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. 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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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
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Can this be done without the pre stain wood conditioner?
Yes although you may get a little bit of blotching/streaking showing through the wood grain, depending on the type of wood. The white wash does conceal it some.
Love love this look!!!
Does the wood conditioner help with/eliminate the raising of the wood when stain applied?
Thank you Karen! It doesn’t do that, but it helps to prevent any blotching or streaking that can occur in the staining process that doesn’t look natural.
What type of wood did you use for this project?
I used knotty pine wood from the home improvement store
I have a Dark cherry wooden bed frame already What needs to be done before adding the white wash ?
If there is no sealant on it, you could probably just skip to the white wash step. But, I would test it out first in a hidden area to make sure it works how you like it!
If there is a sealant, what do you recommend?
A clear water based poly, but you should always test it out first!
What color paint are the chairs?
Which chairs are you asking about?
Love this weathered look! You make it look so easy. I’m getting ready to attempt this myself however I really need a protective finish on my piece. What would be the best to use on this exact technique? Polyurethane, shellac, etc…?
Thank you! I would use a water based poly so there isn’t any yellowing of the color.
Thank you. Is water based poly a good protectant for wear & tear? Waterproof & Easy to clean is what I need.
Yes water based is best because it doesn’t usually cause yellowing like an oil based poly can do.
Hi! What did you use to paint bottom of table and chairs ?
Which table are you referring to? For our kitchen table we used White Dove by Benjamin Moore. For our kitchen chairs we used Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams.
Hi! Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. I love the final look! What type of finish is the white paint…eggshell or flat? Thank you!
I’ve used both flat and eggshell, either works! I think I used flat for this desk.
Can you use chalk paint to mix with water for white wash? Redoing end tables and will paint the legs with chalk paint but want the weathered look on top.
Yes! You can use chalk paint!
I’m getting ready to refinish a large pedestal oak table. Don’t want a country look so was thinking of painting the base a flat black mineral paint. Have you done any of the weathered gray with black accent/ pictures? Any suggestions?
I haven’t, but I think that will look great!
We did all the steps and then put a satin minwax clear coat for durability! Came out beautifully thanks for the step by step!! Life saver!
Yay!! You’re welcome!
What type of paint did you use? Flat? Satin?
flat
Hello! Love your weathered look with gray finish. We are getting ready to build a screen porch. I want to do the ceiling and shiplap around the fireplace with this look, and told the contractor I would do this part as he was worried he wouldn’t get it exactly like I wanted. We have tons of new knotty pine and huge douglas fir beams. Will this yellow over time? i love the knotty look of the pine, but we will have a gray tree floor and I don’t want yellow bleeding through after a few years. Also, what matte sealer will work best to protect from moisture and also prevent yellowing over time ? Im also looking at a wood stain, but like this so much more! Thanks so much!
Thank you! The knotty pine desk top that we first used this finish on 4 years ago hasn’t had any yellowing. But, we did not use a top coat on it. Some top coats can cause yellowing over time. Oil based polys will cause yellowing. Typically water based do not. I’m not sure which water based sealant is best for outdoors. I would recommend testing a few out on some scrap pieces with the finish to see if any yellowing occurs. Because this finish uses the dark walnut stain layer, if some yellowing does occur over time it shouldn’t be super noticeable.
How do u get that same look on laminate ??
This only works on real wood or plywood. Laminate can’t absorb stain.
I love how you created a weathered grey finish. How can you achieve this look on dark wood panneling?
Thank you! I’d test it out first in a small area, but you can probably skip to the white wash step instead of sanding first and doing the dark walnut.