Farmstyle Coffee Table, Two-Tone Distressing Technique

So Granny B herself commissioned me, her son to revamp her damaged coffee table. You'll notice wood filler on the first few images where her dog chewed off the corners.

TIP: If you try to fill a big hole with wood filler, use panel pins to support the wet mixture. This gives the wood filler something to hold onto and makes it stronger when dry.

Once the wood filler is dry, sand using a coarse grit to shape the area you are trying to fill. Once you are happy with the shape, use a fine paper to smooth it out. (This sounds more difficult than it is, you'll be amazed at how easy this is to achieve).

Now it's time for the base coat. In this case we used Daisy White which will come through when we distress as the final step.

Once completely dry apply the top coat, in this case we have used Tropical Cocktail.

(We suggest waiting about an hour. However, the paint will be dry to the touch within 30mins. If it were the same colour, 30mins wait time is sufficient for the next coat).

Once you are happy that you have complete coverage and the paintwork is dry, you can begin to distress.

There are a number of methods that can be used to reveal the bottom layer a lot easier. In this case we used steel wool and rubbed gently which also deposit some of the iron filings of the wool from the process. This is what creates the soft silver streaks.

We then sanded the entire piece using a medium grit paper. It's best to start slowly as you can always go harder if necessary. If you make a mistake simply buff lightly and start again.

Once the distressing process is complete, the stencil can then be applied. Per the image below we used masking tape (painters tape) to keep the stencil in place.

Do not stroke the brush, but rather stipple. This ensures that the paint does not bleed under the stencil and cause smudging. Stippling is a gentle banging of the tip of a dry brush until the design has been completely covered.

Allow the stencil to dry for about 15mins or so and then slowly remove, revealing the beautiful design.

We allowed the piece to dry for 24 hours to ensure that no moisture was left behind. We then applied the Granny B's Finishing Lacquer and job done.