Wood Console Tables – Distressing Gives Character
When decorating a home there is always a balance to be reached while choosing the right furniture. You want something that suits the style you are trying to create in your home, but you also need to make sure it is a functional piece of furniture that will fulfill any needs you may have in your home.
When you are creating a country theme to your home you will want to remove as many of the modern day items in the home as you can. How believable is an old country living room that has remote controls sitting all over the place? This does not mean you are not going to use any of these items; you just want a way to keep them out of the way, and from ruining the feel of the space.
This is where wood console tables end up being a godsend. Because wood console tables are not only tables to put the things on that can be seen in a home, but are generally made with drawers and shelves where you can tuck away things you would rather not have seen.
Sometimes you can luck out and find a perfect old country console table, but if you can’t or you don’t have the budget for one that has been distressed and given a country feel, it’s not too hard to take a plain console table and help it go country.
Start with unfinished wood console tables or one that you can take the current paint off of. If the table has any sort of finish, you will need to use a stripping agent to remove that before moving forward with this project.
Next you need to decide that final look you want for your table.
Cracking
One way to make wood console tables look old is to give them a cracked finish. Think about the look of an old table pulled out of a farm house after generations. The paint is starting to crack and break away from the surface. It used to be it took a lot of work to create this look, but not anymore. There are ‘crackle paints’ or crackle additives to add to paint that will make this finish happen very easily. Often all you have to do is apply 1-2 coats and you will have created an antique look with ease.
Distressed Painting
Another option is to create a distressed paint look on your wood console tables for added character. This is going to take a little more work and a few more supplies. You will need 1-2 colors of paint, a hammer, file, sandpaper and patience. First you need to have an unfinished table. If your table already is, great; if not, you need to strip it down before beginning.
Next, beat up the table. Yes, you read that right. There is no old country table that is in perfect condition, which means you need to use the file or sandpaper to rough up the edges. If you want it to look well used you can use the hammer to make a few dings.
If you are using one color of paint, you may want to water it down to create a more ‘whitewashed’ look while painting.
If you have two colors, you may instead want to put a coat of one color on and while it is still damp, drag the second color over the top of it. The resulting striped pattern will look as if this piece has been painted over itself over the years, a very handed-down look.
By: Jennifer Akre
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