Whitewashing, sometimes called pickling or liming, can be applied quickly and easily to give wood furnishings a distinctive appearance. It creates a wax-like coating that protects wood and brings out the luster of wood grain. Tints and dyes can be added during the whitewashing process to achieve a frosted or “French Cottage” look. It is especially popular when creating Shabby Chic Style or Country Style. There are places where you can buy high quality white furniture such as beds and bedside tables for a good price, but if you want to make your own piece, it is easy to do. Here is how.

1. First you need to sand down whatever pierce of furniture you wish to whitewash. This can be done just by using a piece of sandpaper or an electrical sanding tool. If the piece has many layers of paint on it, you might need to use chemical paint stripping. You then need to clean the wood thoroughly to remove all dirt, dust and sawdust. Wait for wood to dry.

2. Next find a container and mix two parts white paint (ideally latex paint) with one part water. Get a 3″ high quality paint brush and make sure you have a moist clean cloth to wipe away any mistakes you make. Using long sweeping strokes, brush over the wood following the grain. Because the paint is watery, the wood will soak it up and you will need to make sure you go over each patch.

3. When the piece is completely covered and still damp, wipe it over with a clean cloth until the grain starts to show through again. This is give the wood a light stain look. If you want a deeper more expensive look, just repeat the previous steps as many times as you like – four should do it though.

4. When you achieve a look that you are happy with, give the wood another light sanding down to expose the grain and and then seal the wood using a satin clear polyurethane. Let the substance dry before taking an abrasive nylon pad to it and rubbing gently over it. Repeat this as many times as you like until you get a look you like. Use this method to create a great white wardrobes, bedside table or even a dresser.

So we hope that with these easy steps you will be able to transform your furniture, even your antique furniture into something new.

2 September, 2010    | Published by Kristina Law in Main