How to Distress Wood the Easy Way.

One of my favorite ways to achieve a rustic look in design and home decor is to distress wood. The technique I use is easy, fun, and anyone can do it.

One of the first DIY projects I did at our cabin was to distress and refresh our kitchen island. You can read about it here and recently I had the opportunity to share this project on Ask The Maintenance Man. It was an amazing project to get to explain in detail the process of distressing our kitchen countertop and island.

This post includes affiliate links.

Distress wood with right tools.

There are so many ways to distress wood. What I’m about to describe is simply one of them. Be sure to do your research and proceed carefully, with all the right protective gear.

What I use to Distress Wood

I simply gather tools I own to beat up the wood I’m working with. The idea is that you want to give smooth wood a weathered, worn, and distressed look.

So gather things to rough up your wood.

metal chains
hammer
sander with medium grit sand paper
file
nail
wood screw
rubber mallet

Start with the Sander

First things first, sand the wood to remove any existing finish. You’ll want to get the wood down to its original state. I do this especially if I plan to apply a finishing product like stain or wax. If you have brand new wood, so unstained, then you can likely skip the sanding step.

I also break the rules and sand the wood in all directions. Don’t worry about going with the wood grain if you want to create a really rough distressed look. When all is said and done the movement the sander marks give the wood will add A TON of character.

Use Various Tools

After the possible sanding is complete it’s time to grab all the tools you gathered to further rough up your wood.

Use the hammer, wood file, metal chains, and rubber mallet to create dings, dents, or divots in the wood. When I hit the wood I do so in a forward or backward motion to further and indirectly create visual movement by the way the marks in the wood are made.

I then use the nail to scrape the surface of the wood strategically. Finally I’ll hammer the wood screw on its side to create small imperfections all throughout the wood surface.

Finish the Distressed Wood

After I’m completely finished distressing the wood I finish it off with a wax or stain. On my kitchen island I chose to use Annie Sloan dark soft wax to complete the project. It’s a really easy product to use because you simply wipe it on the wood. I describe how I used it here. What I loved most about the product was that I could highlight the blemishes I had created in the wood. The wax or stain will collect in the divots and scratches in the wood making them stand out. The completed project looks like a weathered, storied piece of wood that is rustic and beautiful

Distressing wood is an easy way to create a rustic decor piece in your home. I love adding elements that are weathered to our cabin further contributing to the style of our home.