Pounced Paint Technique: Creating a Vintage Look on Modern Furniture

I found this three-tiered side table at a thrift store and thought it would be perfect for an office to hold a printer and supplies.

Before

The finish is very smooth. It was slightly worn on the top. I was hoping to go with a natural wood finish on this piece.  I tried sanding the finish with no luck. I tested a spot with paint stripper and that didn't work either. So I decided to jump in and paint it with a stippled paint effect.

Smooth modern finish.

Pounced Paint Technique

Pouncing (also referred to as stippling) paint is an easy way to create texture and dimension and works well on modern furniture to give it a vintage look.

My plan was to paint the table black, but I was very low on paint and wasn't sure I had enough to complete the project, so I used a variety of colors underneath my final paint finish. It can also be done with just one color. But if you use different colors, just be aware that the initial colors might peek through if you sand the final finish.

Preparing to pounce the paint

I used an old paint brush and dipped the tips into the paint. Instead of brushing the paint on in strokes, I applied the tips of the brush straight down onto the surface and then pulled it back up. I continued the process quickly and reloaded with paint as needed.

Pouncing the first coat of paint

After the first application dried, I applied a second pounced coat. The photo shows the beginnings of the texture being created. 

Pouncing the second coat of paint

I only pounced the paint on the outer edges as I wanted some areas to be smooth.

Pounce the paint where texture and dimension is desired.

I continued with a third application but this time in blue.

Third layer of pounced paint.

Next I applied a fourth and final application in yellow. It looks a bit of a hot mess at this point. But I was seriously using up my leftover paint from the bottoms of the cans!

Continue pouncing paint until you have the amount of texture desired.

For the final coat I applied Graphite using an angled brush (which makes it so much faster to quickly paint all the corners and angles). I brushed the paint on in a regular fashion over the stippled layers. 

Brush the final coat of paint over the stippled/pounced paint.

The colors underneath did peek through a bit during the sanding process which adds a bit of visual interest. However, it will be less noticeable after I apply dark wax.

Contrasting colors will peek through during sanding.

After

The final finish is Graphite with French Linen on the shelves.

Graphite and French Linen

Here's a closer view of the texture created by using the pounced paint technique.

Texture created by pouncing paint.

It is subtle, but if you look closely you might see some of the yellow and blue peeking through.

Base colors underneath the final coat of paint are subtle.

Close up of texture. Grey, blue, and yellow base colors beneath the graphite finish. 

Close up of corner on top shelf.

Here's a side view of the finished project. The rocking chair in the background is one of my upcoming projects which I am excited to get started on. But I need to order some supplies for repairs.

The rocking chair in the background will be worked on soon.

I hope today's post was informative and gives you an idea of how to create a vintage look with modern furniture (supply list below).

Supply List

Below are the supplies I used for this project. Some links are affiliate links.

• Chalk Paint Products by Annie Sloan (For this project I used French Linen, Arles, Aubusson Blue, and Graphite. The effect can be created with one paint color, or use a contrasting color. The paint was sealed with soft clear wax followed by dark wax.)
• Flat paint brush (I used a 1.5" flat brush. Any size will work. A cheap chip brush could work, too.)
• Angled paint brush (perfect for cutting in corners and applying a thin even coat of paint)
• Small wax brush
• Flexible sanding pad