How to Antique & Whitewash Wood Furniture

Preparing the Furniture

• 1

  Remove any hardware, such as knobs, pulls or hinges, from the wood furniture.

• 2

  Sand the wood to provide a smooth surface for the antiquing process.

• 3

  Seal the wood with a coat of white shellac

• 4

  Lightly sand the wood with a fine-grain sandpaper once the shellac has dried to smooth out the surface even more.

Antiquing Furniture

• 5

  Paint the furniture with a primer that is a shade darker than the stain or paint you intend to use on the furniture.

• 6

  Use a small roller to apply a crackle paste or crackle paint to the furniture. For larger pieces of furniture, tape off smaller sections on the furniture, and complete one section at a time.

• 7

  Add a top coat of paint with a paintbrush as soon as the crackle paste or paint is dry. The direction you move the paintbrush is the direction in which the cracks will appear.

Whitewashing Furniture

• 8

  Mix 2 parts of a white or other pastel-colored paint with 1 part water to make a whitewash mixture.

• 9

  Apply the whitewash mixture to the furniture using a paintbrush.

• 10

  Wipe off any excess paint with a soft cloth.

• 11

  Add a second coat after the first coat has dried to obtain a stronger color.