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, rustic finish:
Supplies Needed:
- Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
- Minwax Dark Walnut Stain
- White Paint (we used White Dove by Benjamin Moore)
- A little bit of water
- Staining Rags
- Sandpaper (we used 80 grit)
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. Allow your stain to fully dry.
2. Apply a white wash mixture to the wood
To create a white wash 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.
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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I’m shocked that this hasn’t been inundated with comments yet! What a breathtaking job you’ve done. It’s THE best and seemingly easiest technique I’ve seen. Thx so much for sharing. I’ll be doing this exact thing as soon as we get past the holidays. Merry Christmas! ; )
Thank you so much for your sweet comment!!! I hope your project turns out great and that this tutorial helps!!! Have a wonderful New Year!
You said Let paint set for 3-5 seconds. Did you mean 3-5 minutes? thank you! It’s lovely.
Thanks Jane! Just 3-5 seconds is plenty! If you wait 3-5 minutes the paint mixture will be really difficult to wipe off any excess.
Do you need to stain? I just put up a plywood on my bedroom wall to create a shiplap look, but am having a hard time getting the whitewash color I want … I am trying to mix teal and grey … what is the purpose of the stain?
The stain helps to create the weathered wood look and helps to enhance the grain of the wood. You can try testing it out on some scrap plywood first to see if you like how it looks!
Dark walnut stain + white paint as applied per your instructions equal a grayish finish?
Yes! Except make sure to mix about one part water to one part paint too after applying the stain. Thanks!
I stained pantry shelves dark walnut. It turned out way too dark. I was thinking of sanding off some of the paint, then using the white wash idea you posted. Afterwhich, should I stain it with weathered gray?
I don’t think you need to stain with weathered gray if you are adding the white wash mixture. But you could always test it out in a small, non-conspicuous area first to see if you like the look of it to help decide!
That was also my question. Thanks! Going to try this on a buffet we are refinishing. I’m nervous.
Sure! Hope it turns out great! Testing in a small area first always helps so you can see exactly what it will look like on your piece!
Is there any way I could do this to a cream color crib and changing table? There’s Norwood showing….how can I cake wood underneath? Lol I love the rustic gray for the new babies room!!
Hi Hope! I’m not sure what Norwood is so I don’t know for sure without seeing the pieces. Sorry that’s not a very helpful response. Is the changing table wood? If not you could always paint the base a neutral color then attach a wood top with the weathered wood finish.
Part of my basement walls are a red cedar with no stain. The kind they used in dry sauna’s. What would be the process to get the wood to look like your weathered look of a brown/grey Color.
I’m not totally sure since I haven’t tried the finish out on red cedar before. You can test out the above finish in a small area first to see how it will look on the cedar. It’s tough to get the exact same look on all species of wood, but it should be similar. You could always try doing two coats of the dark walnut stain if you need to cover more of the red tone of the wood.
I’m thinking of doing this to a kitchen table. Do I need to seal it someway to protect against spills and food
Yes, I’d seal it with a polyurethane to help protect it
Can you do this with wood paneling?
Yes! I’d test it out in a small area first to see how it looks on the wood paneling
Can you do over an already stained door?
Sure, I’d test it out first on the bottom of the door or another inconspicuous area first to see how it will look before doing to the entire door.
The conditioner and stain were oil base, is the paint oil base also?
Nope the paint is water based latex!
Hi! Love this and im attempting my first dining room makeover and decided to use your steps. Question. Will this still work if i decide not to do the weathered look (i clicked the link and it directed me to a book i had to buy) hope you see this comment!
Hi Deanna! I’m not quite sure what you mean. Will which part of the process still work?
I agree very impressive 🙂
Thank you Kenny!
Love it!!! Thank you for sharing..looks awesome.
Thank you Gerri!
It’s beautiful! WHAt should do if we prime the wood lightly with white prime?
Thanks! I’d avoid using primer since it’s meant to add coverage to the surface which makes it difficult to see the wood grain and it doesn’t distress easily.
Out of all the techniques I read, by far this is the easiest! I had golden oak frames with prints that I love but was over the golden finish. Sanded as much as the finish I could get off, applied dark walnut by minwax and put the paint on this morning, Love!!! Will distress tomorrow, Thank You for sharing this technique!! Awesome!!! I used Bakery box(cool blue base) my Behr marque.
Thank you Kimmy! I’m so happy that this tutorial was easy and helpful for you for refinishing your frames!!!
Thank you so much! I have wanted to refinish my kitchen table that is very light almost golden color. I started with one of the chairs using a weathered grey but got a blue tone so I stop and have been trying other options. The color you achieved is awesome and will look great in my black and white kitchen. Thank you again.
You’re welcome Mary! I am so glad this tutorial was helpful for refinishing your kitchen table!
Absolutely love this! Plan on doing this on my bathroom vanity in my new house. Did you use satin or eggshell finish on the paint?
Thank you Cindy! I think it was actually a flat paint finish since it was one of those sample paint cans from Benjamin Moore.
Great tutorial. I will there trying it out for the kitchen.
Thanks Nick!
