How To: Dry Brush Furniture

August 29, 2016 • Terra George • All Blog Posts • How To

Today I want to teach you a little trick that I love to perform on furniture called dry brushing!

It is a relatively simple technique that goes on quickly, but the results look like it took hours to create!

But wait... first lets get inspired here's a few pieces we have Superior Paint Co. dry brushed....

Carla's cabinet we dry brushed using Burlap & Ivory

Audra's set we refinished in Trainstation and dry brushed with Ivory

Here's a close up of the table from the set.

Barb's head board we custom built and layered Superior paints as a stain and dry brushed with Bone White.

For directions how to stain with Superior Paints click here.

Lisa's hutch we refinished in Robins Egg and glazed with Cast Black and dry brushed with Little White.

For directions how to glaze click here.

Now let's get dry brushing!

Superior Directions:

Step #1

Find your project and take a before picture... yes please do your friends will thank you and so will I if you send me a photo!

Here's my project for this tutorial... a trunk our uber fabulous clients Darren and Nicole graciously donated to us!

Step #2

Prep your piece... repair and clean your project.

I washed the exterior several times with TSP mixed with warm water and a brillo pad. The interior of the trunk I misted with water and vinegar to remove the paper and palm sanded with 120 grit sand paper.

Step #3

Paint or stain your project.

For detailed directions how to paint your furniture click this link.

I painted HVLP sprayed one coat of Trainstation one coat full coverage!

Step #4

Once your piece is dry now comes the fun part! Time to start dry brushing!

There are a couple key elements to dry brushing — the brush itself and amount of paint on your brush!

The Superior 100% natural chip brush is my absolute favorite brush for dry brushing!

Barely dip the very tips of the brush into the paint and wipe or dab a little bit of the paint off on a rag before applying to the surface. Now, when I say dry brush I mean it! The drier your brush is the better.

I choose Greystokes Grey mixed with Trainstation to dry brush.

Quickly apply the paint to the section you are working on with light-handed back-and-forth strokes. When I say “light handed,” I mean don’t insert a lot of pressure when first making contact with the surface, as doing so will leave a heavy paint spot. Continue to work your brush back and forth until the whole area you’re working on is covered. Make sure you really work the brush quickly in the corners because stopping creates heaviness. Keep your hands and brush moving!

Step #5

Once your happy with our master piece it's time to protect your treasure... ie. Superior Top Coat!

For detailed directions how to seal your project click this link.

Step #6

Enjoy and shop off your hard work!

I sealed with my personal favorite Flat Top Coat.

Inside view of the trunk layered with Superior Paints (Rusty Nail, Midnight Hour and Greystokes) as a stain and dry brushed with Fresh Air.

HOT TIPS:

-Test it on a scrap piece of wood or something similar to make sure your chip brush is not too wet.

-It’s always a good idea to do a little, step back and look and then go again. Remember you can always do more later so start slow. You will begin to get a feel for the brush as you go.

-The more ornate your piece is the easier it is to dry brush.

-If your new to dry brushing choose colours that are similar because if you apply too much in one area there will be little contrast and easy to touch up.

Example: if your using Trainstation as your base colour mix one part your dry brushing colour and 2 parts your accent colour with Trainstation that way you have the ability to build it up in the high points you want to accent.