Monday, August 21, 2017

How to white wash furniture with chalk paint


If you love the white washed look and want to replicate it, then I have made a little video you may find helpful. I think the most important step in white washing is that you start off with raw timber. Any varnish or previous coating on your timber will mean that the white wash won't be absorbed evenly.

Step 1 - Remove Old Finish. Sand or chemically strip the old finish off. If you are white washing unfinished timber like the wine crate I have in my video then you can just start with the next step.

Step 2 - Wash the furniture with vinegar and water. Dilute white vinegar with an equal part of water and use it to wash the timber. This solution will remove stains and dirt that may cause the whitewash to apply unevenly. This also enhances the timber's ability to absorb the whitewash. Wait for the furniture to dry completely before continuing.

Step 3 - Mix your whitewash. I have used one part Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to one part water. I used some left over paint I had on hand from another project.  You can play with the mixture if you don't like the color, and add more paint or water as needed. If you don't have ASCP you can easily substitute any water based paint.

Step 4: Paint the Furniture - with a brush or even a sponge or roller paint the furniture with the whitewash. I like to work in small sections at a time so the paint doesn't dry too much. 

Step 5: Wipe down - Wipe the surface of the timber with a slightly damp rag. This will remove excess paint and will give it a unique, whitewashed look. You can wipe as much or as little as you like. If you make a mistake, you can always put some more paint on it. Once you achieve the look that you want, allow the paint to dry fully.

Step 6: Top Coat - for the wine crate in the video I didn't bother with a top coat but for furniture I recommend you seal with a water based clear coat or wax for a finished look and durability.





1 comment:

  1. Hi Fiona
    I love this style, thank you for brilliant, easy to understand tips, video is great, please do some more videos when you get a chance.
    Best wishes
    Maria

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com