Vintage Home Furniture

How do I preserve the worn/chippy paint on my old primitive furniture?

I have purchased an early 1900's pantry that has the wonderful crackled original paint which is peeling off. I want to preserve the paint that's there but keep the old shabby look. I don't want it to look shiny or new. Any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. hello, i am a painter. without seeing your new pantry, i cannot judge the severity of peeling paint. if it's not peeling much at all (maybe one or two spots) you could probably get away with putting a couple of coats of (low-lustre) polyurethane on it. if the peeling is moderate or severe it will have to be removed first.. otherwise anything you put on top of it, will just peel off with the paint. then you can use one of several faux finishing techniques to duplicate your desired finish. i really suggest taking a few pictures of your piece of furniture and bringing them to your local paint store... NOT home depot or lowes. a store deticated to paint as they will have the best knowledge for you. whatever method you do (unless you hire someone to do it for you) i suggest practicing on other objects first; to perfect your desired finish. good luck! and enjoy your new pantry. lj
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