How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps
|

DIY Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

Share With A Friend

Learn how to refinish any piece of furniture from stained to DIY shabby chic furniture with these 3 easy steps!

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

This oak pedestal stand originally belonged to my great-grandmother and likely dates to the early 1900s.  It has been sitting in the far corner of my library waiting patiently for a makeover. 

Well, her time to shine has finally come.

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

The following process is applicable to any piece of finished wood furniture that you would like to redo into a painted shabby chic finish.

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

Supplies

transform furniture from stained to shabby chic
  1. Deglosser
  2. Scrub pad
  3. A clean, old sock
  4. Gloves (I often use dedicated gardening gloves)
  5. Paint (I used Sugar Cookie by BM satin finish)
  6. Paint brush (My favorite is the Wooster Shortcut)
  7. 220 grit sand paper 
  8. Tack cloth

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

STEP #1 – Degloss

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

Using the scrub, rub the deglosser over the piece of furniture.  This removes the polyurethane that is used to finish the wood piece and create that shine.  This step is crucial for paint adherence.  Wipe off residue with a clean, old sock.

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

Step #2 – Paint

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

Inspect to ensure there isn’t leftover residue from the deglosser and apply one thin layer of paint.  A piece this dark will likely need 3 coats.

** TIP **  Thin wins.  Applying thin layers helps to avoid streaking and bubbling.

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

After your first coat allow to dry to touch before applying a second coat.

** TIP** Wrap a paint brush in cling, and it can be reused within 2 days. 

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

Apply thin second coat of paint.

** TIP ** Only dip approximately 1/3 of paint brush in the paint to give you better control of the paint application.  Also easier to clean off! 

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

After the second coat allow to dry to touch and reassess.  If you see variations in the shade of white, then it needs a third coat as I did here.  Allow to dry overnight.

 

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

STEP #3 – Distress

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

The last step is to take your sand paper and lightly sand all the edges of the piece of furniture to let the dark stain show through.  This gives it the distressed appearance as edges are typically the first area that gets bumped and nicked on furniture.  Feel free to be creative with your distressing!

Vacuum the dust off and then wipe with a tack cloth to get off the finer film of dust.

Voila!  From stained to shabby chic in 3 steps!  This is a VERY easy process, and I have finished dozens of pieces using this exact technique.  Find a local thrift store.  Grab a piece of furniture and give it a try.  You can do it!

My sweet little helper wanted to model the end product 🙂

How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps
How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps
How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

For more DIY inspiration be sure to check out:

    signature

    Pin any of the images below for later!

    How to Shabby Chic Furniture in 3 Easy Steps

    How to Refinish Furniture to Shabby Chic Style in 3 Easy Steps

    Share With A Friend

    Similar Posts

    9 Comments

    1. […] This little table was a Craigslist find and was approximately 80 years old.ย  I refinished it and now my little Singer sits pretty on top collecting more dust than I would care to admit.ย  But hey it looks cute!!ย  If you haven’t read it, then check out my very easy tutorial on How to Transform Furniture From Stained to Shabby Chic in 3 Easy Stepsย here! […]

    2. You’ve inspired me! I have a couple of pieces I want to paint like this! I’ve featured this at Thursday Favorite Things at my blog today. Thanks for sharing!

    3. Oooo, just saw your feature on TFT! I hope we get to see this at Tuesday Turn About (I haven’t looked yet! LOL!)

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *