Last week on the blog, I shared a Rustic Tree Branch Desk DIY, that Brandon built and finished. The photos I took didn’t quite show off the rustic, distressed finish like I wanted, so I am sharing some close up photos today of the finish as well as how we created a weathered wood gray finish.
We tested out a few different combinations to get a more gray washed looked. Ultimately, we decided on using a combination of stain and white washed paint (paint mixed with water) to achieve a more gray tone.
Note, this post contains some affiliate links for convenience.
How to Create a Weathered Wood Gray Finish:
Supplies Needed:
- Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
- Minwax Dark Walnut Stain
- White Paint (we used White Dove by Benjamin Moore in a flat finish)
- A little bit of water
- Staining Rags
- Sandpaper (we used 80 grit)
- Paint Brush
*A printable version of this tutorial and step by step video are at the bottom of this post!*
1. Stain your wood
Before staining, make sure your wood is properly prepared for finishing. To learn more about how to prepare your wood surface for a weathered wood finish, as well as other weathered wood finish tutorials and how to protect your weathered wood surface, check out Weathered Wood Recipes!
Then, apply the pre-stain wood conditioner and then one coat of the Dark Walnut stain. Wipe away any excess stain. See my tutorial on how to stain wood for tips on staining wood!
Allow your stain to fully dry.
2. Apply a white wash mixture to the wood
To create a whitewash paint mixture, we mixed about 1 part water to 1 part white paint. We ended up making the mixture a bit thicker with paint and less watery to achieve our desired finish.
Next, apply the white wash paint mixture to the wood in long strokes with a paint brush. Allow the paint mixture to set for 3-5 seconds, then rub over the white wash paint strokes with a staining rag or lint free rag to smear the paint mixture into the wood. Allow it to fully dry.
See my whitewashing wood tutorial for more details on how to whitewash wood.
3. Distress wood finish with sandpaper
Finally, very lightly distress the wood finish with sandpaper until you achieve your desired look!
And that’s it! Pretty simple! You can also add a top coat of poly or wax if you’d like, we chose not too since we liked the look at this point. Here is a close up of the wood grain with this rustic, gray, weathered wood finish. I just love how the grain lightly shows through!
What do you think of our weathered wood, gray finish? I think it definitely gives off a rustic vibe!
If you’re interested in more easy weathered wood finish tutorials, learning how to properly prepare your surface for a weathered wood finish, or learning about top coats and how to protect your finish for the best results, check out Weathered Wood Recipes here! Weathered Wood Recipes includes easy and budget friendly tutorials on how to create weathered wood finishes like this:
And this!
Click here to learn more about Weathered Wood Recipes!
I’d love to see photos of your project using the weathered wood finish in this tutorial! Feel free to share with me on Instagram @angelamariemade, Facebook, or e-mail pictures to [email protected]!
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Easy tutorial on how to create a weathered wood gray finish. Make new wood look like old weathered wood or refinish your furniture with this gray wash look! As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to Create a Weathered Wood Gray Finish
Materials
Tools
Instructions
over the white wash paint strokes with a staining rag to smear the paint mixture into the wood. Allow it to fully dry.Recommended Products
Susan
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
Can you do this grey wash over existing 1991 oak floors?
Angela Marie Made
Saturday 27th of March 2021
It can be done but the top coat needs to be sanded off the existing floors. I have seen some people do it and it looks really good.
Mel
Wednesday 17th of March 2021
Hi Angela I have an stripped antique Oak Round Table. Do you think I can use this method to get some browns, greys and whites in a weathered look?
Angela Marie Made
Friday 19th of March 2021
I do and I think it would look amazing!! Be sure to test it out on the underneath of the table to get the right finish you are looking for.
Susan Hung
Sunday 7th of March 2021
Hi! Will this work with red oak? What time of wood did you use?
Angela Marie Made
Monday 8th of March 2021
It will work on different types of wood but stain will look different on other wood so it is best to test it out before. I used pine wood for this tutorial.
Rosanna
Monday 25th of January 2021
Beautiful! Can you do this to floors??
Angela Marie Made
Wednesday 27th of January 2021
I have seen it done on wood floors, I would definitely recommend testing it out on a sample piece or a section that is not visible if possible.
Shannen
Wednesday 30th of December 2020
Hello,
I am planning to attempt the same process on a table top that has been damaged-the chairs are already stained/painted I wonder how or if it is possible to try the same process on the chairs without sanding each one individually down? Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Shannen
Angela Marie Made
Thursday 31st of December 2020
You can try a whitewash over the existing chair finish but it probably won't match the table and I know sanding the chairs down can be really time consuming. Another option is to just paint the chairs a solid color like white and you can distress them a little too with sandpaper if you are looking for a more rustic look.