The "distressed" look makes things look antiquated and rustic.
Distressing gives items a shabby-chic appeal to add to your home decor scheme. Aside from furniture and knick-knacks, you can also distress paintings for this interesting texture as well. Knowing distress a painting gives you the opportunity to hang wall art in new and exciting ways in your home.
Instructions
1. Place the painting on an easel. Pour paint thinner into a disposable pie tin and use a sponge to soak up the paint thinner.
2. Wring the sponge out in the tin. Wear disposable gloves for protection.
3. Apply the sponge to the top left-hand corner of the painting and drag the sponge down to the bottom firmly. Move it back to the top of the painting an inch or two to the right and repeat. Do this until you've covered the whole painting with paint thinner in this manner. Let dry for 1 hour.
4. Return to the painting after it has dried, and buff it in random areas with an coarse, dry rag. Something made of wool or that has metallic flecks is adequate, as long as there is enough texture in the rag to create a semi-sanded appearance.
5. Hold a can of spray gloss or matte in a can about 5 inches from the surface of the newly distressed painting. Press on the nozzle and release a fine mist of the tacky substance over the entire surface of the painting. This provides a protective coat over your work so it doesn't fade any further. Let the painting dry for another hour before hanging or storing it.
Tags: paint thinner, your home