wet sanding tutorial: how to get the ultimate chippy finish

Do you all think there is a difference between a distressed finish and a chippy finish? 

I've been debating this in my head (first world problem, I know) for a few weeks now, and I think there is.

To me, distressing is done more around the edges or on the high spots of a piece and a chippy finish is a little less controlled and much heavier. 

Personally, I prefer a chippy finish most of the time, but because it is less controlled and usually requires more sanding/distressing, the chance of damaging the wood is greater. 

That's why I love wet sanding. 

It can help protect the wood from getting scratched and damaged while achieving a great chippy finish.

So are you ready for a sweet tutorial with some awesome I-phone photos?!

Only the best for you guys. ;)

A few "disclaimers" before we get started.

1. I have only used this technique on Milk and Chalk Paints. I'm not sure how it would work on a latex or oil based paint. 

2. Milk and Chalk Paint can be unpredictable to work with, so rarely are 2 pieces completely alike.

3. The water you'll use can damage the finish (mostly leave water marks) but I promise those are much easier to fix then scratches in the wood. 

OK disclaimers done, let's go!

Step one: Check the current condition of the finish on your piece and fix as necessary.

The original condition was medium on the high boy. 

It had some discoloration and sticky residue (yuck) so I gave the parts with the sticky residue a good cleaning with a magic eraser and then busted out my secret weapon.

Howard's Restore a Finish.

I am so in love (platonic love of course) with this stuff. 

Restor-A-Finish is "a unique finish-penetrating formula that restores the original color and luster to your finish while blending out the blemishes and minor scratches." 

Simply chose the right shade of Restore-a-Finish and follow the instructions on the bottle.

1. Pour some Restore-a-Finish onto a lint free cloth (like an old T-shirt), NOT directly onto the wood, and wipe in the direction of the wood grain.

2. Apply an even coat and then wipe away the excess (also in the direction of the wood grain) till the surface is dry.  

Below, the picture on the left is before I used the Restore a Finish and the picture on the right is after.

See the difference?

Since a chippy finish can leave a lot of wood showing, you want to make sure that wood is beautiful and has all the luster it originally had. So I know it might seems a little silly to do this step at the beginning, especially when you are going to be applying water to it later on; but I really believe adding one extra step and making sure it gets done right, then getting to the end and not being happy with the final result. 

Step 2: Paint your piece

As mentioned above, I have always used either Milk or Chalk Paint for wet sanding.

You can find a list of brands HERE, HERE and HERE.

I always use a Purdy All Paint Type brush.

They are a little more expensive, but they don't leave little hairs behind or too many brush strokes. 

When I know I want a chippy finish, I always paint most of the piece.

I don't stress about getting 100% complete coverage since I'll be taking a lot of it off, BUT I want the option of taking paint off from any were I want so I do a heavier coat then just dry brushing.

Make sense? 

Step 3: Start distressing

Since the distressing is (obviously) the most important and involved part of this tutorial I'm going to break this step down into several parts.

Step 3 part 1: 

Put the drawers back in.

The reason I do this is so that I can see how all the distressing and chipping is coming together as a COMPLETE piece. 

Step 3 part 2:

Wipe on some water one area at a time.

The moister from the water helps loosen the paint so that it flakes and rubs off easier; which means less muscle and hard core sanding, reducing the chance of scratching the wood. 

I just use a slightly damp paper towel for this.

Fancy-shmancy.

You want it to be wet enough to leave moister behind, but not wet enough to have water dripping down the surface of your piece.

I find it best to work in small areas (like one drawer at a time) so that I don't need to keep applying moister to the same areas over and over.

step 3 part 3:

Start distressing the damp area.

I always use a fine grit sanding sponge (like THESE) not sand paper. 

The reason I prefer a sanding sponge is because it gives me the ability to apply even pressure while sanding, reducing the chance for scratching the wood. 

Plus, like it says in the product name, it's more sponge like, so it works really well with wet sanding.

Since Milk and Chalk based paints can chip and flake on their own, I start by running my sponge length wise with the wood grain to remove any paint that might be flaking off. 

This helps me see where the distressing/chipping is happening naturally and from there I can chose where I want to distress more heavily or to let it be. 

You may need to add more moisture as you distress to help areas where the paint is not coming off to loosen and chip away.*

step 3 part 4:

Once I am done distressing, or want to see how it it coming along, I wipe the drawer (section) down with a lint free cloth (like a t-shirt) to remove dust and extra moisture.

If I'm satisfied with how the drawer or section looks I move on. If I'm not satisfied, I wipe it down again with a damp paper towel again and keep distressing, repeating till I get the look I want. 

*if you start to notice white marks on the wood from the water DON'T WORRY. It's easy to fix and we'll talk about it in the next step.

Step 4: Remove water marks and seal your piece

Remember how the first step was to use Howard's Restore-a-Finish?

Well it's also the last step.

If the condition of your piece was good to begin with, then you didn't need to apply the Restore-a-Finish till now.

Chances are the the water you used to loosen the paint also did a little water damage to the exposed wood.

Restore-a-Finish is amazing because it will restore the condition of the wood and seal it, all in one step.

Simply follow the instructions on the bottle.

1. Make sure your surface is completely dry from the water you applied. Some water spots will fade as they dry, but if you apply the Restore-a-Finish while they are damp, they will get sealed in.

2. Pour some Restore-a-Finish onto a lint free cloth (like an old T-shirt), NOT directly onto the wood, and wipe in the direction of the wood grain.

3. Apply an even coat and then wipe away the excess (also in the direction of the wood grain) till the surface is dry.

That really is it!

As the instructions say, do not apply a poly-coat or wax coat to seal it.

Now step back and enjoy the chippy-ness. :)

To see the full post on this piece, click HERE.

This is in no way a sponsored post. All opinions on products are my honest opinion.