Absolutely love this look! I’m considering using this process to use on an entire wood ceiling for a new covered porch. Can you please tell me the kind of wood you used here? I really like the dark variation showing thru the gray wash. I’m looking for a warm gray look in the end. Thanks for your time to share!
Thanks Greta! I used a knotty pine wood from the home improvement store.
Thank you so much for your tutorial! We are doing a DIY desktop over some IKEA bases & a matching barn door for the closet in our office. Your tutorial is so well done & I love your finished look. I am wondering if you can talk more about how you applied & rubbed in the white? I’m guessing you dont have to ensure you cover the whole surface in white evenly, right? And when rubbing in, to get the streaky look you don’t fully rub it in, correct? Thanks!
You’re welcome Heather! When applying the paint mixture, you don’t want to cover the entire surface evenly, you just want to get enough on there that you can spread around the surface. And then once you have applied the paint mixture and wait a few seconds, you rub it in enough to soak into the surface of the wood and the excess paint mixture will be absorbed with the rag. It doesn’t have to be perfect, once you sand it will all blend nicely in the end! Hope that helps, good luck with your DIY desktop and barn door!
We are going to try this on a plywood plank floor experiment for a craft room ! I love the look! I will top with a matte poly for durability. Thanks for sharing this technique!
You’re welcome Lora! That sounds so cool, I love the idea of doing it for a floor!!!
I’m getting ready to plank an entire wall and am going to use this technique. I’ll probably use dark gray stain and light gray paint to match my color scheme, but this looks just awesome! Great job
Thanks Karen! I love the idea of using a dark gray stain and light gray paint together for this technique, it sounds like it is going to look awesome for a planked wall! I’d love to see a photo of the final result!
I’d love to know how the grey paint turns out too! I want to use this technique but would like a grey wash. Not sure if I should still do dark wood stain. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it yet with a grey paint, but I’d be curious how it would turn out with a grey paint and a dark stain vs a a grey paint and light stain! I may need to try this combo soon!
How did the dark Grey stain work out?
Hi there thank you for helpful pins. I was just wandered if you could help me.We are building the house and we got beautiful wooden stairs. I would love them to look like this-washed off grey. What would you recommend. Is this technic suitable for the stairs ?thank a lot Iva
Hi Iva! I think you could definitely do it on your stairs. You might want to add a protective sealant over it such as a matte polyurethane if the steps will have heavy use. I’d also suggest testing the technique out on just one step first to see if you like it and how it turns out. If you don’t like it, you could always just sand it off. Hope that helps!
We followed your instructions but used oil based paint and exterior stains for an outside garden sink. Love it. We used paint thinner (25%) to cut the dove white.
That sounds beautiful for a garden sink! That’s good to know it worked well with oil based paint too, thanks for sharing!
This is just beautiful!! I’m currently looking for an old coffee table to upcycle and would love to do this to top of it! I really want to find one that I can add wood planks to the top to give it this look!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank you! That’s a great idea to add the wood planks on top of an old coffee table! Sounds like it is going to be beautiful!
I just bought a used farmhouse style dining table with lots of dark stain already on. Should I skip that step and maybe sand a little of the stain off before applying the paint/water mixture? Just love how yours turned out!!
Thanks Rhonda! You should be able to skip the dark stain part first. To be sure, I’d test it out first by applying the paint/water mixture to a small section on the bottom or underneath part of the table first on top of the existing dark stain, then lightly distressing. That way you can get a good idea of what it will look like using the existing stain and you can make sure you like it before doing the whole table!
Thanks, Angela! Forgot to mention that we are going to use the table in our outdoor screened in patio. Should we use exterior paint and is there something we should use at the end to seal it?
I wouldn’t use exterior paint unless it’s going to be exposed directly to outdoor elements. A polyurethane would definitely be helpful for sealing and protecting the table. There are polys specifically for outdoor use too if you think the table will be exposed to rain/sun coming into the patio. But, some polys can cause a slight yellow coloring, so again I’d test it out in a small area first to be safe.
Yes, use water based poly. Oil based will yellow.
I have a old dark stained piece too. I’m going try the same and say a prayer for the same turnout! It Sounds supereasy and your items are beautiful! Thanks for sharing your DIY projects!
Thanks Lori! Good luck with your piece!!
Have you tried using black or ebony as a base coat and the white wash for a finish?
I haven’t, but it sounds like a good combo to try!
What does the wood conditioner do? Is it necessary?
The wood conditioner creates a more even stain finish on the wood by helping to prevent blotching and streaking in the finish. You can skip it, but I almost always use it with soft woods like pine and oil based stains (both of which I used in this tutorial) to help create a nicer wood finish.
I found out from error, after building a beautiful table in pine and not using conditioner on it first before I stained it. The wood stained in a terrible blotchy look and it took me forever to sand it all down and start again when doing it the right way first would have been a breeze. So today, any soft wood I use I always condition the wood first…..
Thanks for sharing Patricia! It’s amazing the difference wood conditioner can make!
Hi. Thank you so much for the tutorial. I have a little problem as I live in Mexico and I am not very sure which would be the equivalent of that stain color. I would truly appreciate if you could help me on that. Thank you again.
