Thanks for joining me for this third tutorial in my Build Your Own Antique Warehouse Cart Coffee Table series.  Today I am sharing my techniques for distressing and antiquing your tabletop.

Things Needed for This Project;

hammer

heavy chain

medium or dark stain (I used Minwax Special Walnut 224)

gray stain (I used Minwax Classic Gray 271)

maple or honey stain (I used Minwaz Colonial Maple 223)

rags

sandpaper

black paint

artist’s brush

wipe on polyurethane

      Distressing my warehouse cart coffee tabletop was very easy (and fun!).  My seven-year-old did most of the distressing.  He banged it up randomly with both sides of the hammer.  I took my turn and banged up the edges.  I then dragged the hammer’s claw length-wise in a few places.  I let my son drop the heavy chain in a couple of places then I had him stand way back while I gave the table a few good whacks with the chain.  For the final touch, I took the table out into the street and kicked it around a bit.

Here are the steps I took to give the table an aged, reclaimed wood finish;

One:  apply a dark stain and wipe off immediately.

Two:  using a course grit sandpaper, sand off most of the dark stain, leaving it in grooves.

Three:  apply a warm stain, let soak in five minutes and wipe off.

Four:  using a medium grit sandpaper, sand the table where there would be normal wear and tear.

Five:  apply a gray stain and wipe off immediately.

Six: using a fine grit sandpaper, sand the table in places where there would be normal wear.

Seven:  paint the nail heads black.

Eight:  use a couple of coats of wipe on polyurethane to protect your table.

     Of course, you don’t have to go through all these steps.  There are recipes out there for making your own antiquing stain.  If you want a more formal look you could just use one color like my husband did.  I wanted a weathered, reclaimed wood look so I used three colors of stain and I think the end result is pretty authentic looking.  Whatever look you are going for, I suggest that you experiment on a piece of your scrap wood first.  Keep in mind though, if you mess up you can start over by sanding the stain off.  Coming up soon, tutorials on building the small wheels, fabricating the hardware, and putting it all together.