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Whitewashed wood has a soft, light, beachy look. The grain still shows, but the warm orange or yellow tones fade under a haze of white. In this video Ben Uyeda of HomeMadeModern shows five ways to get that finish on oak, poplar, rough fir and cedar, using a white wash stain, watered-down chalk paint and even tile grout. Pick the method that suits your wood and the look you want.
The more water, the more grain shows. A 1 to 1 mix of chalk paint and water gives a sheer, subtle wash. A 70 percent paint to 30 percent water mix covers almost completely, ready to be sanded back. Mix a small cup and test it on a scrap or the underside of your piece before you start. You can always add a second coat. Taking one off is much harder.
Sand bare wood to 150 grit and wipe away every bit of dust. On oak, pine and fir, a pre-stain wood conditioner helps the white soak in evenly instead of going blotchy. Whitewash works best on raw wood. If your piece is already stained or sealed, sand back to bare wood first, or use the chalk paint methods, which grip better over old finishes.
Chalk paint and stain alone can scuff. For a tabletop, shelf or anything that gets handled, add two thin coats of a water-based matte or satin polyurethane. Oil-based finishes yellow over time and will tint your white. Grout finishes are already hard wearing and stain resistant, especially premixed single-component grout.
Open-grain oak shows a crisp limed pattern. Poplar absorbs paint evenly for a smooth haze. Pine and fir go blotchy without conditioner. Cedar's knots and texture love the grout method.
Whitewash suits headboards, feature walls, picture frames, shelves, photo backdrops and side tables. Try it on a wooden box or a planter box, or use it when you refinish a table. It also makes a soft background for wood burning designs.
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How to whitewash wood five ways: white wash stain on oak, watered-down chalk paint, sanded rustic boards and grout finishes. An easy project. You need 13 things, including white wash wood stain, pre-stain wood conditioner and white chalk paint. The 10 steps start with sand and Condition the Wood Before Whitewashing, brush a Thick Coat of White Wash Stain on the Wood, wipe Off the Excess Whitewash With a Rag and rub Diluted Chalk Paint Into Poplar for a Hazy Whitewash.
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Sand the boards to 150 grit, then wipe off all the sawdust with a clean rag. Any dust left behind gets trapped in the finish. Brush on a pre-stain wood conditioner and let it soak in as the can directs. Conditioner prepares the surface so the whitewash stain soaks in evenly, which matters a lot on oak.
Vacuum the grain too. Oak pores hold a surprising amount of dust.
Use a foam brush to lay a generous coat of white wash wood stain over the whole surface, working along the grain. Do not worry about it looking too white. You will wipe most of it off. Let the stain sit and soak into the wood for about 10 minutes.
Work on one panel at a time so nothing dries before you wipe.
Take a clean, lint-free rag and wipe the excess stain off along the grain. This is the step that sets the look. Wipe evenly for a consistent finish, or press harder in some places to pull off more white for a time-worn look. Do this in the same light the finished piece will sit in, so you can judge it.
Swap to a fresh rag once yours is loaded with stain.
For an even, very matte finish, mix white chalk paint with water about 1 to 1. Brush it onto sanded poplar, then rub it in with a rag to even it out. The thin paint soaks straight into the wood and leaves a soft haze over the grain. Add more coats if you want less grain to show.
Chalk paint stays flatter than even a flat latex paint.
For a rustic look, use rough, unsanded fir boards and a thicker mix, about 70 percent chalk paint to 30 percent water. Brush it on heavily and leave it, no wiping. Paint at least three sides of each board before you assemble a panel. Leave small gaps between rough boards, using popsicle sticks as spacers, in case they move.
Rough lumber can still shrink and swell, so the gaps matter.
The boards now look almost solid white. Take a sanding sponge, about 120 grit, and sand over the surface. It knocks the paint off the high points of the grain and lets a little natural wood color show through. Sand more for a weathered look or lightly for a few hints of wood.
A sponge follows uneven rough boards better than a flat block.
For an old-world look, use tile grout. Dampen the cedar boards with water first. Then spread a thick coat of white grout over the surface with a putty knife, pushing it into the gaps between boards, knot holes and dents. Sanded and unsanded grout both work. Damp wood helps the grout spread and stops it drying too fast.
Premixed single-component grout gives the toughest, most stain resistant finish.
Use a wet rag or sponge to even out the grout coat. Wipe back until you like how much wood shows. The grout grips the wood fibers and stays in the grain, gaps and knots, which gives a plastered, vintage look. Rinse the rag often so you move grout around rather than smearing it.
Wipe before the grout starts to set. It gets hard to move fast.
For the most even white, combine two methods. Sand wide fir boards to 150 grit, apply wood conditioner, then apply white wash stain and wipe it back, the same way as the oak. Let the whitewash cure fully before the next layer. Wearing gloves keeps the stain off your hands.
Wide boards mean fewer seams and less work on big surfaces like walls.
Spread a layer of grout over the cured whitewash and wipe it back with a damp sponge. It fills the recesses in curved or warped boards and adds one more layer of white for a hazy, even finish. This combo works well for headboards, loft floors and feature walls, anywhere wide boards save you time.
Test the full stack on an offcut before you commit to a whole wall.
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How to Whitewash Wood: 5 Easy Methods
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