Mom Gives Tutorial On Distressing Furniture With Vaseline

Everyone has their own taste when it comes to home decorating. While some prefer a cleaner, more modern-style, others would rather fill their rooms with rustic or vintage pieces.

For those who like that weathered, old farmhouse type look – there’s an easy distressing technique you’re going to want to hear about!

As we know, antique furniture can come with a pretty big price tag. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have furniture that appears to be beautifully aged and worn. Sara Davis (creator of the DIY home decor site “Sincerely, Sara D.”) shared an inexpensive furniture distressing trick that uses Vaseline. That’s right, Vaseline!

YouTube Screenshot
Source:

YouTube Screenshot

Sara teamed up with Unexpected Elegance for the simple DIY tutorial. Time to roll up your sleeves and let’s get distressing.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Vaseline
Paintbrush
Your choice of paint
Old rag or towel

Step One:

In the video, Sara uses a small piece of wood for the demonstration. She begins by dipping her paintbrush into the Vaseline and getting a thick coat on it. Then, she takes her brush and starts painting the Vaseline onto the edges of the wood.

She explains:

“Just keep in mind that wherever you put the Vaseline the paint is not going to adhere, so it’s going to look distressed there.”

Sara paints the edges and corners with the Vaseline, adding more to her brush when needed. While doing so, she shares:

“For this particular piece, I’m just doing the corners. But you can definitely do the middle section if you want. But the corners are just typically where it gets worn, so it makes sense to have it distressed on the corners.”

Step Two:

Now’s when you’re going to paint the furniture piece. According to the DIY blogger, you can use whichever type of paint you’d like. She chose to use spray paint because of how easy and quick it is.

Then, wait for the paint to dry… In the meantime, did you know that Vaseline has TONS of uses you might not know about? It’s one of those products that’s always handy to have in the cabinet!

Step Three:

Once the paint is fully dry, you’re going to wipe the Vaseline off. Sara takes a small towel and goes around the edges of the wood, removing the Vaseline. As she does so, you can see the weathering magic taking place! It’s like transforming a new piece into one you discovered at a cottage’s yard sale.

The technique works perfectly for Sara simply by removing the Vaseline with a towel. However, she says you can use sandpaper if you’d prefer.

Seeing the results, she says:

“Look how easy that comes off! It really gives it that chippy, old look that some pieces just look amazing with.”

What’s crazy is that’s it. That’s all it takes to achieve that worn look that a lot of us love. But on top of it being simple, it’s also an excellent way to avoid spending an arm and a leg on antique furniture (while still getting that older appearance).

Don’t you just love the feeling of doing something yourself? If you’re looking for more creative and inspiring projects for around the home – be sure to check out Sincerely, Sara D. and Unexpected Elegance!