Hi Fabian, I’m not sure what brand of stain you have available near you, but I would recommend any darker color stain or any darker stain that is called walnut should be similar to the Dark Walnut color I used. Also, you could always buy a few small cans of stain and test them out on some scrap wood to see which finish you like best!
I looked at this tonite–going to do our deck outside–we have a dark grey house and the stains that are for grey decks are just not working. I did a few samples and used a slate color first, then went over it with a light grey stain and wiped it off about 5 seconds later and it looks great. thanks!!!
That’s awesome Patty, I’d love to see photos of your deck when it’s all finished! It sounds like it is going to be beautiful!
Angelia
I have an antique buffet that is stained. Do I need to re-stain it to get the proper effect?
Thank You
Hi Carol, does the buffet have any kind of sealant over the stain? If so, you may need to sand it and re-stain since I don’t think it will work right over a sealed finish. But, first if the buffet has the stain on the backside, underneath or another hidden area, I’d definitely recommend testing out the process in a small area first to see how it would look with the current stain. And you can also test out another small area as well with sanding and re-staining it to see how that looks too!
Beautiful job! Did you use your wood for a table? I am looking to find a less expensive option than buying the gray aged looking flooring that my husband and I like. Do you think this technique would work on flooring? If so, do you have a recommendation for a sealant for it?
Thanks Jessie! We used the wood for a desk top. I think some other readers have used this technique on their floors. I haven’t done any floor treatments so unfortunately I don’t have a good recommendation for a floor sealant. But I would recommend trying out the technique on some floor sample pieces with some different sealants first to make sure the sealants don’t yellow the finish or change the look of it too much.
This is beautiful! I’m currently looking for options to stain ceiling beams. Our contractor had mentioned using the rough side of the wood to add to the weathered finish. I know you mentioned sanding very well before beginning. Do you think it would still work with the rough side with a light sanding or should we plan to sand thoroughly?
Thanks Melanie! I usually prefer sanding the wood thoroughly since sanding helps with stain absorption into the wood and enhancing the wood grain look. But, you could definitely skip the sanding (or just do some light sanding if the wood is really rough) and use the rough side of the wood instead for a unique look! Especially, if the beams are reclaimed wood or have a cool patina to them on the rough side. I’d recommend testing out the finish on a small area of the rough side without sanding to see how it looks first and if you like it best that way.
Flat or semi-gloss paint
We used flat paint, but you could also use eggshell too.
What type of wood was the desk made out of?
We used pine boards from Lowe’s
With the stain you used, you said leave it on. Most stains require they be wiped off…did you just apply the stain and not wipe off? Lovely, and thanks for sharing?
Thanks Janie! We just applied a small section of stain at a time and wiped the excess stain off at the same time until the whole desk top was covered.
Thank you for responding so promptly, and sharing your talents!
I will be using this technique on a bed that my husband and I are going to build this week. I will post pictures when it’s finished. I’m excited to try this
That sounds awesome Jacque! I can’t wait to see the finished photos!!
This is so beautiful! I just got an tank pedestal table and cannot wait to refinish it! I want to try the gray weathered wood look. My question is this… Since it is for a kitchen table, I need the finish to be protected (I have two boys!) What do you suggest I use to put on top of the paint to protect it? Thank you!
Thanks Amy! I’d try a water based polyurethane in a matte finish, such as Minwax Polycrylic. The water based poly is much less likely to yellow the finish color but will provide a good protection. I would test the poly out in a small, inconspicuous area first on the table over the finish to make sure you like how it looks!
Wow, looks amazing and so easy? I have just sanded an old trunk and want to get that look and don’t really want to change depth of the colour of the wood so is the stain necessary?
Thanks Cindy! You can skip the stain and just do the white wash part, it will definitely have a different color/look, but I think it will still turn out really pretty! I’d try testing out the white wash over a small, area of the trunk first to see if you like how it looks without the stain. You can always sand the test spot away if you don’t like how it looks.
I have whitewashed over bare timber as I want a white weathered look. Will this work with chalk paint?
It should work with chalk paint, you can test it out in small area first to see how it looks with the chalk paint to be sure.
How long do you let the stain set for before starting the white wash? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Allison, the stain should dry for at least 4 hours before applying the white wash. Thanks!
And, will the top paint process work the same. Sorry for the repeat questions.
Love this! I have an already painted wall, just regular paint on rough-like boards. Could I try to put the stain over the paint (its a light yellow off white color), and then proceed as you’ve shown? Think that would work? Not sure about stain over painted wood. Thanks!
thanks Janie! I’ve never tried paint overs stain before so I’m not sure how it would work. But, the stain may have trouble penetrating the wood if there is a paint layer in between. You could always try testing it out on a scrap piece of painted wood first and see how it looks! Also, you could then do the top paint process the same, but it will most likely have a different look/outcome with the paint on the base layer.
I LOVE the look of this and am going to attempt doing this to the trim in my home. What base of paint did you use (water, latex, oil)? Do you think trim would require a sealant like a matte Minwax Polycrylic? Thanks so much for the tutorial!!!
