What Is Pickling Furniture?

Before Application

• Pickling furniture requires a little preparation. Remove or rough sand any old paint or stain, using gloves and safety glasses. For a smooth, slick coverage, remove all previous paint and stains. For an antique effect from pickling, use liquid paint remover with a cotton cloth to remove sections of paint and cover with a thin layer of whitewash so the wood and old paint colors show through.

Handling Materials

• Whitewashing or pickling involves lime powder or putty, milk powder or white paint diluted with water. Lime is a caustic substance that requires care in handling. Heavy-duty rubber gloves, safety goggles and a paper face mask provide good protection from splashes and breathing airborne powder. A large thick plastic utility bucket is one of the best, safest containers to use for pickling furniture.

Using Milk Powder

• Milk powder, or casein, is a natural product that is not as caustic as lime. It is also available in liquid form. Casein is used thick, or mixed with water to a thin substance, for different effects. It is a cream-colored substance but can be tinted for pastel colors. If used in its thick form, it produces a solid finish. If used in a thinned form, it produces an antique, streaked finish. Milk powder should not be used on furniture that will be exposed to moisture, such as in bathrooms, because it will grow mold and fungus,

Diluted White Paint

• Instead of mixing lime or milk powder for pickling, diluting white paint with water produces an inexpensive, easy-to-mix thin solution. Apply it with a sponge or paintbrush to give wood furniture a unique, aged appearance. Diluted white paint brings a fresh coat to used and reclaimed furniture, as well as serving as an economical freshener for old landscape structures such as wooden sheds and fences.