How to Create a Distressed Finish with Paint

You all know that perfect chippy, aged item full of patina that gets your heart racing when you spot it in the corner of a barn-turned-thrift paradise? No? Just me? 🙂 What if I told you that you could take pretty much anything and give it the patina of your dreams?

Well, you can. 🙂

Have you all heard of Modern Masters? I had in passing, but it wasn’t until I saw some very cool projects start to pop up on Pinterest that I started to really pay attention. When they contacted me and offered to let me give their Metal Effects paint line a try I was super excited to try to add some aged beauty to some of my own items!

I decided to test it out on two different items—a terra cotta pot that houses my prized fiddle leaf plant (prized because it has been alive for 7 months!) and a pair of candlesticks that I was ready to give a new look to.

After cleaning my items off and making sure they were dry, I then applied the Metal Effects Primer. This product protects your item from the aging solution you apply later so the paint ages, not your stuff!
I did two coats of primer then allowed it to dry for 24 hours. The instructions say to wait at least 12, just an FYI if you’re planning a project out!

After the Metal Effects Primer was dried, I then painted a coat of the Copper Reactive Metallic Paint. This paint also comes in iron and bronze and contains real metal particles.

While the second coat of paint was still wet, I applied both the Green Patina Aging Solution and the Blue Patina Aging Solution. I had a hard time picking between those two gorgeous hues, so I went with both! You can apply them with a sponge, but I used the spritzer cap.

This was where the magic happened. Within minutes of applying the solution I could see the paint start to age right before my eyes. Look how cool this is!

As you can see in the photos, we had some visible brush strokes. I didn’t mind because I liked the texture, but if you want a smooth finish I’d recommend using a roller brush.

I know it’s lame to watch paint dry…but I couldn’t help it. 🙂

This is what I ended up with. Isn’t it awesome?

I am already coming up with all kinds of fun project ideas to create with this set.

A big improvement don’t you think?

What about you guys? Have anything you are dying to give a perfect-patina makeover to?

This post was created in partnership with Modern Masters. As always, project and ideas are 100% my own! 🙂 To find your local Modern Masters retailer, you can use their Retail Locator or their Online Shop.