Whitewashing furniture is an easy way to add a unique and subtle look to your furniture. Rather than color taking over your painted furniture, it is more of the technique that takes over your furniture and is catching to the eye.
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Supplies to Whitewashing Wood Furniture
- Jolie Palace White
- Folk Art Milk Paint (I used Farmhouse Ochre)
- Water
- Your favorite paint brush (this is mine!)
- Shop towels
- Paint Stripper (I Used Blue Bear Soy Gel! It is SAFE to use indoors! Natural and Biodegradable! My paint teacher Mrs. Stephanie Jones recommends this!)
- Mineral Spirits
Steps to Whitewashing Wood Furniture
To begin, make sure your surface is clean. Lightly wipe surface with a damp shop towel to remove any dust or dirt build up. If your wooden furniture project has a layer of polyurethane, you will need to remove that layer. (The wash needs to be able to seep into the wood.)
Add a thick layer of paint stripper on top of wood furniture project. Spread out paint stripper evenly on project. When the wooden furniture starts to look “bubbly”, you are ready to remove the paint stripper with a putty knife.
Once you have removed the the paint stripper, clean your table with mineral spirts. This will help remove any of the paint stripper residue. Mineral Spirits will help to break down left over paint stripper. When the surface feels nice and clean you are ready to white wash!
Lightly dip your paintbrush into the pot of paint. After you have a small amount of paint on your brush, dip brush into a small bowl of water. You just want the tips of the brush to get wet. (Try not to use too much water!) Using the lightly wet brush tips begin with even strokes, to lightly going back and forth on table surface. Making sure the white wash is seeping into the wood grain of the tables surface. As you go wipe away any excess white wash. You want the wash to seep into the wood. It should feel somewhat dry as you wipe away the excess paint with a shop towel.
After you have wiped away the excess paint you are now ready to repeat the same process with Folk Art Farmhouse Ochre. You will see both colors blending together nicely. 🙂
I love seeing these colors blend together! At this point you will need to seal your project. I used General Finishes High Performance Top Coat (waterbased) This will not yellow over time.
Add 2-3 coats of water based topcoat to your painted table top. This will make a durable finish!
After you have sealed your project you can continue to white wash the rest of your tabletop or you can paint the base in sold white. I painted the base of this table in a solid finish of Jolies Palace White. 🙂
You can do this! If you get stuck, message me! I am here to help you. 🙂 While you are there give my page a “Like”. 🙂
Your finished project should look similar to this! 🙂
If you would like to know more on how to paint furniture white CLICK HERE!
hi!! love the table! was wondering what you used to seal the table though?
Hi Nancy! So glad you love the table! I used I used General Finishes High Performance Top Coat (waterbased) It will not yellow over time! Hope that helps. 🙂
Hello I have a basic question, I already have dark stained wood and so it has a sealant on it, in order to white wash I need to sand off the clear finish coat right? Appreciate your help
Hi Ang! Yes! For best adhesion I would do a light stand to remove the sealant! Then apply the whitewash! 🙂 Hope that helps!
I noticed the furniture I am working with has som decorative pieces at the bottom that have veneer on them. Will white washing work on these areas?
Hi Page! Yes a whitewash can still work! I would personally thin the paint a little less where there are details that way the paint will adhere better to those details. Wipe away the excess paint with a shop towel using a dabbing motion around the details. Be careful not to over wipe so that you can tell you added a whitewash. Hope that helps! 🙂
Could you use this on kitchen cabinets? I think it would look stunning
Hi Debi! Yes you defiantly could use this technique on kitchen cabinets! Such a great idea. That would look so pretty!
I would love to know. I have just completed my project & it looks almost as if I have painted it white. What can I do to change that at this point?
Hi Debi!! I am thinking you applied a little too much of the white stain. At this point I would take a shop towel with mineral spirits and see if you can remove some of the stain! 🙂 This should help create the pretty whitewashed wood finish! Let me know!! Hope this helps!
Hi Megan,
New to your sight. I have an old wood unfinished never painted or sealed cabinet. Do I need to put a primer before I do anything to this? I want to whitewash it.
Thank you,
Hi Lydia!!
Welcome! If the wood is unfinished I would not use a primer. I would take your favorite chalk style paint and dip the bristles into water and then into the paint and do several layers for the whitewash! Wipe away excess using shop towels. 🙂 You can seal with your favorite furniture wax!