Learn how to easily grey wash wood! This weathered gray stain finish works great for how to make wood look old and gray!
Last week on the blog, I shared a rustic DIY desk that Brandon built and finished. The photos I took didn't quite show off the gray wash stain 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 look.
Ultimately, we decided on using a combination of stain and white washed paint (paint mixed with water) to achieve a more weathered gray stain tone. It's a great, easy way to distress wood with paint!
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How to Create a Weathered Wood Gray Finish:
Supplies Needed for a DIY Gray Wash Stain:
- Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
- Dark Walnut Stain (also available here)
- 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) or sanding block
- 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 let dry.
Next, apply one coat of the Dark Walnut stain. Wipe away any excess stain. Allow your stain to fully dry.
See my tutorial on how to stain wood for tips on staining wood!
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 the wood finish with sandpaper to create a grey wash wood look
Finally, very lightly distress the wood finish with sandpaper until you achieve your desired look!
I prefer to use 80 or 150 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece if wood and hand sand until I get the look I want. A sanding block may be used too.
And that's it! Pretty simple! You can also add a top coat of poly or wax if you'd like, we chose not to 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 with this grey wash wood stain finish!
What do you think of our weathered wood, gray finish? I think it definitely gives off a rustic vibe and it's perfect for how to make wood look old and gray or how to grey wash wood! It's definitely one of the easiest ways to distress wood with paint!
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If you want to see another example of this finish, check out my easy DIY entryway bench which we applied the same finish to as well!
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More DIY Weathered Gray Stain Finishes:
If you're interested in more easy weathered wood finish tutorials with a gray wash stain look, 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 your DIY grey wash wood finish with me on Instagram @angelamariemade, Facebook, or e-mail pictures to [email protected]!
Also, if you're interested in more wood finish ideas just using stain, be sure to check out my 10 favorite wood stain colors, 5 favorite grey wood stain colors, and 3 white wood stain options.
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How to Create a Weathered Wood Gray Finish
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!
Materials
- 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)
Tools
- Paint Brush
Instructions
- Make sure your wood is properly prepared. Then, apply a pre-stain wood conditioner.
- Stain your wood with one coat of Minwax Dark Walnut stain. Wipe away any excess stain. Allow it to fully dry.
- Apply a white wash mixture to the wood, using one about 1 part water to 1 part white paint. Apply the white wash 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 to smear the paint mixture into the wood. Allow it to fully dry. - Lightly distress the wood finish with sandpaper until you achieve your desired look!
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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.
Soooo I didn’t read this comment before hand and used an oil based poly and it RUINED my project 🙁 Will be going out to get water based to redo.
Oh no! A wax or water based poly is the way to go, and I always like to test out the finish on a small area before applying it to the entire project.
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.
@Angela Marie Made, I've tried it over a veneer with a thick coat (almost like paint) gel stain. It works but you don't see the wood grain as much.
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.
I have yellowed oak chairs that have a high shine poly on them. To do a whitewash on them could I use a dark gel stain on them and then whitewash them without doing any sanding.
If you want to try it on a small area and see if that will work, but I think for the best results I would still recommend sanding the surface before applying the stain.
You didn't mention wiping the stain to remove the excess. I thought maybe for this look you shouldn't wipe. I was wrong. Maybe you should add that to your instructions.
Thanks for the tip!
Just finished a table with this tutorial and it looks great. What sealant/clear coat would you recommend that preserves the look without making it all shiny or plastic-y? I just wanna keep the look I have now
That's great to hear! I would do a clear, high quality wax for the best preservation of the finish. Although a clear water based poly may work well too. Either way I'd test it out first on some scrap wood to be sure!
I'm wondering, do you think the white wash can be done over dark cabinets to achieve the same look?
Can you achieve this same look on a painted piece of furniture? I have a great console that has an almost crackled finish on it and I want to change it to something similar. I know I might not get the crackled look to go away but I want that washed gray color.
Yes, absolutely. Depending on the current finish you will probably need to do some sanding/removing any varnish. I would highly recommend testing it out on a small portion of the piece of furniture that isn't shown before doing the whole project.
I have an ash table that is being made, and they are going to use a wire brush to make new wood look old. Will I have problems getting this natural weathered grey look, since the wood will be more engrained in areas. If so, what would you suggest?
Also they are matching the glue to the stain we use, to put the boards together, would you recommend that they just use the dark walnut stain?
Could they use a water base stain instead of an oil base?
Thank you in advance. I really appreciate your help.
That sounds awesome. I don't think it will be a problem applying the weathered wood gray finish to the table, see if they can get you a scrap piece of the ash that has been wire brushed to test out on. I haven't used ash wood and so the dark walnut stain and weathered finish may look different than on the pine that I used and I would test it out, but it's totally a personal preference. A water based stain can totally be used instead of an oil base.
I can’t believe how many emails you’ve gotten, wow, fantastic, are you saying you can add a whitewash chalk paint directly over your oil based stain. I’m really struggling with a piece and would like to use oil based stain, but lighten with a white wash paint or glaze on top. I didn’t think you could add water base over oil based stains. Love your piece.
Thank you so much! Adding a water based whitewash/paint over an oil based stain is a great way to get a more rustic finish. I definitely recommend testing it out first to see how it will look before applying it to the whole project.
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
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.
Beautiful! Can you do this to floors??
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.