Photo: nicodeux / Flickr

A simple white-washed effect can update, modernise and revamp outdated, heavy, dark furniture. Pieces with carved details, interesting grains or ornate legs are really emphasised with a stunning whitewashed technique. Whitewashed pieces can brighten up a room and look particularly great in beach or country cottages. Buying whitewashed furniture can be an expensive undertaking and great pieces can be hard to find so consider giving your old furniture a DIY whitewashed look to freshen up your furniture and your room.

Sanding

In order to whitewash your furniture you need to first get rid of any waxy finishes or varnish already on your furniture. Lightly sand the surface of your furniture – heavy equipment is normally not necessary; a simple sanding block with some 180-grit sandpaper will do the trick. Make sure you get off any varnish already on your furniture because the new paint won’t take to a shiny surface – you may need to chemically strip it off. After sanding wipe down your furniture and ensure there is no dirt or grit left behind.

Applying the whitewash paint

Whitewash paint can be made simply by mixing some white emulsion with a little water until you have achieved the desired consistency. If you’re nervous about mixing the paint you can buy special whitewash paint at any good hardware store. Different tools used to apply the paint leave different effects – a paintbrush will leave distinctive brush marks while a rag or sponge will bring out the grain while giving a smoother effect. If you have put too much paint on, you can always remove some with a wet rag, while if your paint mixture dries too light you can simply just paint another layer.

Finishing it off

After your paint is dry you can sand it lightly to give your furniture a distressed look and to bring out the wood grain. Then seal your furniture with a couple of coats of clear polyurethane, which you can brush on with a wide brush. Leave it to dry and there you go – your very own whitewashed furniture!

Tags: furniture