Distressed Cedar Chest

I picked up this great chest at a yard sale over the summer. I pulled it out of storage a couple weeks ago so I could finally get started on it. I wanted to try out some distressing on it since it had some great decorative features, but was in need of refinishing.

I started with three coats of a flat gray paint to cover everywhere.. I buffed down the edges with my sander, and from there I decided to go over it with some wood stain. I used a walnut color, which gave the wood showing through a nice color, and added a vintage-y sheen to the paint. I applied it with a rag, and almost immediately wiped it off. I used one coat of water-based polyurethane to protect the finish, and I was done.

I love the look, and it was so easy to get there. Here's a picture of the chest before, after the paint was applied, and then the final product after all the distressing.

Before

With paint

After.

Details.