Hold on folks, this is going to be a long one. About a year ago, I found a great dresser at an antique shop nearby that I just couldn't pass up. I brought it home and contemplated what I wanted to do with it for months on end. Paint it? Leave it? Sand it? One day, an image of two white-washed oak doors came up on my news feed, and that instantly settled it.
But how do you get that white-washed look, you ask? I know, I thought "Oh, great. I'm going to have to sand this dresser, then paint it white, then sand it again." Well, lucky for you, I did the hours of research, and liming wax was my answer. The simple answer that brought this beautiful finish into my life.
After finishing the dresser and posting this image of it, I got quite a few inquiries, from a lot of people who were as stumped as I was at the beginning. So, I decided not to keep it a secret, and without any more hesitation...
Here's How to White-Wash Your Furniture!
Things to Keep in Mind:
*Before anything else, you need to understand how liming wax
works. If there is one piece of knowledge you keep before beginning the
process, it’s that liming wax works by
grabbing onto the texture and grain of the wood.*
1. This means that smooth, shiny wood will have a very
difficult time grabbing onto the wax.
2. The rougher and grainier the wood,
the more the liming wax will stick to it.
The ideal wood to work with is raw wood that has aged over
time, or wood that has been stained but not sealed or coated
**The pictures below show a comparison of what the original wood looked like and what the wood looked like after I sanded it, but before waxing.**
Supplies Needed:
- Liming wax (I used this one)
- Rags (at least 2, you’ll be throwing these out after use)
- Tarp or cloth (if you’re working on an area that can’t be tarnished)
- Round brush (I used this one) (This isn’t absolutely vital but it definitely helps getting in the nooks and crannies)
Directions:
Step 1: Separate the piece of furniture as much as possible
Liming wax will get stuck in any
nooks and crannies you have, so try to work with as many flat spaces as
possible. For me, this meant removing the drawers and working on them first,
then moving onto the dresser frame.
Step 2: Start working in small sections with the grain
Dip your first rag in the wax and
pull out a little bit.. think the size of a quarter. At this point, you’re
getting a feel for how the wax works and how it looks on your wood. You can
always add more, but it’s super hard to remove it.
Start small and work with the
grain. By working with the grain, the wood will grab onto less wax and you’ll
make sure it doesn’t get too white too quickly.
Step 3: Complete the section working with the grain
Once you’ve completely rubbed with
the grain on one section, adding wax as you go, turn the rag to a clean section
and wipe off the excess, again going with the grain.
At this point, you can determine if
you want to go for a more whitewashed look. If you like the current look, move
on to the next section of wood until you complete the entire piece. If you want
a more whitewashed look, continue to the next step.
Step 4: Start working in circular motions
If you’ve determined that you want
to get a more whitewashed look, it’s time to go all in. Take a bit more wax on
your rag and start buffing in circular
motions. This will really get the wax
into the grain of the wood, fill in any gaps, and get it super white
Continue working like this until
you’ve filled in the grain and covered the entire section.
Step 5: Wipe off excess
Take a clean part of your rag (this
is why the more rags, the better) and wipe off the excess wax. Buff until all
excess wax is removed and the surface feels smooth and not sticky or tacky
DO
NOT leave this step to the very end after you’ve finished all the sections.
The wax will set after being exposed to air for 15+ minutes so you want to make
sure the whitewashing is smooth by wiping off excess before this happens
Step 6: Repeat the process for each section of wood
Don’t worry if you can’t get the
wax into the seams or corners of the piece of furniture, we’ll deal with that
next
Step 7: Use your brush to get in the seams and all of those
nooks & crannies
Tap your round brush into the wax
and brush it along the seams. You can also use your brush to push around any
excess wax that got stuck in the seams while using the rag
At this point, you’re fine-tuning
the end look
Step 8: Use your brush to make certain areas whiter
Because I was working with sanded
wood, this meant that some areas grabbed onto the wax less than others.
To solve this issue, I tapped my
brush lightly into the wax, then patted the brush onto these areas, left it to
sit for about 15 minutes, then lightly buffed it off to smooth it out.
While this process helps, it’s
important to note that it’s okay for the wood not to look perfect – just go
with it!
Step 9: Use a clean rag to buff over the entire piece
Do a
final buff to get rid of any excess so the furniture is not sticky or tacky And you’re done!
I always wondered how to get that white-washed look without
spending a ton, so I’m so glad I stumbled upon my little jar of wax. If you
have any questions, feel free to drop them below and I’ll do my best to answer
them. And most of all, good luck on your liming wax adventure!
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