A Vintage Settee How-To

This settee was one of my favorite DIY's to date.  In part, because I've wanted one for a long time, but also because it was such a fun project with my husband.  The aged green settee arrived as a picture in my Mother's Day card, and I was so excited to get working.  This project was also one of my favorites because I learned how you can show the wood grain, which is something I've always been curious about.  It gives wood that beautiful antique appeal.  And also allows for stain to have slight color variations, which ends up giving a piece an authentic antique feel. 

To start we stripped down the whole couch to the frame, springs, and burlap covering.  Then we got to working on the wood.  With a hand drill and an Avanti Pro crimped 4"wire brush from Home Depot, we consistently followed along the grain of the grain.  Depending on the wood type, the wire brush will tear out the soft spots of the wood, showing the beautiful striations in the wood that you're wanting for a vintage piece.  It's kind of like magic; the wire brush follows the wood grain very easily.  The wood on my settee tore through the grain easily, but on some woods you may have to work a little harder.  The key is to just be consistent so the wood grain is even.  

After we finished with the wire brush, we wiped and vacuumed all the dust down, and then started with the stain.  I used a grey Minwax wood stain, and generously applied it.  After that dried overnight, I finished with two separate coats of a 50/50 mixture of water and Annie Sloan white chalk paint.  It was beautiful to see the white chalk paint pool in the different areas of the wood grain with the grey stain.  After, it dried, I applied Annie Sloan wax generously, and then wiped down the excess.  This leaves the wood sealed and conditioned, kind of like putting lotion on dry hands.  To finish the couch, I picked a neutral linen upholstery.  I had it done through a local company that was  fast and so easy to work with.  We love it and it makes everything around it feel dreamy.

xoxo