The aged finish of this painted mantel lends time-worn appeal to this fireplace. Get a similar look on your surround with this easy painting technique:

Sand a paint-grade, unfinished wood mantel with fine (180-grit) sandpaper.

Apply paste wax in the corners and along the edges where you want the natural surface to show through. Coat entire surface with primer.

Choose two shades of paint. For an antique look, we like Hunter's White (#6002-1B) and Frappé (#6003-1B) flat finish by Valspar (valspar.com). Paint the mantel with the darker color.

Put additional paste wax on areas where you want the darker paint to show through (after the first coat dries). Then paint a second coat with the lighter color.

Scour sections of the mantel with a wire brush or coarse sandpaper to encourage a peeled, timeworn appearance and fast-forward the "aging" process.