The Beauty and Magic of Wood Bleach

When we got this unique apothecary cabinet from a vintage market, I immediately fell in love. Everything about it was perfection, except one tiny detail. The stain color. Not only was it a little dark for me, but it had a red tint to it. Of course we still purchased it. I knew that I could do a little magic and get it to where I wanted it.

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If you want to know how easy it is, keep reading!

Materials:

• Wood Bleach
• Paint Brush
• Sandpaper (120 grit and 180 grit)
• Sponge (or Scrubbing Brush)
• & of course your piece of furniture that you want to lighten up

Step 1: Sand! Sand! Sand! The first thing you want to do is sand off the stain with 120 grit sandpaper. Just doing this helps lighten it a ton, but it still had a medium tone orange affect…not what I had in mind. This is where the wood bleach comes in! I highly suggest wearing a mask for steps 2 and 3!

Step 2: Following the directions on the tub, mix wood bleach and hot water. Once the bleach powder has dissolved, take a paint brush and evenly apply the bleach to your wood. Then take a brush of some sort and really scrub the bleach into the wood. Let it dry…let it fully dry. Working outside in the sun is best, if possible {and if you do work inside, make sure your space is well ventilated}. Have patience during this part.

Step 3: Once it has fully dried, sand with 180 grit sandpaper, wipe off excess dust and repeat Step 2 until you get your desired look. This cabinet took 4 coats total.

Step 4: Once you have your desired look, wipe all the dust off the wood. Depending on your piece of furniture, you might want to seal it. I kept this one bare.

And there you have it. It is that simple and completely changes your piece. Before you leave, I do have a couple of tips for you. Wear a mask and do it outside. The chemicals in the bleach are not good if inhaled so a mask helps with that. Doing it outside is not only good because of the chemicals but also because the sun helps activate the bleach and lighten your piece quicker.

Oh and have patience between each coat! I did this project over the course of 4 days to give time for the bleach to soak in and fully dry. That’s all there is to it!

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Thank you for being here. 💛 Andi