How To Distress Furniture with Beeswax

Hi everyone!

A few weeks back I distressed a charming milk painted desk using Vaseline. I had fun with this distressing technique and wondered why it took me so long to give it a try? It saved me from distress sanding, (softened my hands)… and the desk turned out adorable and sold super fast!

After reading the Vaseline post, a lot of you chimed in asking if I had ever used beeswax or similar wax repelling products to distress my furniture. Then, more of you chimed in saying you had distressed with wax and it works beautifully. This convinced me to give wax a try.

Plus I have to admit, I really like the idea of  minimal sanding =  time saved = less work!

After falling in love with Miss Mustard Seed’s Typewriter Black {the base coat on the Vaseline Distressed Desk} I had to use this black on an entire piece. I wanted this desk to be transformed from ’70’s Old-School’ to ‘Antiqued-Old-World’. Distressing the paint and allowing the wood to peek through would do just that.

Before I get into how the beeswax works, here’s the before and after.

 

Gorgeous right!!!?  MMS Typewriter Black Milk Paint is definitely my new “go-to black” when creating a dark moody vintage/antique piece. Also, these are the pulls that were featured on this weeks Q-T-T!

 

Here’s what I used~

:: Miss Mustard Seed’s Typewriter Black mixed with Bonding Agent (1st coat only)

:: A Cheap Dollar Store Paint Brush

:: 100% Beeswax Puck

:: 220 & 400 Grit Sandpaper

:: Custom Dark Wax~Annie Sloan Natural Wax mixed with Black Acrylic Paint

 

And to make things even easier, I already had 100% Beeswax from my Ukrainian Easter Egg Decorating days. These beeswax pucks have been in storage for more years than I care to admit. They’re not old and moldy… just old.

If you’re interested in a little beeswax trivia, you can tell these pucks are high quality 100% beeswax because of the ‘bloom’ that’s formed on them. The bloom is that whitish film which is the natural minerals rising to the surface of the wax over time.

 

 

To give this desk a natural aged look, I rubbed the puck of wax onto the raised areas of the desk that would normally have worn with time. I have to say, beeswax smells delish! I also rubbed the wax on the drawers and base to give this desk an old-world vintage look.

 

 

Then I mixed the MMS Typwriter black and applied it directly over the wax. I used a cheap dollar store brush so I wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning my good brushes.

The idea behind distressing furniture with vaseline or wax products is kind of like the oil and water theory.

They repel each other and this results in the paint NOT adhering to the areas that the wax has been applied. I thought the wax would repel more than it actually did, but as you can see below, it was quite subtle. I thought I was rubbing on a pretty thick layer, but apparently, I could have layered the wax on even thicker.

 

 

After two coats of milk paint, I sanded the entire desk using 220 grit for distressing and 400 grit for the final finish. Unlike the Vaseline Distressing, the Wax Distressing Method DOES require sanding. I couldn’t have just wiped the paint off easily. The final result is also alot more subtle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This desk is elegant and gorgeous. I will definitely use this wax distressing technique again. Although I still had to sand, it made the sanding effort lighter and therefore less likely to sand past the stained wood.

There are also similar ‘wax’ repelling products sold by Miss Mustard Seed and Annie Sloan. I would like to give these products a try too to see how they compare to the 100% All Natural Beeswax.

 

Here’s my take-a-way~

When I’m looking for a more subtle distressing ~ the wax technique.

When I want a heavier distressed look ~ the Vaseline technique.

 

Have you ever distressed painted furniture using Beeswax? If you have any questions or comments or would just like to say ‘hi’, don’t be shy… I always love to hear your thoughts so feel free to chime in!

Have a great day… and I hope you enjoy your weekend whatever you decide to do!

Denise x

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