5 Pro Painting Tips For Black Furniture

3.  Show Off The Wood With Distressing

Adding a bit of interest to your furniture can go a long way.  There are several ways to add patina.  Two ways that come to mind is by distressing, and another is by layering paint.

A: Distressing is a sure way of adding depth and interest to a vintage piece of furniture.  Some people like a LOT of distressing, and others like MINIMAL distressing.  It is rather interesting to see how people fall into those two categories.  Look at a few pictures on pinterest to decide what appeals to you.  The best thing about distressing is if you go too far, simply just repaint the areas, which will tone down the distressing.

Style 1 – A Little Distressing:

Well cared for furniture that really isn’t moved a lot over the years will only have a little bit of distressing. When I think of a little bit of distressing, I think of my own grandparents home.  I can remember a china cabinet sitting in the exact same spot for 30 years or longer.  When this same china cabinet was passed to my cousin, it was in perfect condition.

This look is favored by many painters.  A little distressing can go a long way.  Areas to distress would be around the knobs on a chest of drawers, the legs of chairs, the back of chairs, and around drawer sides.  The trick to distressing is to look for the areas where natural wear would occur.  On a desk for example, arms would naturally rest on the front portion of the desk, so that would be the area to remove paint.

Style 2: A LOT of Distressing:

This is the style that I tend to enjoy the most.  It can be a tricky finish to accomplish, and I will show you how I have achieved my personal looks over the years.

When I first began painting, I always made sure I primed my furniture, because I wanted the paint to stick to the furniture. I was afraid of the paint lifting off the furniture, so I always made sure I primed. As I experimented and advanced in my painting, I found I was pretty limited when it came to distressing as black primer doesn’t exist. I would buy gray primer, and see the gray paint in the areas I distressed. It wasn’t until much later, (almost a year later) that I discovered if I sanded well I could skip the primer all together.  Many of the pieces I worked on were wood, and not metal, or plastic.  The options then started opening up for me.

A few years later when I stopped turning over furniture, and just worked on my own furniture, I discovered the real trick to getting the Swedish finishes were to remove the polyurethane, stains or paint all together.  I found the raw wood went a long way to getting the results I was after.

I have always been attracted the paint finishes that looked as though they have been left out in the outside elements for several years.  Layering your paint with this technique can really open up the overall finish.

Distressing Tricks:

Sponge sanders found at your local hardware store can be a great tool for distressing I have found using a sponge sanders can give you the flexibility and control than electric sanders. Using a hand electric sander can take off A LOT of paint, which often times forces you to go back and repaint some of the areas. Using a hand electric sander might come in handy if you have several layers of paint that you want to expose.   Another trick is to remove the paint before the paint is dry.  Many of us have used this technique because it is simply easier.  With sponge sanders, purchase the ones what work with water.  In this instance, have a warm bucket of water and wash out your sponge sander as you go.

4.  Add Patina To Your Black Paint Finishes

When it comes to really ornate furniture such as Louis XV styled furniture, why not highlight some of the intricate details?  One simple way to do this is with paint. Often times painters will try to replicate this aged look by applying a beige or gray paint to bring out the beautiful depths of heavily carved furniture.

How is this done?  Glaze is the easiest way to achieve this look.  Simply mix half and half paint to glaze ratio in a bowl.  I have simply painted on the glaze in the past, and with a wash cloth, wiped it off within a few minutes.  The glaze paint mix will dry to have a transparent look, than a solid paint look.  This works great in corners of detail where dust would collect over time.

Many years ago, I highlighted an black painted empire dresser with light gray paint.  I wasn’t pleased with the look, because the gray painted areas looked too heavy, than natural.

I washed it off and noticed that the watered down remnants of paint that were left, perfectly highlighted the areas. It did a remarkable job of making the dresser look more expensive than it was. If you do plan on trying out this technique, dilute your beige/gray paint with a glaze, and be sure to have a damp rag to remove the extra paint. Just a little highlighting paint will go a long way.

Black Metal Furniture:

I never considered using a green wash on black until I had seen it done on an antique metal canister, so I tried it for myself. Simply mix together a bit of a grayed green color with glaze.  Like the gray / beige paint in the suggestion above, you can remove the paint with a wash cloth, or create a sponged effect with the glaze on the paint to get the look of rust. Like any aged furniture, you want to try to leave the green paint where rust would normally happen. I have used it on ornate chairs, and it has really pushed the value of my furniture up a notch.

Christopher Howe offers a very unique stock. Since the age of 20, he has acquired items dating from the 17th through to the 20th centuries. Most of his stock is available to view online or can be seen in his shop located on the prestigious Pimlico Road in London.

Distressed Swedish Antiques From Næslund Antikviteter

Galerie Half in Los Angeles is selling a stunning Swedish secretary which is still painted in its original milk-painted finish. The distressed paint and its brass handles really provide a great contrast against the black paint. You can see that this secretary has a really dark painted finish that you often don’t get with normal latex paint. The color is striking and would look terrific against a classic gray painted wall.