3 Ways to Make Your Own Distressed Wooden Table

If you’re looking for a fantastic focal point for your kitchen or dining room, you couldn’t do much better than to turn your dull dining table into an original, distressed wooden table with bags of character.  Not only will it look great and be a point of conversation with all of your guests, but it will also be extremely practical, as your family will all have a place to eat together and share stories about their days with you.  Of course, creating the distressed look alone could seem daunting, but it’s really no challenge if you follow these helpful tips.

Make Size Alterations Before any Cosmetic Work
If you want to change the shape and size of your table, one mistake you should try not to make is to get your saw out after you’ve done the distressing.  This is because you’ll have already sanded your table down pre-paint/gloss.  

Instead, grab yourself a small portable mitre saw from a site like Anglia Tool Centre and make the alterations = the first thing you do.  That way, you have more time to look forward to all of the cosmetic work that’s to come.

Delightful Distressing Methods
The next stage, after you’ve cut your table down to size, is to strip any paint or gloss from the table’s current surface using sandpaper, and then to apply distressing methods.  

There are lots of ways to distress wood.  Here are just a few easy ones to try out:

• Fill a sock with nails and hit the wooden surface to mark it up.
  
  
• Hit it with a mallet or light hammer.
  
  
• Leave a wet glass on its surface for an hour to leave water stains.
  
  

Once you’ve done this, you can move onto the final step.

Staining the Surface
Once you’ve distressed the surface of your table, it’s time to finish the job by covering it in a layer of stain and gloss.  The best way to do this is with an old rag and be sure to hit the areas that have deep grooves.  Once you’ve left this to dry, you can choose whether you want to paint your table to match the décor of the room it’s going in, or you can leave it a natural wooden color.  If you’re not sure how your table would look either way, here’s a handy Pinterest board to help you visualize.     

So there you go, three tips to help you create the perfect distressed table for your family home.

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