Thank you! We used latex paint. I don’t think trim needs a sealant since its more decorative. But, you can definitely add a sealant like Minwax Polycrylic if you wanted to be able to wipe the trim down easily for cleaning purposes. I would test out the sealant first on a scrap piece over the weathered finish if possible to make sure you like how it looks with that sealant!
Thank You for sharing this, I love how it turned out. I’m making some rustic wood pumpkins and am going to try this technique.
Thanks Tonya! Wood pumpkins sounds adorable, I’d love to see a photo!
Could this look be achieved on a laminate top surface? Maybe skipping the stain part?
I don’t think it would work very well on laminate since the paint mixture (or the stain) wouldn’t have any porous surface to soak into.
I am going to try this today thanks for the info
Great! You’re welcome!
Thank you for this post. I was searching on line to see how I was going to finish a pine door slab that I bought to use as a barn door between my laundry room and bathroom. Then, I saw your idea and it seemed simple. It turned out fabulous and will be a great accent piece when hung.
You’re welcome Leah! I’m so happy to hear that the finish turned out great for your barn door!!!
What type of wood did you do this process on–red oak? White oak? Seems like white oak would work better, but I’mhaving a hard time finding retrofit white oak stair teads and risers in Houston after all the flooding.
We used common pine boards from Lowe’s. I haven’t tried it out on red oak before, but its worked well for others on different kinds of wood. Maybe try testing it on a small area of some red oak and see if it works well?
Hi Angela! This is beautiful. I have never tried anything like this before, but am thinking about giving this a shot! Obviously you have a lot more knowledge of these types of DIY projects. I am curious about knotty pine paneling as an option? We just bought an old cottage with what looks like the knotty pine paneling. I was trying to figure out how we could save some of the paneling for the house we build on the lot after tearing the cottage down, and maybe make an accent wall in the new home. I really love the gray/brown look. Do you think it might work? Thanks!
Thank you Melanie! I think an accent wall using the knotty pine paneling from the old cottage sounds like a great idea that would be so pretty! I’d recommend sanding the paneling really well first and also testing out the finish on some scrap paneling first to make sure you like how it looks! I’d love to see photos of the end result!!
Hi Angela,
We are redoing 5 chairs that were a natural wood. We had them stained dark walnut and really don’t like the way they look! We would like a blueish/gray distressed look. Do we still use white paint? Can we just paint over it and then distress like your demonstration? Thanks!
Hi Denise,
If you want more of distressed paint look, then it would probably be easiest to just paint over the dark walnut with paint or chalk paint in the color you want and then lightly sand till you achieve the amount of distressing you want. You could test it out on a small area on them first to see if you like how it looks doing that way!
This looks great! I have been at a loss as to what we can do with our engineered hard wood floors in the kitchen. Replacing them just isn’t an option right now but I love this look and they are already stained and distressed with virtually no poly left from when I refinished them the first time. Sanding and restraining won’t work because we are down to the final layers of wood. I’m going to use your whitewash technique and cover with lots of poly this time. This is so inspiring. Thank you!
Thanks Heather! I hope it turns out great! Whitewashing definitely helps with covering imperfections! I’d recommend testing the poly out in a small area first though over the whitewash to make sure it doesn’t change the color too much.
I know you used flat paint but was it trim paint or wall paint? Does it matter?
It was wall paint, but it doesn’t really matter, the more important thing is that the sheen is not too shiny, so flat, eggshell, matte, or satin.
Hi Angela!
We have Redwood siding throughout our hose. I really want a weathered grey wood look, to break up the monotony of so much wood. Because I am starting with redwood, would I still stain and then paint? Or skip the stain?
Thank you for your post!!
Much Aloha,
Melissa
Hi Melissa! I’d test it out both ways to see which way you like best! So, you could test using the stain and the paint mixture in a small, more hidden area. Then, in another small area test just doing the paint mixture with no stain. Since Redwood takes stains differently than pine (which is what I used), this will give you the best idea of which version you like better!
Can this be done on a wood table that is currently painted black(purchased that way)? Do i need to sand it down to natural wood or use pain remover?
It most likely can, depending on the type of wood that the table is made out of. I’d try sanding a small area underneath or in a inconspicuous area first and testing the finish out to see if it will work well. For removing all the paint, you can do either method, all sanding or paint remover and then a little sanding after that, whichever you prefer! I like to try just sanding first and only use paint remover if I really need too since it’s so messy.
Thank you! That is what i was thinking as well. Going to try a spot underneath first!
Omg love your work!!You are amazing!!Love the stains you created and everything!!Are there separate pics of pieces done in each color? Wasn’t sure…love the blanket ladder stain…which stain is that one? Ps I am neighbors with your mom…3 doors down..hope all is well???
Melissa K.
Thank you Melissa!!! There’s a photo of the full desk top that was done in the weathered gray finish described in this post here: https://angelamariemade.com/2016/11/rustic-tree-branch-desk-diy/. And then the tutorial for the blanket ladder finish is one of the recipe finish tutorials I included in my e-book Weathered Wood Recipes, but I have a full photo of the blanket ladder (as well as how I built it) in this post: https://angelamariemade.com/2017/09/easy-diy-blanket-ladder/
Sorry if that’s confusing! I should compile photos of all the pieces in the different colors in one place!!
