DIY Blue Shabby Distressed Paint Finish – Easy Rustic, Vintage Look

I love this BEAUTIFUL DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish. Here’s the EASY steps & video to get that perfect Rustic, Vintage Paint Look.

DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish

I love happy accidents. Don’t you? This DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish was absolutely a happy accident.

I started this paint makeover thinking I was giving this DIY Wood Toy Box a crackle finish. BUT, the crackle product I bought completely failed.

Luckily, sanding all of that off created this beautiful vintage, rustic, shabby distressed paint finish, that I absolutely love!

And, I can tell you exactly how to create this pretty vintage paint finish with just 7 easy steps! The key is to pick 3+ colors you really love together. Then layer them up in interesting ways.

Any edges, corners, molding, or other details on your furniture would look more interesting with multiple layers of paint colors.

You Can Chalk Paint Your Furniture Hardware Too

Painting the hardware is another way to add to that new painted furniture look. You can always paint your hardware with layers of chalk paint too or go for a metal look paint finish.

I used 3 pulls I saved from that 70’s style dresser I cut in half to make my powder room vanity and cute toy storage.

First I rubbed gold rub n buff on my hardware, but didn’t love the gold on it’s own.

So, I covered most of the gold with Folk Art Antique Copper to match the copper on the chest. With just a bit of the gold showing through, the pulls now look vintage and beautiful too.

OK, let’s start this DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish tutorial, guys.

Materials Used

• Fine Grit Sanding Sponge
• Nylon Paint Brush
• 150 Grit Sandpaper and Tack Cloth to remove dust
• Paint and Finishes Used (Tip: use chalk paints and acrylic based paints that cure fast)
  • Watco Danish Oil in Medium Walnut
  • Water-Based Polyurethane or Polycrylic
  • Magnolia Homes by Kilz in Signature (Blue)
  • Magnolia Homes by Kilz in Spontaneous (Teal)
  • Folk Art Craft Paint in Antique Copper
  • Gold Rub and Buff
  • Minwax Paste Finishing Wax, in Natural

How to Get a Shabby Chic Paint Finish

If any of the written steps below are confusing, you can see all of the steps in this video.

DIY Rustic Blue Chalk Paint Furniture Makeover

Step by Step Shabby Distressed Paint Finish

If you are starting with unfinished or stripped furniture, start with step one. If you are starting with already stained furniture, lightly san it and give it a clean with TSP before starting with Step Four.

Step One

I started by distressing my wood with a hammer and very small gauge screwdriver. Just to give the wood more character.

My oldest thought this was the coolest part of the entire DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish project! I let him swing the hammer a few times. 🙂

Step Two

Sand the wood with 150-grit sandpaper, then clean off all dust with a tack cloth or clean rag.

Step Three

Apply a coat of Danish Oil to stain the wood a darker color. It also soaks in to seal and harden the wood a bit.

I let that dry, then followed up with a coat of a water-based Polycrylic. This just helps to protect that stained wood from being sanded bare, accidentally.

Step Four – Apply Accent Colors

Apply the paint colors you picked for your shabby distressed paint finish, in whatever pattern you think will look good on your furniture.

Let it completely dry between coats. Layer more than one color in multiple places to give the wood a more vintage vibe.

Step Five – Apply Main Top Color

I used the blue paint as my main color. I applied it in step four on most of my Toy Chest. After all of the paint dried from step four, I applied a coat of that blue over all of the wood again. Let all of that paint dry and cure overnight.

Step Six

I wet my fine grit sanding sponge, squeezed it out and scrubbed the entire outside of the chest. On some spots I scrubbed harder and longer to reveal more layers.

How much to sand and where is kind of a gut-feel thing. Go with what you like to get a distressed look you love. I had to rinse out the sponge more than a dozen times to clean off the built up paint.

Step Seven

When you’ve finished distressing. Wipe the wood with a damp cloth. Let that dry. Then seal everything with 2 coats of an untinted finishing wax or a matte finish water-based Polycrylic.

That’s it for this DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish tutorial.

More DIY Projects For You

• How to Make Chalkboard Paint with Grout
• Make Chalk Paint with Plaster of Paris
• How to Get a Smooth Finish with Chalk Paint
• Stain Wood Furniture Without Stripping the Old Stain
• DIY Weathered Paint Effect with Chalk Paint
• DIY Blue Distressed Paint using Petroleum Jelly

Looking for a home decor paint tutorial?? Check out my popular DIY Acrylic Paint Pouring Wall Art tutorial.

Looking for more easy DIY home decor? Check out this Easy DIY Resin Tray Tutorial and Video.

Or, this Paint Pour Tutorial & Video I used for pretty drawer bottoms.

---

Feeling inspired? Now that you’ve seen this DIY Shabby Distressed Paint Finish tutorial, you can do it too. Let me know if you have questions.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Abbotts At Home email newsletter to get DIY, Remodeling, and Crafty ideas in your inbox.