How to Distress Wood with Candle Wax

Do you love the distressed wood look? Then you might want to keep reading and learn how to distress wood with candle wax.

I really love the look or distressed wood and have done a few other techniques. Depending on what I am working on, I then decide on what technique I want to use.

Came across this one on Tiktok and just had to give it a try and now I am hooked.

How To Distress Wood With Candle Wax

This is a very simple way to distress wood and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Materials:

• Piece of wood
• Paint (I use chalk paint)
• Pillar Candle (Has to be white and I got mine at Dollar Tree)
• Paint brush or small paint roller
• Scrapper
• Hair Dryer or heat gun

Instructions:

• Grab any size piece of wood that you like and either stain it or apply paint.

• Let completely dry.

• Take a white pillar candle and rub it on the wood where you want to distress. I normally do it around the edges and a few spots elsewhere.

• Apply a layer of paint. Do not remove the pieces of wax, the paint will be applied over it.

• Let completely dry before the next step.

• The same as before, rub the pillar candle on the wood in all the places you want to distress.

• Now you will be apply another layer of paint, any color you choose. I use white for the third color.

• Let the paint completely dry.
• Take a hair dryer of heat gun and put heat all around the wood to heat up the wax.

• Take a scrapper (the one above is the one I had on hand) and scrape around where the wax is and it will start pulling the paint in those areas.
• I then sand over this just to smooth things out a little before stenciling or applying vinyl.

The photo above and below are two pieces I have done this way. You can use any colors you want.

I like to go with what ever holiday, season or theme the finished project will be.

Below are the two finished products I have done.

The patriotic welcome sign was something I made in advance for myself.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to distress wood with candle wax.

Please share your projects with me over on Pinterest or Facebook, I would love to see what you have done.

xoxo,