Use the “resist” method to create a chippy paint look. It’s super easy to do when you follow these steps.

All Country Chic Paint products used in this tutorial are available at www.countrychicpaint.com.

Step 1: First Coat

Apply one coat of paint to your piece and let it dry completely. If you're painting a piece made of raw or primed wood or MDF, then it’ll likely be ready for its second coat within an hour.

If you're painting a previously painted surface, then it's better to give the paint a good chance to cure. For laminated wood or a previous oil-paint layer, we recommend a light sanding or even priming before the first paint coat, and curing for 24 hours before continuing on to the next step.

Step 2: Applying the “resist” Medium

What you’ll do now is apply a “resist” medium in the places that you’d like the second paint layer to come off. Our medium of choice is our beeswax distressing bar. (You could also experiment with our natural wax, petroleum jelly, or candle wax.)

Rub the beeswax bar on a few sections of your piece. The wax is going to resist the second paint layer in those places and the paint will come right off when you distress it. Generally, you'll want to apply the beeswax to areas of your piece that would naturally get more wear and tear such as edges, corners, and any raised detailing.

Step 3: Second Coat

After applying the beeswax, you can immediately apply a second coat in a different color. Wait about 1-2 hours until the paint is dry to the touch.

Step 4: Distressing

Once your final paint coat is dry, you can start distressing it with either a wet rag or fine-grit sandpaper. Try using a combination of these methods, and use both a wet cloth and a sanding sponge to create the look you want.

You’ll see that the second coat will come off in areas where wax was applied to reveal the first coat of paint, giving it a distressed, shabby chic look!