When you have found that your stain has remained too long for the desired effect, you may be tempted to try to remove it by hand or with a cloth dampened in rubbing alcohol. If this is how you make a stain look distressed, then you have done more harm than good. Although rubbing alcohol and other bleaching agents may seem like a good way of removing a stain, they may actually increase the amount of corrosion of the area it is applied to. This increases the final appearance of the wall and can cause further damage.
So how do you make a stain look distressed? The first thing to try in this case is to simply mask the area. There are plenty of great shabby chic home decor items available that will do just this. One very popular choice is stenciling. Using stencils which match your shabby chic home decor will help to prevent others from seeing the distressed look.
Stencils can be very inexpensive. They are also very easy to apply. Once you have found a design you like, simply take the needed stencils to your local home supply store. You can purchase them already stenciled, or if you are planning to create your own design, you will need to prepare the materials. Paintbrushes and stamps may be available from your local hardware store. You should also have some nail polish and small paint brushes handy.
When choosing your stencils, make sure that they are large enough to cover the entire area that you want to paint. You can use various shapes and patterns as well as images. One of the most popular choices is hearts, which can be stenciled on doors or walls and then painted a dark color over. Choose colors that complement the rest of your room’s decor. If you have white doors, for example, then you would use a black heart pattern and a white border. You can also choose to put one stencil over top of the other in order to give the impression of uneven floors.
Stenciling over an existing stain can be a great way to repair damage without having to completely replace the whole stain. Before starting to paint, however, make sure that the area around where you will be staining is clean. This will help you avoid getting paint on your furniture and flooring.
Before you begin, though, you will need to decide whether or not you will be covering the entire stain or just a section of it. You may be able to salvage the area to work around. If you cannot find something in your area, you can always look online or in local craft stores for inspiration. The great thing about stenciling is that you can create whatever design you like so long as you use the same color for all of the parts of the project. This makes it easy to coordinate the colors when it comes time to apply the paint.
Once you know what part of the floor or the wall you are going to paint it over, remove the old stain. If possible, you may want to try cleaning it up before starting. If there was paint leftovers from the previous owner, it can be difficult to remove them. For this reason, you should probably skip this step unless otherwise instructed by the manufacturer. You can usually get the paint off by either vacuuming or scrubbing with a sponge. However, you will probably have to scrape some of the old paint off the area before you can apply new paint.
Once the area has been cleaned up, you can apply the new paint. When learning how do you make a stain look distressed, it’s important to remember that you want to make certain colors stand out. For example, if you have a light shade of blue on your wall, using white paint can help to give the space some contrast. While you are at it, you might also consider painting the wall a slightly lighter shade of blue. If you are learning how do you make a stain look distressed, this last step is very important. By allowing the walls a few minutes to dry, you will ensure that you will be able to maintain the look of the room throughout the entire year.