Whitewashing is a great way to refresh old wood furniture while leaving the wood structure of the furniture visible. For dry painting, regular paint is used to achieve a similar effect. But if you use more standard methods when painting furniture white, it will have an even, matte color. You can achieve this result in any of these ways, using several standard materials and spending several hours on work.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Whitewashing Old Furniture
Step 1. Place the furniture on a protective film
Instead of film, you can use old newspapers or other material to drip paint onto.
Step 2. Remove the old sealant with a chemical solvent (optional)
If the wood is covered with sealant, you will remove it faster with a chemical solvent than with sandpaper:
- A warning: Chemical solvents are highly corrosive. Use only in well-ventilated areas, protect exposed skin and wear a respirator.
- Apply the solvent to the wood with a few strokes. Cover the entire wood surface, but try to use as little solvent as possible for best results.
- Wait 3-5 minutes for the solvent to dissolve the sealant.
- Scrape off any loose "mass" from the tree. For hard-to-reach corners, a steel wool scrubber works well.
- If you are using a chemical solvent, take the time to wash the wood with a mixture of water and vinegar. This will neutralize the solvent and the wood will be safe to work with and will also hold the whitewash. Instead of vinegar, you can use turpentine, paint thinner, or paint neutralizer.
Step 3. Rinse the furniture with water and vinegar
Dissolve white vinegar and water in half and rinse the wood with it. The vinegar solution is very good at removing dirt and streaks from the wood, due to which the whitewash lies in an uneven layer. After this treatment, the wood will absorb the whitewash better.
Wait for the furniture to dry completely before moving on
Step 4. Polish the furniture
Gently use medium to fine grit sandpaper or a polisher to sand the surface you intend to whiten. This will make the wooden surface even, and the whitewash will lay down in a reliable, even layer.
If there is a layer of paint, varnish or stains on the furniture, you need to scrape them off completely with sandpaper
Step 5. Wipe with a clean cloth
This will remove dirt and sandpaper residue and get a clean surface to work on.
Step 6. Order or make a whitewash mixture
You can buy it ready-made, called "stain" or "stain for staining", or prepare it yourself by mixing white paint with water.
- If you mix it yourself, then with a 2: 1 ratio of emulsion paint and water, you will get a thick whitewash, and if you mix 1: 1 and 1: 2, you will get a more diluted mixture.
- In a similar way, you can make your own whitewash by mixing turpentine with oil paint until you get the desired consistency.
- Stir thoroughly before using both purchased and self-made whitewash.
- Any "paint" or "stain" should be suitable for any tree species.
- Order not "paint" for whitewashing, but "stain". The first is a lime and chalk based paint. It will take longer for it to dry and darken the wood structure.
Step 7. Apply the whitewash to the furniture
Smear the whitewash in long strips across the furniture with a paintbrush, roller, or clean cloth. Since the mixture will dry faster than regular paint, paint in small pieces and do not try to paint a large piece at once.
- For oak or other wood species with large granules and pores, whitewash against the grain so that the whitewash covers all the contours of the wood. This technique is called staining.
- For pine and most other wood species, respectively, whitewash along the grain for best results.
- It can be faster if you apply the whitewash to the surface in long stripes. This way you can smear all the excess paint in one stroke (see below) and move on to the next strip.
- Use a sponge to whitewash hard-to-reach areas such as corners.
Step 8. Soak the whitewash into the wood (optional)
Before the whitewash dries, rub the whitewash into the fibers and knots with a clean cloth and apply the whitewash to the surface with an even brush stroke.
- This is especially important for products made from oak and other wood species with large pores.
- You can skip this step if you prefer the more deliberate "amateur" look of individual brush strokes.
Step 9. Wipe the whitewashed area
Before the whitewash is completely dry, wipe off excess paint from the furniture with a clean cloth. This will help make the wood structure more visible in the long run.
- You can use a dry sponge instead of a cloth.
- If the excess air droplets are already dry, remove them with sandpaper.
Step 10. If necessary, apply an additional layer
If you apply additional layers (and erase the excess again), you will get a thicker layer, which will darken the grain of the wood. With this step-by-step processing, it is easier to achieve the desired color of the wood structure that will suit your interior.
Usually one layer is enough, especially if you have kneaded the whitewash yourself to the desired consistency. If you are already applying a third coat of whitewash, you may want to use a thicker whitewash
Step 11. Cover the whitewashed furniture with sealant (optional)
After the whitewash is completely dry, apply a clear, water-based sealant to the furniture surface. This will protect the whitewash and keep the product looking fresh and new for a long time. Most sealants can be applied with a brush or even a lint-free sponge.
