Learn how to change the color of your wood without stain, or, create a weathered, rustic-looking finish with this Paint Wash Wood Tutorial! With just a few simple steps, you can transform any piece of furniture or staircase into a beautiful wood color of your choice or a distressed-looking focal point.
How to Paint Wash Wood
Have you ever tried Paint Washing before? It is so easy and one of my favorite ways to transform wood from drab to fab with not much effort. This works great when you can’t find a stain you like, but you know the original color of wood just will not do. I love that you can see the pretty grain found within the wood, too.
So simple and adds so much character to the home. Let me teach you step by step how I used this technique to improve the overall aesthetic of my wood stair treads to match the overall cozy cottage vibe I am going for in my home. The best part of learning this technique is great because it can be done on all sorts of DIY projects!
So let me walk you through step by step, (along my wood stair treads, wink wink) how to get this look from start to finish. Let’s get started and enjoy this amazing transformation together!
What is Paint Wash?
A paint wash is typically a technique used to create an attractive, distressed-looking finish on surfaces such as wood and metal. It can also be used in place of a stain to get the exact wood color you’re going for. The process involves applying a thin layer of paint mixed with water to the surface and then using a brush to rub off some of the excess paint. The result is a subtle grainy texture, giving the surface a new color, and in some cases a rustic, weathered look. Paint washes are often used in decorating to give furniture and walls an aged or vintage feel.
Supplies
- Unfinished Pine Wood or Sanded wood furniture
- Macadamia Paint by Sherwin Williams
- Water
How to Paint Wash Wood
- Grab your desired size pieces of unfinished pine wood/wood furniture.
- Apply wood conditioner and white stain to neutralize the wood color, if necessary. (Pine has natural yellow undertones.)
- Mix water with the paint color of your choice.
- Depending on how much color saturation you want, adjust the ratio of water to paint accordingly. I used a 1:1 ratio for this project.
- Brush the paint water mixture evenly over your piece of wood.
- Be sure to quickly wipe off with a wet rag, remembering to go in the direction of the grain. If you want an even color, be sure to wipe evenly.
- Let dry.
Projects to use Paint Wash Wood Technique
- Staircase tread, obviously
- Wood wall treatments
- Refinished Furniture
- Tables, chairs, desks, large frames, etc
What Paint Should I Use?
I love using Sherwin Williams paint because I just always seem to have the best luck matching the exact color of what I want to what I dream about. To be honest, though, I have not tried to see if other paints might work better or worse with this technique. With the 1:1 water/paint ratio, I don’t think you can go wrong. Just have fun with it! And start DIYing.
There you have it! How to Paint Wash Wood. This technique works great on all sorts of DIY projects, both big and small. So be glad you added this to your handy DIY knowledge book. Be sure to check out my paint wash video tutorial on the entire process, especially how I used this technique when renovating the staircase in my home. Be sure to tag me on Instagram in your finished projects so I can see how amazing they are! #howwedoandyoucantoo
PS Want to know how to install the brick wall on my staircase? It’s a very doable DIY project! 😉
