Customizing furniture is one of the creative and decorative ways to make your home look elegant. Some people love to decorate furniture in an antique way. People shabby chic sideboard, table, drawer, etc., to create an aesthetic look of the furniture.
If you want to customize your sideboard and create an aesthetic look with shabby chic, you can do it yourself. You need to follow some steps to shabby chic perfectly. In this article, we will tell you how you can shabby chic a sideboard.
How to shabby chic a sideboard?
To shabby chick a sideboard, you have to follow some steps. First, you have to choose the sideboard to shabby chic and clean it well. Then, you have to choose the color of the paint and the type of paint. Finally, with some modification of the color and tone, you will get the desired look.
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You can choose an old sideboard to paint. If you want to buy the sideboard before shabby chic, you can choose an old one rather than a branded one.
The old one will make the process easy. For deciding the color, you might choose a lighter color if you want to create a softer look.
You have to choose the type of color also. Because not all colors will create the appearance of shabby chic. Lastly, you have to use coating materials or wax to protect the color and make it durable.
What is Shabby Chic?
Shabby chic is a form or way to design the interior of a place. It creates an aesthetic and antique look in the furniture. Furniture being shabby chic means the furniture has a vintage look for its age or has wear and tear appearance in it.
Shabby chic represents a certain period of time or old vibes in furniture. It shows a piece of furniture has been preserved for many years. Shabby chic creates a ‘distressing’ look in the finish of the furniture.
Furniture that has the antique and old look already, can be shabby chic by a little modification. Otherwise, many people use modern furniture to color and make it look old enough by shabby chic.
How to paint a sideboard shabby chic?
To paint a sideboard shabby chic, you need to follow some simple steps. Let’s see how you can paint the sideboard to make it shabby chic style.
Protect the surface:
Cover the surface you are working on. The floor or the surface might get painted or dirty while working on it. So, it’s wise to cover or protect the floor.
Remove the old paint:
If the sideboard has old paint on it, remove it with a stripper. You can also use sandpaper to remove the paint gently. Don’t rub it harshly. After rubbing, the new paint will stick on it well. If the furniture has no paint, you can skip this step.
Remove the dust:
Clean the sideboard’s surface so that any dust or dirt is removed. If you want an area that you don’t want to paint, add masking tape on that area.
Add primer:
Add a water-based primer before painting. It will give the sideboard a better finish.
Paint the sideboard:
Paint the sideboard gently once. Then rub the surface to get a better finish. You can use 180 grit sandpaper to rub off the paint. After that, paint the sideboard again. This time the color will last a long time.
If you don’t want the ‘distressing’ look, you can seal the paint with varnish. But if you want to distress the sideboard, you have to follow the steps below.
Distressing:
If you want to distress the sideboard’s look, you don’t need to apply two-layer of paints. You can paint for the first and second time, then rub the second paint with sandpaper. Then a natural wear and tear look of the sideboard will appear.
Apply wax:
Dry the sideboard well and apply wax over it to seal the paint. If you want a more distressing look, you can add more layers and rub it with sandpaper to create your desired look.
Finishing:
Wipe the sideboard to clean the surface finally and add furniture polish to get a better finishing.
Also read, How tall should a lamp be on a sideboard?
What paint do you use for Shabby Chic?
For shabby chic, you have to choose paint wisely. Because the type and quality of paint may vary. You have to choose the paint according to your desired finish and appearance of the furniture. Let’s see what paint you can use for shabby chic.
Chalky furniture paint:
Chalky furniture paint is pretty standard for shabby chic. A lot of brands of chalky paints are available in the market. This type of paint gives a smooth, and shiny surface. This paint also helps to create a better bond in paints.
Eco-chic paint:
Eco-chic paint is clay-based paint. It gives a creamy consistency over the surface and good for shabby chic furniture.
Clay paint:
Clay paint is a unique type of paint. This paint is suitable for shabby chic because it has no excess smell and better finishing.
Latex paint:
Latex paint is easy to distress. It is also cost effective. So, you can use latex paint to sand off the paint from the furniture easily.
How to whitewash a sideboard?
Whitewashing furniture can create a muted and vintage look. If you want to whitewash a sideboard, you can follow some simple steps. Let’s see the steps for whitewashing a sideboard.
- Clean the sideboard well before whitewashing.
- Use sandpaper to remove extra paints and dirt on the sideboard.
- Mix water with white paint to get a good density of the paint.
- Paint a small area first to test the consistency and finish of the paint.
- Use a roller to paint the surface and paint all over the surface before the paint dries.
- Dry the paint and remove the extra paint on the surface.
- If you want a thick coating, paint another layer over the first layer of the paint.
- Use furniture polish or a protective layer to finish the process.
What kind of paint do you use to whitewash the sideboard?
White color is compulsory to whitewash the sideboard. A lot of brands and types of paints are available for whitewashing the sideboard. But you have to choose a paint which creates a good bond with water. Because the paint has to mix with water before applying.
Chalk paint is common to whitewash the sideboard. The chalk paint gives a smooth, shiny surface, and better consistency. This paint also helps to create a better bond with water. You can mix chalk paint with water with a ratio of 1:1 to get good finishing.
Latex paint is also good for creating whitewash furniture. This type of paint makes a good bond with water and gives a thin layer of white paint. Latex paint also creates a vintage look because it sands off the paint from the furniture easily.
How do you make the paint look antique?
You can make your furniture look antique in many ways. Here we are giving you some techniques that you can follow to make the paint look antique.
Distressing:
Distressing is one of the best ways for the paint to look antique. In this process, first, you have to paint one layer over another. Then you have to rub off the upper layer of paint to make wear and tear look.
Resist Technique:
In this unique process, you have to paint one layer. After that, you have to apply a resist medium layer that will come off when you add the second layer of paint.
Shabby chic:
Shabby chic is another standard technique to make the paint look antique. In shabby chic style, you have to rub off the paint in the areas you want to create a wear and tear look.
Also read, How big and high should a mirror be above a sideboard?
How do you paint the sideboard to make it look distressed?
A distressing look of furniture can make an appearance of elegance. You can paint your sideboard to make it look distressed. For doing this, you have to clean the furniture you want to use for distressing. Then you can roll on one thin layer of primer and paint.
After applying one layer, you need to give another layer of paint over it. If you want some areas without paint, you can add masking tape on those areas. Then you can rub off the paint from the upper layer to make an old look of the sideboard.
Finally, apply wax after drying the paint to seal the finish. Thus you can paint the sideboard to make it look distressed.
How do you make chalk paint look distressed?
To make chalk paint look distressed, you can follow the steps.
- Clean the surface and apply chalk paint on it.
- Apply wax over the chalk paint and remove the excess.
- Cover the whole area with chalk paint and wax.
- Rub off the paint and wax in some areas to look distressed.
Shabby chic is the unique technique one can follow to make his furniture look old and elegant. People often shabby chic their sideboards to make a vintage look and create an old vibe in their place.
If you want to shabby chic your sideboard, you can follow some simple steps mentioned in this article. Make sure you use quality paint to make the paint look distressed and durable.