Distressed Table

Pretty Table Top

I wanted to try my luck at distressing some furniture.  I really like how this turned out, but as usual, it didn't go as I had originally planned.  I wanted to keep it really light and not glaze or antique.  I just wanted to distress the corners and places where normal wear would occur.... I decided I had sanded my dining room so much and maybe it wasn't all that necessary?  I have been following a few blogs and decided to try my luck at with liquid sandpaper.  Turns out to be a pretty good plan!  You just rub it on and rub it off!  You are just trying to get the shiny top coat off.  It really cleans up the wood nice too!.  The table felt a little sticky after several times of wiping on and wiping off.  I think that is what you are after, something for the primer to really stick to.  I primed a couple of coats and then painted the table a tan color.  (I will have to look up the name.)  Then the second coat I painted a soft cream.  I let it dry overnight.  I took a sanding block and sanded down through all the colors.  It looked great.  You could see the colors really blend together. 

After I finished sanding, I really had the look I originally wanted.  Then I decided it needed some detail around the top.  I used some latex based stain and a sponge brush to get in all the little cracks.  Well when I did that, some of the stain started to run...yikes!  So I decided to glaze it with the stain.  I really like the look that the stain added.  Remember, there is no wrong way!  Sometimes you just gotta go with what you got! 

I rubbed the stain on with the sponge brush and then wiped it away with a clean dry cloth.  I finished off with a coat of polycrylic. 

Before and After

Before

After