I’m doing well, hope all is well with you and the fam and hope you guys were able to enjoy the snow yesterday :)! I was actually at my mom’s baking some Christmas cookies!
Beautiful weathered gray finish, I have an old table that I would love to refinish using this technique, but I am trying to find a sealer that doesn’t eventually cause that ugly yellowing since the table will be used daily. Thanks for the simple step-by-step instructions. Wish me luck!!
Good luck Susanne! It’s tough with the older tables, they tend to yellow more with sealers, hopefully you can test some different ones out and find one that does the trick with your particular table!
Hi there. I’m interested in doing this technique on built-in bookcases that are already stained and varnished. Do I need to sand off the varnish before whitewashing?
You probably will need to sand the varnish off, but before doing that you can try the white wash in a small test area first over the varnish to see how it looks. It may not absorb right with the varnish, but it’s worth trying! You can then try in another test spot sanding the varnish off and applying the white wash to see how it works and which way you like best.
I’m remodeling my office which has old 70’s wood paneling. It has already been sanded and washed, wondering if this would work for that?
It should work! You can try testing it out in a small area to see how it looks.
We tried this technique today on an older pine table. Stripped and sanded it down, followed your instructions to a T and yet RED came through! Not the gray look we were looking for. We have no idea what happened. Do you have any suggestions on what to do to get the right look? Thanks!
Sometimes with older furniture, especially from the 1930s and 1940s, when a white or light colored paint is applied it causes the tannins of the wood to bleed through causing a red or yellow discoloration. The only way I know how to prevent bleed through is by spraying the piece with a clear shellac first, however, this may not work well with trying to achieve this finish. Did the red come through after you added the stain or the white paint mixture? If it occurred just with the paint, you could try the following to see if it works: In a small test spot, sand down to the bare wood, add the dark walnut stain, then spray with the clear shellac, allow to dry, then try adding the white paint mixture, allow to dry, then lightly sand to see how it looks. I’m not sure if it will work with the shellac being used, but it’s worth testing it out in small spot if you really want the look!
I’m assuming the Minwax walnut stain you used is water based? I’ve only seen it as oil based…. Water based paint won’t stick to oil stain, will it?
The stain I used is oil-based. You can use water based paint over oil stain, just make sure the stain has dried for at least 8-12 hours before applying the paint.
Thank you so much for your prompt response. So dried up oil stain won’t alter the adhesion and durability of water based paint applied on top?
Sure! It shouldn’t, but you can always test it out in a small test spot on your specific piece to see how it looks first!
Angela – amazing project and the outcome is jaw-dropping for me…just the colour I want to achieve on my pine crates. Do you think this would work on yellow-ish pine or does this need to on white pine? I love your ladder towel rail result. Was this on yellow pine or a different wood?
Also, I am in the UK and havent found Minwax available so easily. As it is a first try on a DIY project, I am going to use some spare water-based stain I have at hand. I hope it works – your thoughts?
Once again – brilliant post and outcome!
Thank you so much Rekha for your kind comment! This would work on yellow pine too. The blanket ladder wood was an inexpensive, stud grade wood from the home improvement store, they call it whitewood stud, but it’s very similar to a knotty pine. The water-based stain should work if it’s similar in color. I’d recommend testing the finish out in a small area on your project first to make sure you like how it looks with using the different stain as the base. Hope that helps!
Super easy and very effective. So glad I stumbled onto your blog with this posting.
Thanks!!
I was wondering what you would suggest using to finish…if you use an oil based stain and then a water based paint, would you seal with oil or water based poly for a table!? Also could I use white chalk paint to achieve the same look?? Thanks, Britany
You can use either an oil based or water based poly over the finish, just make sure to wait 12-24 hours before applying the poly after the finish is complete. An oil based finish might change the color some since white paint is being used, so I’d probably go with a water based poly. But, you can always test both out in a small, inconspicuous area first to see how it looks over the finish. Also I’ve never tried this finish with chalk paint but it should work! Again I’d recommend testing it out in a small area or on a scrap piece of wood first just to be sure.
Angela – Thanks for sharing. I built some shelves for my daughter. She sent me this link to your website and asked for it to be stained “just like this”. It came out very well. I was amazed. So much so, that I just bought your Weathered Wood Recipe book, well worth the money. Now she wants me to build a dresser with the Black Expresso Pine weathered look you designed. -Ray
Thank you so much Ray for letting me know!! I’m so glad to hear the shelves for your daughter turned out very well! And thank you so much for purchasing Weathered Wood Recipes too! I’d love to see photos of your project once your finished!
I’m doing a shiplap look on my wall and around bar area. Today I stained the pine wood and will let it dry overnight. Tomorrow I will apply the white paint. Do you recommend us to place the boards and nail them in place then paint them white or does it work better to do it before they are hung?
