How to Use Antiquing Wax to Create a White Wash Effect
4 Materials
Kristie from Lee.Marie Antiqued Furniture created this faux white washed finish with Lazy Linen and Antiquing Wax!
I found this hall bench on Kijiji for cheap. It was in great condition. All I did for prep was remove the hooks, light sanding, and a good scrub with soap and water.
I wanted to create a driftwood/beachy white wash. I’ve never really tried that style before so I had to get creative. I chose Lazy Linen because it’s a very light grey – almost white. I thought if I painted it on and wiped it back it would sink into the beautiful grain of this piece. Well, it did. And this would be a really simple and pretty touch for any other piece… but I still wasn’t loving the orangey-ness after wiping it all back.
So I came up with another way. I painted two light coats of Lazy Linen making sure each coat dried between. I sanded the whole thing lightly to smooth it out and take away any brush strokes that might interfere with the next step.
Then, (and maybe I’ve been living under a rock because I’ve never used it before!) applied antiquing wax liberally over the entire piece. I really had to massage it in because I wanted it to sink into the grooves of the original grain. I worked in sections and wiped it all off with a lint free rag.
I used a rag to apply the wax, as opposed to a brush, because I purposely wanted to avoid pressing the dark wax into the cracks and corners of the piece. I wanted them to stay white giving the illusion that the whole piece had been white/lime washed.
I am so happy with how this turned out! I had no idea I could create a white wash effect by applying a dark wax. Seems backwards, but it worked and I love it!
Frequently asked questions
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What to use instead of the antiquing wax?