going be have an obvious discoloration, so...what do you do?

Well, you could just write it off as a “character mark” and have done with it, but if you’d rather minimize its impact, finish sanding and wipe the piece with a tack cloth. Then, wipe the entire piece again, this time with a lightly damp rag. Let dry completely before proceeding. You might not be able to take the drop of sweat back, but you can minimize its presence with this simple trick.

If you’ve taken a recent stroll through a “regular” furniture store lately (no bare wood furniture in sight), you’ve probably noticed that many of the more popular pieces are “weathered” or “distressed.” It’s the furniture equivalent of “stone washed jeans.”

To learn more about this and related topics, see unpainted furniture, http://www.bare-wood-furniture.com/unpainted-furniture