Hi Traci, you can do it either way but I think it would be easier to do it before they are hung so it’s a little less messy in your space with the light sanding and you have more control over the application. Hope it turns out great!!!
We are making a fireplace mantle and want to try the weathered grey finish that you achieved against a charcoal brick surround. What would you suggest as a stain color if we want it to pull the pine wood grain and don’t want the finished product to be too light. Our kitchen cabinets are a dark cherry wood in an adjacent room. Also do you distress before or after staining?
You distress at the very end. So, first stain, let it dry for several hours, then apply the white wash mixture, let it dry, then distress with sandpaper as the last step.
To still achieve a similar finish, I’d still use the same dark walnut stain, but maybe try adding more water to the paint white wash mixture so it’s more opaque and allows more wood grain to show through. Or you can always sand more of the white wash off to allow more of the wood grain to show through. Either way, I’d suggest testing it out in a small test spot first on your mantel to see what look you like best before applying to the entire thing!
Hi, thanks for the post! In one place in these comments you said to let the oil based stain dry 4 hours before applying the water based white wash, in a later comment you said to let the oil-based stain dry 8-12 hours before applying the white wash. Can you clarify?
Also, I am thinking of doing all my oak bathroom cabinets and trim with this, every room in my farmhouse is varnished oak, floor/cupboards/trim and its just too much brown wood. Would you strip down all the bathroom cabinets before doing this, and if so, what are your thoughts on using liquid sander/deglosser? How would you do it? It’s a whole lot of trim & cabinets to sand. =/ Thanks! Excited to try!
I’d let it dry for at least 4-6 hours for sure, but if you can let it dry overnight that’s even better. If I were doing this on my bathroom cabinets, I’d first try sanding the finish and see if that takes it off well. I’ve used a liquid stripper before and it did not work out well, so I personally avoid using it if possible. But, there are many different brands, so some may work better than others. Either way I’d do some testing first, trying both methods to see which you prefer best.
Hi Angela. I live in a log home which I would like to “liven up”a bit. I have considered creating an accent wall using your weathered look but am concerned the contrast between the stained log walls and a weathered accent wall might not look right together. Have you ever seen this done before? Also, the stain on my walls is more of a medium pecan than dark walnut. Do you think I could create a similar effect with the lighter color? Thank you got your help.
Hi DeeDee, I haven’t seen a stained log wall and a weathered accent wall before, I’ve only ever seen one or the other next to a solid color wall before. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done if you want to 🙂 I think a similar effect can be done with the pecan color instead of dark walnut, it will still look weathered, but will just be a lighter version. You can try testing it out in a small, non-conspicuous area first to see how it looks over the pecan color to make sure you like it before doing it to the entire wall.
Hi Angela, I have a very large shelving unit in a retail space that is flat black painted. I want to use your distressed white wash look on it , can I achieve it over the black paint…. it is much to large to strip or sand .
I’m thinking a gray rather than white paint….. what is your advice ? thanks!! Jane
Hi Jane, I don’t think it would work well over a black painted piece that’s not sanded. But you could always test it out in a small area first to try it out and see how it looks! Also, you could get some new wood just to attach over the shelves only and add the finish to the new wood which would look cool next to the black paint on the rest of the unit. Just another idea!
I love this! After you applied the white wash and got the desired look, did you sand before applying poly? If so, what grit sandpaper would you use? And if I apply 2 coats of poly, do I sand between those coats? Thanks!!
thanks Kathleen! After applying the white wash and letting it dry, we lightly sanded it with 80 grit sandpaper to get the more weathered wood look. For this project, we didn’t use any poly. But, if we had I would remove any sawdust from the wood first with tack cloth. Then, apply the first coat of poly. After that dries, I’d lightly sand with 220. Then, finish with a second coat of poly.
Also, you used oil based Minwax stain? Was the white wash paint water based? and how long do you have to wait to put water base paint on top of oil based stain? If I do that, I’m wondering what kind of poly to use- water or oil based?
Yes, I used oil based Minwax stain and water based latex paint. Let the stain dry fully (at least 4-6 hours or more) before applying the white wash paint mixture. I would just use water based poly over this finish. You can test the poly out in a small, inconspicuous area first to be sure of how it will look over the finish on your piece.
You did not indicate what kind of wood you started out with. I’m doing a 5 x 8 foot island and i love the look, but it will definitely matter which wood you are starting with.
I used pine wood from Lowe’s which worked great
Hi!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I truly love this and just purchased your ideas for prepping as I am planning on doing a small under staircase basement bathroom in ship lap. I want to do this as the treatment to the walls aa I think it is gorgeous!! Can you advice me as to what tyoe og white paint you used? Flat? Does it matter? Also with the walnut stain? Is one brand better than another? Thank again!! Love your ideas!!! ❤❤
Thank you Stacy! For this tutorial, I used flat paint. I usually do a flat or eggshell finish for paint since it works better for the more weathered look. For the walnut stain, I would stick with the Minwax brand since that’s what I used in this tutorial and it worked well. Hope that helps!! Thanks again!
