An Old Paint Job
If you have an item of furniture that needs to be painted because the wood is not beautiful enough for stain and polyurethane, then you might consider giving it an old paint job. Or perhaps you have just made your first woodworking project but you want it to look like it has been in the family for generations.
The idea behind paint jobs that look old is that furniture is often painted several times by different owners across the years and that some of the paint wears off where people touch the piece. For example, you might find wear around a knob, on the edges of a door, or around a latch where it has rubbed against the wood. As you consider how you will paint your furniture, think about how people use that type of furniture and where the wear would be. You will often see furniture painted to look old with a very even wear pattern, say all around the edges of the panel in a raised panel door. This is a sign that it is new furniture. If you want yours to look like an antique, it would be best to avoid making the pattern even. You could even make up a story about the different “experiences” your furniture has had so your wear patterns will look authentic.
Begin by painting the furniture with what will be an undercoat. This will be a paint that contrasts with the top coat. Some effective combinations include a black undercoat with a white final coat, a red undercoat with a black final coat, and even a red undercoat with a pewter final coat. Try out the two paints on a piece of scrap wood to see how you like them together. Use a satin paint of reasonable quality so the coverage is good.
After the undercoat dries, you can apply some paste wax in areas where the furniture might have been worn. The paste wax will keep the top coat from completely covering the undercoat. You can also apply the top coat to the whole piece of furniture and gently sand down to the undercoat or even the bare wood in some areas.
If you have sanded down to the bare wood, you can apply wood stain in those areas so the bare wood will look old.
Use paste wax on the piece of furniture and buff it. This will give it a silky, smooth feel when you touch it. Enjoy your new “old” “antique”!