There’s just something about a vintage, chippy finish that really makes my heart swoon. I think it brings so much charm and character into a space when furniture has a story to tell.
However, as much as I love those unique vintage finds, they are often hard to come by in good shape or without spending a pretty penny.
So today I’m going to share with you a really easy way to achieve a vintage farmhouse finish in a completely fake way.
With a little paint and a sander, you can easily achieve this look on practically any wooden piece of furniture.
Enter exhibit A – my kitchen chairs.
I bought my current kitchen table and chair set at a rummage sale about 10 years ago and it has really held up well considering the wear and tear that 3 small children have given it, especially as it is the hub of our home for meals, school work, art projects, etc.
We refinished the top of the table a few years back, but the chairs were starting to show some age. A few of the legs had broken in multiple spots and even despite gluing them and trying to salvage, I knew it was time for them to go.
I wanted something a little less conventional, so of course I went thrifting to start my quest and to match my budget.
After a few different spots, I stumbled across a set of 4 wooden chairs at my local St. Vincent de Paul store with good bones and some pretty engraved designs that looked very country-chic.
I also found 4 additional vintage wicker dining chairs that were so unique and in great shape, so I figured I could mix and match the 2 sets to accommodate our dining table. I love the warmth they bring to this space.
Anyway, back to the wooden chairs. The solid dark wood condition they were in was not at all what I was envisioning. But I had a plan. A plan with a can of paint and some sandpaper!
I had some leftover white paint from our kitchen cabinets and gave them a very light coat, purposely not really wanting to make them look “polished” if that makes sense.
After the paint had dried, I took my electric sander and went down all the edges of the chair, being sure to hit harder in some spots to achieve a “been around for 100 years” look. I wanted enough of the brown wood underneath to peek through to get that “authentic” faux vintage vibe.
The end result is perfectly imperfect and you would have a hard time guessing these weren’t pulled out of an old farmhouse.
So if you’re looking for an easy way to achieve the faux vintage look, grab some white paint, a sander and get to work! You’ll have a house full of chippy furniture before you know it!
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