DIY Distressed Antique Stool

Happy Tuesday everyone! If you’re following me on Instagram you might have seen the cute little stool I gave an antique makeover to last week. I had been looking for a vintage looking stool for the longest time and I almost gave up until I saw Jenna pull off the best looking “found” antique stool on her blog! I did not reinvent the wheel here, I basically just followed her tutorial and made my own little DIY distressed antique stool 🙂 Before we get started, if you’re interested in starting your own DIY journey but don’t know where to start, read about my DIY story here. You’ll be on your way to making your own DIY vintage stool in no time! OR if distressed furniture isn’t your thing, you can explore painting in this beginners guide to Acrylic Painting.

Before I dig into this project, I wanted to share some exciting news – my home is being featured on OMYSA’s blog today and I couldn’t be more excited! I would love for you to go check out the article and share it with friends. Yay!

Okay, back to this faux vintage stool project – I started off with a basic stool I bought from Amazon for $35 and you could even do it with an existing stool or little side table you already have. In terms of tools, I did end up buying an electric hand planer but I also need it for other projects so i considered it an investment for future. Next in line for tools was my good old jigsaw and my orbital sander which has worked hard over this past year. With these three workhorses combined, I was ready to put some damage on the shiny new stool.

Tools needed

1. Power Drill
2. Wire brush attachment
3. Hand Planer
4. Jigsaw
5. Orbital Sander

DIY DISTRESSED STOOL – How to:

• Use the planer on the edges and flat surfaces randomly to take some chunks of wood out. This was literally my first time using a planer and I had no idea what I was doing!! I figured it out by the third run on the stool and the trick is to focus on all the edges of the stool and put pressure on the middle of the planer
• Next, go over the edges with the jigsaw to create jagged edges and marks to recreate the look of aged wood.
• Sand down all surfaces with your orbital sander until smooth
• Use the drill with the wire brush attachment to go over most surfaces to create fine marks on the wood.
• I also used black finishing wax to rub into some of the grooves but very sparingly
• I followed everything by two coats of weathered oak stain by Minwax. Don’t forget to seal once you’re done!

That’s it guys! Head on over to my instagram highlights to see the process in stories! While we’re staying at home I want you to go over and see what my friend Abbey is up to! She’s sharing a fun baking recipe over on her blog. so don’t forget to hit it up next! Let me know in the comments if you’re going to try this DIY distressed antique stool!