Currently working on a coffee table for the main living room with this technique. Our white wash goes on today. So far the piece looks beautiful, the stain really brought out the grain in the cedar we’re using. And we love how easy the steps have been so far, thank you for that! (the tutorials in your book have been so informative and easy as well)! Can’t wait for our finished product!
Thank you so much for letting me know Katie! I am so glad to hear that the book tutorials have been helpful and the finish is turning out great!! 🙂
Wow! This is exactly the look I want for my baseboard to break up all the mostly browns I have on the floors and walls. Does grain/species of wood make a great difference in bringing out the character of the wood/ look overall? I know you said you used pine, but what about poplar or alder that is commonly found in a baseboard purchase. Also, do I do this technique first before the install and touch up where necessary after the install, probably easier and less messy, right?
Yes, different types of wood will look a little bit different especially if they have less grain to them. You can totally use poplar or alder, but I’d recommend testing the finish out in a small test area first on your type of wood to see how it will look and to make sure you like it before doing it to your whole project. Also, yes I think it would be easiest to do this first before installing!
I am going to do this to a dark stained hope chest and use it as a coffee table. Do I just sand it and go right to the paint/water step? Also, which type paint would be look best, eggshell, flat, semi-gloss? I plan to polyurethane the top when done. Thanks!
I’d try testing out the process (of starting with the white wash paint mixture) in a small area first to see how it will look over the current dark stain before applying to the whole chest since the original stain could cause the finish to look a little different. I used a flat paint when I did it, but eggshell would work well too!
Hi There- I have a few questions- First I love what you did and I am trying to match a table (which looks similar to what you have done) I have a table being made (he said he used a grey minwax stain with a cream paint) – so I have 4 ladder back chairs- 2 are a darker wood and 2 have some red it in) how would you suggest I mimic what you made?). I am tossing so many ideas around in my head- first was skip the stain and just chalk paint it then grey wash it? I am so confused- Hopefully you can shed some light- Thank you!
Thanks Amy! Since it sounds like 2 of the chairs are a different type of wood than the other 2, it may be difficult to get them to match exactly. But I would start by testing out the weathered gray finish on each of them in a small area first to see how it will look and if the finishes will match enough. Are the chairs a bare wood, or do they already have some kind of finish on them? If there is a finish on them, it would be best to sand that off and start with bare wood. However, if that’s all too much work, you could always just paint the chairs like you mentioned in a chalk paint finish that compliments the table finish. I painted our chairs white and I love how it looks with the weathered finish of the table top!
Thank you for your comment- they are all not bare wood & sanding will def. take too much time. I started the chalk paint idea for the chairs- But I do have another project in mind that I will try with your technique. Thanks for your help 🙂
I am trying to do something similar. I stained a desk a darker walnut color but certain areas didn’t take the stain (I think I may not have fully sanded the original varnish in some areas?? ). Either way it came out looking nicely distressed with the lighter wood showing through in certain areas – it almost looks like I sanded it down in these areas. However, I want the white washed gray color, so my question is… can I still paint over the entire surface with latex paint or will the paint not stick to the same places the varnish didn’t take? Should I use a primer? I notice you didn’t use a primer. Thanks!!
In the areas where the stain didn’t take, it does sound like the original varnish wasn’t fully sanded off. But, if you sanded those areas even just a little then the white wash paint mixture should still adhere to the surface some. I’d test it out in a very small area first to be sure. If it has trouble sticking to the wood in those areas, you can always try adding more paint (and less water) for the white wash mixture. I would not use a primer since that would really cover up the wood grain and would make the last step of distressing the wood with sandpaper much more difficult.
Thank you so much for this post!! I’m refinishing my office desk and it is turning out amazing! I decide to leave the legs just with the stain!
Thanks for letting me know Denise! I’m so glad its been helpful 🙂 I’d love to see a photo of the finished desk!
Thank you… I want to try this on the wood trim around the rooms of my house. It is all dark brown wood and everyone says make it white. Well the paint I’m gonna use on the walls is white, so I want to do it in this weathered look. Plus I’m giving my house a beach themed makeover. Do you think I need to do anything to the wood trim before the paint since it is already dark brown? Thanks again… love this look.
Thanks Chrissy! As long as the wood trim doesn’t have a sealant or poly over the dark barn stain, it should be fine to just go ahead and do the white paint wash. If it does have some kind of sealant, you may need to lightly sand the sealant layer off and remove the saw dust first. Either way, I would test it out on a small area first of the trim to see how it looks first before trying it on all of it.
Thank you for this tutorial! We are going to attempt this on an outdoor farmhouse table we built. It will be exposed to the elements. What do you suggest to seal it with after we whitewash and sand it?
Also how long should the whitewash paint dry before sanding?
We got the color you used in a flat outdoor paint. Will that work?
You’re welcome! The outdoor paint should work well. For the sealer, I think an outdoor polyurethane or sealant would be best. I’ve heard good things about Thompson’s waterproof clear wood protector as well as Minwax indoor/outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane, although I haven’t had a chance to test them out yet myself. I would definitely test out whichever sealant you decide to use on the finish in an inconspicuous area on the table or on some scrap wood to make sure it doesn’t alter or yellow the weathered wood finish too much.
