How to Antique & Stain Furniture

Strip any existing paint or varnish from the furniture using paint or varnish stripper. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for use.

Slice away thin pieces from some of the edges and corners of the furniture using a craft knife to imitate the look of weathering and natural damage. Do this especially on parts of the furniture that would naturally be handled or bumped into on a regular basis, such as the tops of drawers or corners that jut out.

Gently tap areas of the wood using the ball peen hammer to create clustered areas of dents. Again, place these on areas that would be high traffic. Give special attention to the top, center of a desk and cover it with a wide coating of light hammer dents.

Thoroughly sand the furniture using a medium-grain sand paper. Use a power sander for large, flat areas and sand by hand around areas with carved detail or other shapes that aren't flat. Hand sand the edges on the areas you cut with the craft knife to soften them.

Brush the wood with a dry paint brush to remove sanding dust.

Apply the lighter color stain to the furniture using cloth rags. Use a blotting motion in areas with carving and curved details.

Buff the stained wood with a clean, dry rag. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for drying times and let the stain dry.

Apply a coat of spray varnish to the wood. Hold the aerosol can at least 12 inches away from the wood at all times to get a light coating. Let the varnish dry.

Rub the high-stress areas of the wood with sand paper to remove some of the varnish you just applied.

Apply ebony stain to the wood; it will seep in where the varnish is light or sanded away. Buff the stain, but don't wipe it away, or wipe with less pressure, in areas where you want more dark color, such as crevices in the wood or the carving. Let the stain dry.

Apply a coat of canned wood varnish using paint brushes. Let dry. Apply a second coat of varnish if it looks like it needs it.