How to Paint Furniture Black Distressed The Easy Way

Learning how to paint furniture black distressed is actually way easier than you think. Painting furniture black is never out of style and gives your furniture a timeless look. Distressing black furniture looks exceptional, especially when an antique brown undertone is present.

Today we are going to distress a cute little end table with black chalk paint. This little sewing table was given to me by my sewing machine repair guy and as soon as I saw it, I pictured it with a BLACK distressed exterior!

Sometimes furniture seems to almost tell us what color it wishes to be. This little table said “black distressed please”. And although I heard the call to paint it black, it sat in the garage for a few months. But once the weather was nice enough to open the garage doors and get to work, it’s new life in black began!

I had painted a neighbor’s dresser black a few years ago, but it had been awhile since I had worked with such dark hues. And I have to say I like how the black covered up so many of the imperfections and gave my little end table a timeless look.

Black almost never loses it’s unique look and it’s a color that doesn’t go in and out of style as fast as others. So let me quickly share with you the process on distressing furniture with black chalk paint. No sanding necessary. You can also read a more in depth post about chalk painting black furniture that breaks it down even more.

Here’s what you need to paint furniture black with a distressed look :

Black chalk paint
Antique wax
Screwdriver
Spray paint or rub and buff
Sand paper

First of all let me reassure you painting furniture black with a distressed look is easy! It requires very little to no prepping. So if you have never done something like this, you have picked a good project. You can do this!

You do not need to sand a piece to make the chalk paint stick. Chalk paint has characteristics about it that make the paint attach itself right onto the furniture no matter the finish.

So let’s get started!

Here’s how to paint furniture black with a distressed look:

Step 1: Wipe down your furniture

The first step to preparing your furniture for chalk paint is to wipe it down. Take some water and a rag and just clean out all surfaces of the furniture. You can use a cleaner if you have spots that are very dirty.

Remove any hardware or knobs that you don’t want to paint black. You can also remove anything else that you don’t want in your final piece of furniture. With this piece I removed the inside structures on this sewing table so that it would be more usable as an end table. You can also see how I re-made this sewing table into a planter last spring.

Then just tape off any areas on the furniture that you don’t want to paint black. And that’s it!

Step 2: Paint your furniture with black chalk paint

Once your furniture is clean and dry its time to get to work. Take a chalk paint brush and apply chalk paint to all areas you are wanting to paint. Try to make brush strokes in the same direction. Check to make sure you don’t have drips along the side of the furniture.

When your paint is dry, assess whether or not you want to add a second coat. If there areas that you still want to cover up than apply a second coat of black chalk paint. If you are satisfied with the look of your piece, move onto waxing!

Step 3: Wax your black furniture

Now it’s time to wax your black furniture. When you are painting with black using antiquing wax works well. I happened to have a lot of it on hand so I applied wax all over my end table. You can read more about the step by step here.

Re-attach your hardware after waxing. On this end table I kept the orignial hardware and just spray painted them gold. So whether you keep your original hardware or replace it. Nows the time to do it.

Step 4: Distressing your black furniture

The last step is the fun one! Take 100 grit sandpaper and use it along the edges and corners of your furniture. Furniture naturally becomes distressed on areas of highest use. For example the drawers where you are opening and closing them often.

I love how this black end table turned out! The dusky black color of the chalk paint really gave this table a new look! What do you think? Let me know down below. And let me know if you have a piece of furniture you would like to re-do.

Thanks for following along!