Also, you can sand the white wash as soon as it’s fully dry, which should be within and hour or two.
I’m thinking of doing this to a headboard made out of fence wood. Do you think this would work?
Yes I think it would, but I would test it out on the back first to see exactly how it’s going to look on the fence wood.
Hi Angela Marie,
This was an amazing post. I am currently working on changing my mahogany dining room table to a weathered grey stain. I have sanded the table and preconditioned the wood then added the grey stain. I want the tabletop to be a light grey stained table top. I did one coat but it did not come out as light as I would like. I plan on doing another coat tomorrow. My question to you is should I mix a little white paint in with the grey stain for the second coat? I don’t want the grey to be as light as yours but I definitely want it to be a little lighter than it currently is.
Thank you Jennell! I wouldn’t mix the stain and paint together since that may not adhere properly to the wood. I’d recommend testing out a few different methods on the underneath side of the table in a small area that you sand just like the top. That way you can see what combination works best for the look you want to achieve. You could try mixing some light grey paint and water first, then follow it up with the white paint and water mixture. Or you can just try the white paint mixture over the grey stain and see how that is going to look. All woods take stain and finishes differently so it’s best to just test it out first to see what you like best!
Have you ever combined the minwax simply white with the dark walnut? I am wondering how that would look because I cant seem to get the shade I’m looking for. The dark walnut is too dark and the special walnut is not quite what I like either. Thanks!
I actually haven’t tried the minwax simply white yet, but I am eager to test it out soon as it looks like a great new stain option! What kind of shade are you trying to achieve and on what type of wood? I’m not sure exactly how the two would look together so I think it’s definitely worth buying each in a small can and testing it out to see what you like! You could always try doing one coat of dark walnut followed by two coats of the simply white to lighten up/soften the look more.
Great tutorial! Thanks
Thanks Marie!
lovely work! we’d like to create a grey stained butcher block for our kitchen island. what type and color of wood would you start with? what sealer etc would you recommend? thank you!
Thanks for your question Lori! Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience working with butcher block so I don’t have any good recommendations to share. I would try going for a lighter toned color butcher block though!
I have a den in the 1960 or so era, the old brownish look paneling. How would you go about putting a gray wethered look on this.
If the brown color is stain and you can still see the wood grain I would probably skip right to the white wash paint step and apply that over it. I’d test it out first in a small area to see how it looks.
Hello, I love this technique and want to try this on my dining room table. It is an Ashley table in a dark finish. Would this technique work if I sanded off the clear coat then apply the white wash finish?
Thanks! It should work. But to know for sure, I’d try testing it out first underneath the table (or another inconspicuous area) if the finish is the same.
A friend told me of a very easy way to make wood look old. He gave me an old garden bench made of wrought iron and wood slats. The wood slats looked awful.
The first step was to sand the slats to get rid of old paint etc. Then take some steel wool and put it in a cup and pour in vinegar to fill the cup. Let it sit overnight or preferably two nights. Take out the steel wool and brush the solution in the cup onto the wood. The solution goes quite far and is like brushing on water. After curing for a day or so you have great looking old wood. This method does not make the wood look like anything has been done to it other than having been naturally weathered. If the wood after a summer or two starts to look like it needs freshening just do the same procedure again. Touch ups are very easy. A very cheap, easy process with a great result.
Thanks so much Bruce! This sounds like a great idea for aging wood!
(Hi Angela, I have an old varnished pine bookcase I’d love to try this on, but don’t know what you mean when you say condition first, I’m in Ireland so we maybe call it something else here. Would appreciate your advice. Thank you .
Hi Jackie, The condition is a wood pre-conditioner (here is a link to it https://amzn.to/2SMti4D) and it’s used on pine and other soft woods to help prevent streaking and blotching that can occur when staining wood. It’s not required but it helps provide a nicer finish!
Thank you Angela, I’ll have a look for this here.
Hello! A little late to the show, but a quick question. I really like what you did with this: both the process and the final product! I would like to do a version of this but with a little weathered grey pigment added to the paint. Thoughts about how this might turn out?
I’m not exactly sure how it will turn out, maybe a bit smokier looking? Sounds cool though! I would test it out first and see how it looks!
Hi Angela, I’d love to try this on a coffee table I have with an oak top, but I don’t know what you mean by Pre-Stain wood conditioner, I’m in Ireland so maybe it’s called something else here. Any idea, thanks Jackie.
I seem to have a problem with my wood turning blue after I stain and whitewash! I stained the wood with grey stain (weathered grey accelerator) then whitewashed it and now it’s blue! I’m trying to get a grey undertone. This is the second time this has happened to me – what am I doing wrong ?
It may have to do with the weathered grey accelerator that you are using. I haven’t used that product before so I would try just using a regular stain like the Dark Walnut and see if that fixes the problem!
We are attempting this on shiplap in our house we’re building wish us luck, we’re a little nervous!
Good luck, hope it turns out great!
The water based paint mixture didn’t peel up in time after applying it on top of the oil based stain?
Nope! It still looks great 3 years later