We recently visited a creative arts studio. The room was filled with an air of creativity all around, what impressed us was the furniture that was a part of the interiors. A rusty and country look dominated every piece of furniture, it was simply stunning. It was not a fancy layout with the most expensive finishes, but a simple yet creative idea. The technique of color washing furniture is creating superb finishes and the out come is a special make over to old furniture. It is one of the most popular techniques among the different furniture painting ideas.Furniture makes up most of the interiors and color washing furniture is just the right and inexpensive way to revamp even the smallest piece of it. Color washing rules a washed and rusty look, however, you can choose different color washing techniques, contrasts and colors that can give you a variety of looks as per your tastes and style. It will change the complete look of the furniture. Not only is it used for coloring walls but also for making creative items, for furniture, and more. It is an easy process that can be mastered. If you thought making furniture look pretty was just a task for skilled hands, you might just want to try color washing furniture. The only skills required here are creativity, creativity and creativity. For beginners and the not so beginners, here are some tips on color washing furniture that will make color washing an easy and fun experience.
How to Color Wash Furniture
Color washing is done by coating a surface base color with translucent latex paint and glaze mixed with another color. This is done in layers, and the effect is a great combination of luster and texture. Most commonly color washing is done using a paint brush, however, you can use many other things like a sponge, or hard cloth, etc. Below mentioned is a detailed way to color wash furniture.
- The pattern should be decided first. When you color wash, it will give you a specific texture and effect. You may want to try this on a small part of the furniture first, or even a small piece of cardboard. For beginners too, it is advised to first try it on another surface, before the final hand on the furniture.
- Now the materials you will need are: painters tape, rough cloth, paint brushes, paint colors that you wish to color wash the furniture, and sand paper.
- Furniture that can be painted can be anything like old chairs, tables and even cabinets. Whatever the texture of the furniture, a color wash can be easily applied.
- Cover any flooring or other area properly with cloth, to avoid spoiling and coloring unwanted places and things. Next if there is one part of the furniture that you do not want the color wash in, cover it with painters tape. Or if you want a different color or texture in a certain part, cover that part with tape.
- Take sand paper, and smoothen out the surface of the furniture, you can use a 200 grit sand paper. But do so very lightly, if you want some texture of the wood to be seen. Once finished wipe the piece of furniture with a rough cloth. Paint the furniture with a base color and leave it to dry, at least for an hour.
- After it is dry, use glaze mixed with the desired color, and coat the surface of the furniture. The proportion can be in the ratio of 4:1. That means 4 parts of glaze for every 1 part of paint. You can use a hard brush, or sponge or cloth for this. It depends on what kind of texture or finished surface you want. A soft cloth will give you a very subtle color wash, while a sponge can be used for moderate texture, a brush will give you fine lines.
- You can either give crisscross strokes, horizontal or vertical strokes, or you can even give a circular finish. Use your creativity here. A sponge can be used in a circular motion for a color wash, while a brush is best used for lining and crisscrossing. You can also stipple the surface of the color wash with a hard brush.
- When this coat is semi dry, you can dab a cloth or use a soft brush to soften the look further. You can also use one or more coats of glaze, depending on the final output that you want.
- During this process, the base color is also seen. You can also see the wash of glaze and other contrasting color on the top coat in the color wash. You can create stunning contrasts, texture, depth and designs when color washing. Experiment on a small card board first to check what will look best. You can also coat with transparent latex varnish.
Color washing is a simple yet unique way to redesign your furniture and create a different and new look. It can be used just on any surface and anything like on walls, artifacts, ceramics and more. It can also help you retain old furniture with a new look, which is good for the environment too. So thinking of refurbishing? Think of color wash. Simple. Stunning. Creative.
