Shabby Chic Painting Furniture Step by Step

 I love to cruise garage sales and thrift stores for old wooden furniture to paint!

I have painted many of the wood pieces in my home a Shabby or antique white! I also use alot of Shabby Chic furniture items in my flea market booths!

I adore the Shabby Chic look.

Here is a step by step on how I transform my furniture to make it Shabfabulous!

1.Sand down any rough edges on the furniture before starting. Fix any "wobbly" legs or arms with wood glue. I like tPleo use Elmer's wood glue. Clamp and let dry.

2.Remove existing paint, if any. If the surface is already painted, remove any old or flaking paint by scraping or sanding carefully with a fine sandpaper or paint scraper. Wash the surface thoroughly to make sure that it is totally clean before applying the primer and paint layers. An old toothbrush is good to use to get in corners.

3.  Brush on a coat of primer, and allow to dry. I like to use Kilz complete primer. Wait 48 hours before applying your paint. (Sometimes I get excited and just paint the next day ). Not all pieces need primer. I generally only use primer on a piece that the has some of the old varnish left on.

4. I use regular indoor latex paint from Wal-Mart.  I like to use flat white or antique white to get that Shabby old farmhouse look.  Paint in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Use two coats and let dry.

5. Distress the item with a fine sandpaper. Sand lightly around the edges for a lightly distressed look. If you like a Shabbier look you can take a old cloth and rub a medium brown color stain around the edges and then lightly sandpaper over it. Watered down brown acrylic will also work for this look. If you get too much on the piece just sandpaper back over it and you can even dry brush a bit of paint back over the piece.

Painted goodies at my Flea Market Booth!

I adore painting old furniture!

If you have comments or questions let me know!
I will be partying with
My Romantic Home 
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Pink Saturday

Xo

Olivia