How do I get that distressed cream French farmhouse effect on my wooden furniture?

[CuppaTeaJanice]

I'm trying to furnish DD's room on a tight budget, so I'm cobbling together an assortment of secondhand wooden furniture. I'd like to try and make the room look a bit more like a little girl's bedroom and less like a student hovel, so I'd quite like to try that cream distressed painted look but I don't know where to start or what I need. I vaguely remember something about scumble glaze but I'm not sure if that's the right stuff - I don't want all over crackles, more a kind of velvety cream with bits of paint rubbed off at the corners. Hopefully it isn't too difficult or expensive.

I'm hoping someone will understand what I mean and maybe explain, or post a link to instructions. Not knowing what this particular painting technique is called, I'm not sure what to Google!!

Ah this is my area of expertise! I do commissions for people.
It is really really important to sand your furniture really well before applying a primer/undercoat.
Make sure you use at least two layers of primer(or as many as it takes to block out previous colour), sand using a very light, grey sandpaper in between coats then add your top coat leave to dry and add another.
If your using a light topcoat and undercoat you should only need two top coats. I always use eggshell and would recommend F and B Lime White, it's a really lovely not to cream, cream colour.
It is really important that it is V V dry before sanding, I would try and leave it over night. Using a course sandpaper take the paint of on the edges and more on the corners then go over to soften lines with your grey sand paper. If you can be bothered you can go over it all with a dark wax, rub on wait 2 mins rub off. But it might be a bit grown up for your DD depending on how old she is.

It's really easy and very effective.

You could also try Annie Sloan paint, which needs no priming or undercoat. See her website for inspiration.

Do you want to borrow my children?

i just tried this for the first time with a wooden chair! It's not perfect - i put the undercoat on too thickly so there are drips in places but if you dont look to closely its alright! The sanding was quite fiddly.

Thanks!

I have some primer left over from the woodwork - does it matter that it's white not cream? I might try the wax too.

I'll have a look at Annie Sloan too.

Matt emulsion? Thanks for telling me that, I would have assumed I'd have to use wood paint. Or can I use either?

So I'll need...

Primer/undercoat
Topcoat - matt emulsion or cream eggshell?
White candle
Pot dark coloured natural beeswax
Coarse and fine sandpapers
Brushes
J-cloth

Is that everything?

The dark wax is the tricky bit and it does give quite an antique look rather than a girly country living look. The emulsion with wax over the top will be much more shiny and it is tricky and more expensive to find a clear wax that doesn't have a tint of orange. Annie Sloan paint would need lots of wax because it is a chalk paint that gets v dirty v quickly and isn't hard wearing, it would also need a coat of clear wax before you did a cost of dark wax, v fiddly but lovely colours. I would get
the two sandpapers
primer and undercoat in one
a medium sized brush
and you chosen egg shell (i think it has just the right amount of shine)
Oh and it doesnt matter that the undercoat is a different colour it might give a good look. I sometimes use a grey or light green undercoat.

n dyou dont need to use a wood paint, any will do.

You need to paint it 20 years ago and then leave it in a well used kitchen.

If you botched this up {grin] is it easy enough to just sand it all over and paint it again with normal wood paint?