• Home
  • About
    • About Crafts by Amanda
    • Visit Our Recipe Site
  • Work With Us
  • Join
    • Free Newsletters
    • Join our Facebook craft group
↑
  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial Index
    • Adult Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Seasonal Crafts
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Free Printables
    • Craft Collections
  • Adult Crafts
    • Bath & Body
    • Beach Crafts
    • Clay Pot Crafts
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Decoupage Crafts for Adults
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Garden Crafts
    • Home Decor Projects
    • Kitchen Crafts
    • Light Bulb Crafts
    • Luminary Crafts
    • Mason Jar Crafts
    • Needlework
    • Photo Display Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts for Adults
    • Wearable Crafts for Adults
  • Crafts for Kids
    • Animal Crafts for Kids
    • Back to School Crafts
    • Beach Crafts for Kids
    • Camp Crafts
    • Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids
    • Decoupage Crafts for Kids
    • Easy Crafts for Kids
    • Nature Crafts for Kids
    • Other Kid’s Crafts
    • Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
    • Recycled Crafts for Kids
    • Slimes, Doughs, & Clay
    • Wearable Crafts for Kids
  • Holiday Crafts
    • 4th of July Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Earth Day Crafts
    • Easter Crafts
    • Father’s Day Crafts
    • Halloween Crafts
    • Memorial Day Crafts
    • Mother’s Day Crafts
    • New Year’s
    • Other Holidays
    • Patriot Day Crafts
    • St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Seasonal Crafts
    • Winter Crafts
    • Spring Crafts
    • Summer Crafts
    • Fall Crafts
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Crafts by Amanda

crafts for adults and kid's crafts

  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial Index
    • Adult Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Seasonal Crafts
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Free Printables
    • Craft Collections
  • Adult Crafts
    • Bath & Body
    • Beach Crafts
    • Clay Pot Crafts
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Decoupage Crafts for Adults
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Garden Crafts
    • Home Decor Projects
    • Kitchen Crafts
    • Light Bulb Crafts
    • Luminary Crafts
    • Mason Jar Crafts
    • Needlework
    • Photo Display Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts for Adults
    • Wearable Crafts for Adults
  • Crafts for Kids
    • Animal Crafts for Kids
    • Back to School Crafts
    • Beach Crafts for Kids
    • Camp Crafts
    • Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids
    • Decoupage Crafts for Kids
    • Easy Crafts for Kids
    • Nature Crafts for Kids
    • Other Kid’s Crafts
    • Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
    • Recycled Crafts for Kids
    • Slimes, Doughs, & Clay
    • Wearable Crafts for Kids
  • Holiday Crafts
    • 4th of July Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Earth Day Crafts
    • Easter Crafts
    • Father’s Day Crafts
    • Halloween Crafts
    • Memorial Day Crafts
    • Mother’s Day Crafts
    • New Year’s
    • Other Holidays
    • Patriot Day Crafts
    • St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Seasonal Crafts
    • Winter Crafts
    • Spring Crafts
    • Summer Crafts
    • Fall Crafts
Craft Tutorials | Adult Crafts | Home Decor Projects | Distressed Duck: Before and After

Distressed Duck: Before and After

Author by Amanda Davis on February 9, 2011 Updated on March 27, 2019

No ratings yet
Jump to Project
2 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • Email


 

Ah yes, another kitchen project. Maybe you didn’t know that because it’s a duck. But it really is part of my kitchen. I’ve said before that we painted all the cabinets white and you’ve seen some glimpses of the “toasted nutmeg” color on the walls, so as you might imagine this red distressed duck fits in beautifully.

I have these corner built-ins that are very, very white. They really need little decorative pieces in bold contrasting colors. I found this cute little wooden duck at a thrift store almost a year ago for $1.00. He has been patiently waiting for a makeover for months and months. That day finally came this week. I created a distressed look by simply using a few layers of paint, some sand paper and a little antiquing gel. Here’s how I did it:

First, here’s the before picture:

Pretty plain. Just a wooden duck, naked even, no varnish or other such coating. That made it quite easy for me to paint it, no sanding needed. :)

Because I wanted my top coat to be a bold barn type red, I had to choose a couple of contrasting colors to show beneath it. I picked regular white and a mustard type yellow.

First, a coat of yellow. Let it dry.

Now add some white, just wherever, doesn’t matter, there’s no science to it. Don’t cover all the yellow though. Let it dry.

If you have a palm sander use it to rough up some areas of the white, revealing some yellow beneath. Use a dry paintbrush to get all the sanding dust off.

Time to add the red. The beauty of distressing something is you get to be messy… on purpose! This time you do want to cover most of the color underneath.

Now you’re going to use some masking tape to pull off some of the still wet red paint. Not everywhere, just here and there. Let it dry.

