How to Distress and Paint a Table

Sand the table with 220-grit sandpaper to prepare the wood for paint. After sanding every horizontal and vertical surface of the tabletop and legs, wipe the surfaces thoroughly with a tack cloth to remove sawdust.

Apply flat paint with a 2-inch flat paintbrush to the table in an even layer. Continue painting until you coat every surface thoroughly. Allow the base coat to dry for about 24 hours.

Dip a clean cloth into paste wax and apply the wax to the table in random areas. This helps create a distressed and worn look on the wood. The places where you apply the wax will resist the acrylic glaze, allowing the base coat to show through the glaze. Make random swipes with the wax in a variety of shapes and sizes along the edges of the table, over the horizontal tabletop surface and on the legs. Allow the wax to set about 1 hour before you proceed.

Apply tinted acrylic glaze over the table surface with the paintbrush. Coat all surfaces of the table with an even layer of paint. The areas where you applied wax will not hold the glaze and the base coat will show through. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly for about 24 hours.

Make several nicks and gouges in the table with a flat screwdriver to simulate distress and age. Strive for a random effect as you gouge the wood with the screwdriver.

Sand the table with 300-grit sandpaper to create a worn appearance. Concentrate sanding along the edges, on the horizontal tabletop and on the legs. Stop sanding when the base coat shows through the glaze. Wipe down the table with the tack cloth after you finish sanding.