Anyone can paint a piece of furniture black, but there are certain tricks to make your painted pieces appear more valuable than they really are. Many of us feel that sensation of discovering a beautiful piece of furniture at a garage or estate sale, and then dreaming of what to do with it next. If you are anything like me, scrolling through pictures of paint chips, and color combinations can be a thrilling experience.
If you love lighter colored interiors such as white, light blue, or mint green, then black furniture might be a consideration for your interior. Painting a piece of furniture black can create tremendous contrast for your interior. Here are a couple tips to making your painted furniture look antique:
1. Use Matte Paint
You won’t find shiny finishes on the old antique furniture in Sweden. This article won’t cover the modern black painted furniture that one would expect to see in the 50’s or 60’s , but rather the aged furniture that someone could come across 100 or more years ago.
When selecting a sheen, consider starting out with a matte finish. Once the piece is dry you can add either a tinted wax or a tinted glaze to the final finish to give it even more depth. The sheen will then produce a look between flat and satin. Starting out with a low sheen will keep the overall finish looking rustic even after you apply additional paints.
2. Paint Your Hardware
While there are so many ways to feature hardware on black painted furniture, painting the hardware can be a smart way to making a black piece look understated yet elegant. Take a look at a French Provincial chest painted in olive by Knack Studios. The hardware was painted and carefully distressed. In this case, a little bit of distressing went a long way. Compare that photo, with this photo of a black painted bombe chest which is also painted in black. The hardware is painted, but not distressed. While bombe chests are considered some of the most spectacular pieces of furniture, this piece falls short for me.
– Darken your hardware with chemicals. Rockler sells a brass darkening solution that ages brass, copper and bronze metal. It allows you to change the color gradually so you can control how dark the final product turns out.
– American Accents by Rustoleum sells an Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint that I have used on many pieces of my own furniture. After the paint has dried, simply distress the hardware with a sponge sander.
– 9 DIY Recipes For Rusty Hardware- Hersite
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.
