Whitewash a Wood Table

Hello creative friend, Do from Do Dodson Designs here!

Thanks for stopping in for another DIY furniture makeover. Sigh… it’s about all I can do as I sit here and write about my experience with this makeover. Firstly, this makeover is a family heirloom. No pressure!

This table is mahogany… one of the most expensive woods used on furniture. I’ll go into the details as we go but the plans were to create a farmhouse whitewash wood table.

This vintage table was in impeccable condition. It was only used for family dinners and even then, it had been protected with thick padding underneath a table cloth. I knew the factory finish was gonna be tough to remove and so I chose to use a chemical stripper to remove the factory varnish finish. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area (outdoors) when using these chemical strippers with protective equipment.

Materials List:

• DBP Mini Angle Paintbrush | Chip Brush
• BOSS
• Fluff Chalk Mineral Paint
• No Pain Gel Stain in Picklin’ White
• Finishing Pad
• Gator Hide 
• Surfprep Sander | 2-minute Varnish Stripper | Mineral Spirits | Steel Wool | Scrapper Tool

How To:

First, poor the chemical stripper into a disposable plastic container and apply it liberally to the varnish you want to remove… and wait. Pretty quickly you will notice it working. Use a paint scraper tool to scrape it off. You’re gonna use a lot of paper towels!

Next, sand the wood table to remove any leftover varnish. I used my sander that has padded sandpaper that’s great for getting into the detailed wood trim and carvings. Clean the wood after sanding with a 50/50 mixture of denatured alcohol and water. No worries about the alcohol, it evaporates quickly and you’ll be ready for the next step of the whitewash wood table makeover.

Now the easy part! Apply the whitewash pickling stain over the raw clean wood table with a staining pad and wipe back any remaining stain with a soft cloth on the tabletop.

You will immediately notice a background of softness on the wood. All woods grains will be more pronounced while revealing a beautiful whitewash wood that is stunning. If you love a farmhouse style dining room table with a whitewash wood finish, you’re in the right place.

If you’re painting the legs of your table to compliment the whitewash wood finish, be sure to use a stain blocker first before painting. Apply 2 coats of  BOSS (stain blocker) in clear and allow to dry. Next chose your favorite color (for this project I used Fluff Chalk Mineral Paint) and apply 2-3 coats depending on the coverage needed. Darker woods will require 3 coats when using a lighter paint color. Seal with Gator Hide topcoat.

For more details about this stunning table, head to Do Dodson Designs here!