Lately, I’ve been really into the look of whitewashed furniture. Though, I didn’t have any pieces of my own, I wanted to give it a try! I had a mismatched chair that we had at our dining room table that was in need of a pick-me-up. Inevitably, this was my next project!

I took the chair to our basement, which is a work in progress itself, so it was the perfect place to work on this project! I began with a 120 grit sandpaper to finely take off the top layer and smooth any imperfections the chair may have had. This is an old chair! Most of the original nails have been replaced with screws, but it does have one existing original nail, how cool is that!  The best advice I could give you for using the whitewashing technique is to do small areas at a time and be patient! Depending on the size of your piece, it may take you awhile to complete.

Simply begin by applying a few brush strokes of paint in a thin layer and let dry a few minutes. I just used paper towel because I had plenty of it on hand and could easily grab new pieces when needed. You could also use a white cloth of some sort, if desired. After 2-3 minutes of the paint drying, begin to wipe it away, moving back and forth in one direction. Continue until the desired finish is achieved. I recommend doing the entire piece with one coat first, and going back to do a second coat, or even third, to achieve the look you’re going for. Let the piece dry completely.

I completed this project using Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Wax. What I love about this product is it brings out the original wood so it gives the chair a truly aged look. Not to mention, I adore what a smooth finish it leaves!