- Is always use a clear, water-based sealant. An oil-based sealant can give furniture a yellow tint that won't blend in with the overall color of the furniture.
- Apply sealant in long, even stripes.
Method 2 of 3: Paint over dry to create a whitewash appearance
Step 1. Prepare the tree
Just as if you were whitewashing furniture, you need to rinse and brush the surface. Be sure to place the furniture on top of something where paint drops can fall.
Since you will be applying paint instead of stain, you do not need to scrub the old finish (sealant) thoroughly unless it flakes. Otherwise, see instructions on how to remove the coating with chemicals before whitewashing, or simply buff the surface thoroughly
Step 2. Dip the brush lightly into the paint
Use a concentrated (not diluted) paint. You need to have enough paint on the brush to smudge it. If there is too much paint on the brush, brush the excess onto newspaper.
If you find it difficult to calculate the paint so that you smear it in a thin layer, dip the brush in water and chat with it before painting the wood
Step 3. Paint the tree with quick and light strokes
If you paint in approaches or press the brush hard at the joints, the paint will not lay in an even layer. Try to keep your movements as fast and smooth as possible.
- Paint the corners very carefully. It can be very easy to slow down when you try to reach a corner with a brush, and this can result in an uneven layer of paint.
- If you don't want the brush strokes to be visible, paint with as long strokes as possible. But at the same time, you need to paint at the same speed, and you need to touch the surface with a brush smoothly.
Step 4. Smooth out uneven areas with a sponge or paper
Find the spots where the paint has gone unevenly or where the paint is thick, and with quick, light strokes of the brush, rub this area to get an even layer.
Step 5. Apply sealant
One to two coats of water-based sealant will keep the color of your furniture lasting. Wait for the paint to dry completely before applying it.
Method 3 of 3: Paint Furniture White
Step 1. Wash the furniture and sandpaper it over it
Do all this with wood or metal furniture. Let the furniture dry completely before moving on.
- Polish wood furniture carefully. However, this is only if you are not trying to paint over the wood structure with white stain and make the furniture completely white. If you overdo it on pine or oak, tannin can seep through the paint and add a yellow tint to it.
- If the old paint does not flake off, it is not necessary to remove it. If necessary, sandpaper the paint and peel it off, or follow the instructions on how to safely use a chemical paint stripper before whitewashing furniture.
Step 2. Apply a coat of primer
Let this layer dry before moving on.
- For glossy or shiny surfaces, use a bonding primer.
- For surfaces already stained, use a stain-resistant primer.
- If you are using water-based paint, try using a water-based primer as well. Conversely, if the paint is oil-based, then the primer must be taken on an oil basis. You can mix the two types of foundations, but the result may not be the best.
Step 3. Go through with a fine-grained sandpaper
After each layer of putty, or at least after applying the last one, go over the surface with sandpaper. This will remove excess putty and level the spots where the putty has dried in an uneven layer.
Step 4. Apply an additional layer of putty
Each layer of putty should be very thin, so apply at least two layers before painting. Always allow the first coat to dry before applying the next coat.
The putty should not hide the color of the undercoat. The paint will do it
Step 5. Apply several thin coats of paint
Apply the paint with a clean brush and let the previous coat dry completely before applying the next coat. After two thin coats of paint, you will have a smooth and durable surface.
- To apply paint evenly over a large area, paint with a roller or long, even strokes with a brush.
- To paint parts or metal curves, use a small paintbrush available from an art supply store.
Step 6. Apply sealant (optional)
After 24 hours, when the paint has taken off, you can apply a coat of sealant and thus protect the paint.
If you have not covered the furniture with sealant, avoid touching it for several weeks until the paint has completely hardened
Advice
- If you apply two different colors of whitewash, you can make it look like one color "breaks" through a thin layer of the other.
- You can try whitewashing first on a piece of wood of the same species as the furniture, or on an inconspicuous corner of the furniture.
- Although this technique is called whitewashing, you can use any color paint or stain.
- Before applying different wood stains to already whitewashed furniture, remove the sealant (if available) with a chemical solvent. Then sandpaper until the whitewash is barely visible.
- Before applying paint to whitewashed furniture, all you need to do is sandpaper the surface to prepare a flat surface for paint. Whitewash will not be visible under a layer of paint.
Warnings
- Do not apply the primer before whitewashing. The primer is done as a bottom coat of paint, not for painting. The primer itself will darken the wood structure.
- Always paint in a well-ventilated area. People who may be allergic to chemicals or paint should use gloves to whitewash furniture.