Use that palm sander again to start distressing! Rough of the edges of course, and anywhere else you want to reveal color underneath. It’s totally up to you how much or how little you do. You can certainly use sand paper sheets too. I use the palm sander, then finish up with the sheets.

Add some antiquing gel wherever you think it needs it. Some areas of my duck were a bit “whiter” than I wanted them to be, so I just brushed on some watered down antiquing gel and wiped off the excess with a dry rag.

That’s it! Well almost. Let it dry (again) then add some clear acrylic sealer, I use a matte finish. Gloss would kind of defeat the aged purpose don’t you think? :)

He needed a little something else for display, so I wrapped a few Styrofoam balls with strips of fabric and burlap. Hope you like him!

Print Project
No ratings yet

Distressed Duck: Before and After

Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

  • wooden duck
  • sand paper
  • antiquing gel
  • paintbrush
  • masking tape
  • acrylic sealer

Paint

  • white
  • mustard yellow
  • red

Instructions

  • First, a coat of yellow. Let it dry.
  • Now add some white, just wherever, doesn’t matter, there’s no science to it. Don’t cover all the yellow though. Let it dry.
  • If you have a palm sander use it to rough up some areas of the white, revealing some yellow beneath. Use a dry paintbrush to get all the sanding dust off.
  • Time to add the red. This time you do want to cover most of the color underneath.
  • Now you’re going to use some masking tape to pull off some of the still wet red paint. Not everywhere, just here and there. Let it dry.
  • Use that palm sander again to start distressing! Rough of the edges of course, and anywhere else you want to reveal color underneath. It’s totally up to you how much or how little you do.
  • Add some antiquing gel wherever you think it needs it.
  • Let it dry (again) then add some clear acrylic sealer.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.
Latest posts by Amanda Davis (see all)
  • Spring Scavenger Hunt - May 9, 2025
  • How to Make Lip Scrub - May 2, 2025
  • How to Make Lavender Soap - April 22, 2025
2 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • Email

Filed Under: Home Decor Projects Tagged With: adult, adult craft ideas, adult crafts, adults, crafts for adults, distressed, kitchen, painting

Reader Interactions

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

Comments

  1. Donnie says

    February 15, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    He looks so cute. It looked like a lot of work but well worth it. Now he looks like a piece of art.

    Reply
  2. creativejewishmom/Sara says

    February 14, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    Love it Amanda! and thanks for the great step by step photo tutorial, and for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

    Reply
  3. Terri @ A Creative Princess says

    February 12, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    I'm so happy I found your blog! I'm your newest follower. What a great idea with the masking tape. I've never thought of that. Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Sandra Williams says

    February 12, 2011 at 2:04 am

    I love this idea and you made it look so easy! Thanks for sharing. I might distress a pig now.

    Reply
  5. Jessica @ My World - Made By Hand says

    February 9, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    This is super cute. Love it. Now…if only I could find a wood rooster like this.

    Jessica

    Reply
  6. countercrafts says

    February 9, 2011 at 4:35 am

    Very cute! Thanks for the idea of using masking tape to take some of the red paint off…never tried that, but I will! Enjoy your blog so much, appreciate your hard work and sharing your ideas! Take Care and God Bless! Donna, Ebay ID: countercrafts, [email protected]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Project




The maximum upload file size: 640 MB. You can upload: image, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Amanda and I’m the founder and head designer of Crafts by Amanda. I have spent over 25 years creating projects to share, but it’s not just me anymore! It’s turned into a complete family affair. Come and meet the Creative Team!

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

All Time Favorites

snowy pinecone candle jar luminaries

Winter Luminaries: Snowy Pinecone…

Make pretty winter luminaries that appear to be covered ... Go To project

Make this wonderful deco mesh pumpkin wreath to hang on your door this fall!

Deco Mesh Pumpkin Wreath…

Adorn your door this fall with a pretty deco mesh ... Go To project

Learn to make these adorable ladybug painted rocks. use special outdoor paint for this adorable garden craft so you can keep garden ladybugs all summer!

Ladybug Painted Rocks…

I'm going to show you how to make these adorable ... Go To project

Reuse those empty prescription pill bottles in all sorts of ways. From organizing to making cookies. Yes, cookies! See how to use your empty pill bottles!

20 Uses for Prescription Pill…

You've been collecting prescription pill bottles for ... Go To project

Meet the Family

Amanda

Founder and Designer

Kristen

Editorial Manager

Lindsay

Social Media Manager

As seen on:

Footer

Favorites

  • Jar Photo Frames
  • No-Sew Roman Shade
  • Paper Flowers
  • How to Make a Scrunchie
  • Mermaid Slime

About

  • Home
  • Meet the Creative Team
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us

Images/text copyright Amanda Formaro 2020. To feature a post from Crafts by Amanda, you may use one photo credited and linked back directly to the project post.

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

Copyright ©2025, Crafts by Amanda. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs

Rate This Tutorial

Your vote:




To share a photo with your comment click here!

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required