I was given this adorable captain’s chair to refinish into a white distressed beauty.

This project was quite simple actually. Steps include sanding, painting and distressing, that’s it.

I took the chair and sanded it down with a 100 grit sandpaper using my orbital sander.

After the original finish was off, I painted 3 layers of semi-gloss white paint on the chair. If you don’t want a glossy look and want it to look more rustic and antique I recommend using chalk paint.

Once all the paint was dry it was time to distress the piece. I grabbed a 120 grit sandpaper and started sanding down the edges of the chair. I then moved onto the legs of the chair distressing where natural wear and tear would occur.

(Quick selfie with the chair time)!)

I wanted the chair to have more of an aged feel so I decided to use my Minimax Early American stain and rubbed the stain onto the chair. I waited around 3 seconds for the stain to take and then I quickly wiped it away. I didn’t want the chair to look too brown so that is why I wiped it off right away. The goal was to darken the bright white paint a little and make the sanded areas darker as well.  By doing this method I got the exact look that I wanted for the chair.

I hope this inspired you to try this distressing method on a furniture piece. Have fun and happy distressing!

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