How To Create AMAZING Texture & Layers On Painted Furniture!!

Have you ever wondered how to how to create AMAZING texture & layers on painted furniture? Today we’re making over this tiny accent table and I’m going to show you how to add texture to the surface to bring in a slightly old world look and then we’re going to do some dry brushing with three different colors of Mineral Paint for a layering effect. With the texture and the layered paint, we’re adding some visual interest rather than a simple single paint color (don’t get me wrong, I love a single paint color, but I also like to make pieces look a little more interesting and unexpected!) And at the end we’re going to use a dark wax to add some dimension and complete the gothic look of this piece. Let’s get started!

Here’s the before, a super cute and tiny accent table that is about to get a major makeover!

Supply List for Layers and Texture

* This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase from one of these links, I could make a commission at no charge to you.

1. Sanding Rad Pad

2. Lintless- Reusable Rags

3. Three Wheeled Furniture Dollies

Prepping Your Furniture Before Painting

Before I got to this part, I did what I do with every piece which is actually the most important part of all – I cleaned and prepped this piece using my White Lightening. You absolutely cannot skip this step because your final product is only as good as the prep work that you do. Make sure you get it totally clean!

How to Add Texture and Layers to Wooden Furniture

Rather than putting a base coat of paint, I started with the Sea Spray Texture Additive. When your piece is nice and clean and dry, this is what is going to add an amazing texture to your smooth surface.

After mixing the Sea Spray with my Cotton paint, it’s the perfect brownie like consistency and ready to be applied.

You can follow the directions on the bag of the Sea Spray but I like to add my paint (today I’m using Cotton like in the link above) and then add the Sea Spray a little at a time until I get a brownie batter consistency. When you have it just right you can use a cheap chip brush to apply it. I brush it on the surface and then dab to make peaks and you want to be able to see lots of texture when you’re applying it so make sure that you have enough on your brush. Here is what it should look like below.

See how thick it is and you can really see all of the texture that the Sea Spray and Cotton creates? That is exactly what we want!

I continued this technique all over the entire piece. Brushing and dabbing to make every surface area textured. Once it’s dry (probably a few hours or even overnight) you can take a fine sandpaper to knock down the peaks a little bit.

My client wanted a neutral color, so I used Spanish Moss which is like a light olive green. I painted the entire piece with this color and let it dry. Next I got to work on the dry blending.

You can see the difference between the left and the right. On the left I’ve done some dry blending with the Vintage Duck Egg and Cotton Chalk Mineral Paint. On the right is just the Spanish Moss.

Dry Blending to Add a Layers on Wooden Furniture

Remember, our focus on this project is how to create AMAZING texture & layers on painted furniture. In the image above, I had already done the dry blending on the left using Vintage Duck Egg and Cotton Chalk Mineral Paint. On the right, is just the Spanish Moss. You can see the difference, right? Subtle, but layered.

I dipped my brush in the Vintage Duck Egg and wiped off any excess and just lightly applied it to the areas where I wanted some color. I use the same technique as when I’m blending – circles, back and forth brush strokes, just adding color where I want it on the piece – not the entire thing. It doesn’t have to be totally perfect because we’re layering this piece.

Next I did the exact same thing using Cotton and the same dry blending technique.

After the Vintage Duck Egg, I took my Cotton and did the same thing – a dry blend where I wanted some white layering. You can see that there are some areas where the white is a bit heavier than I wanted, so I took the Vintage Duck Egg brush and just went over those areas to remove a bit of the heavy white. And then once again with the Spanish Moss Brush to bring in a bit more of that color. You can keep doing this process until you’re happy with how it looks.

Since I wanted a vintage feel, when the piece was newly dry and hadn’t had a chance to cure, I took a microfiber cloth, sprayed some water and worked on small areas, rubbing against the paint so that the white that was underneath starts to show through.

Wet distressing small areas to expose the Cotton that is underneath. This gives it a distressed look.

Using Dark Wax for Dimension and Layers

I sprayed the entire piece with Easy Peasy Spray Wax and let it fully dry before I started using my Best Dang Wax in brown. The reason I used the dark wax was to add even more layering – like it’s a true vintage piece. I added the wax to certain areas and then wiped it back with a cloth. You can add and wipe until you’re happy with the way it looks. And that’s it! As you can see creating AMAZING texture & layers on painted furniture isn’t as hard as it looks.

You can see where I’ve added the dark wax on both of these doors and I can keep wiping and adding until I’m happy with the way it looks.

YouTube Video

As always I documented the whole process so that you can follow along and learn all of these tips and tricks for yourself. You’ll be a texturizing pro in no time! Just click the link below to watch the YouTube video.

The Finished Piece – An Accent Table with Dimension and Texture

Want more furniture painting tutorials? You might love one of my faves, this blended secretary desk below! https://bellarenovare.com/2020/09/blended-secretary-desk-makeover/

Blended Secretary Desk Makeover

#howtoblend #blendingpaint #howtopaintfurniture #paintedfurniture #furnituremakeover