DIY: How to Distress and Whitewash Furniture
diy, furniture, refurbished, refurbished coffee table, distressed furniture, diy, refurbish, how to distress furniture, diy, white wash, whitewashed furniture, white paint, farmhouse, facebook marketplace, painting
I used to blog a lot on Saturday mornings, and I miss it. I woke up around 4:45 this morning because I was super excited to finish my blog post and video for this coffee table I just refurbished. Decorating and fixing up furniture is one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve decided to start sharing more of that on the blog.
Today, I’m sharing my whole process for whitewashing and distressing the coffee table I found on the Facebook marketplace. I’ve been on the lookout for a whitewashed coffee table to match some of the other furniture in my living room for the past month. The ones I loved were outrageously priced, and when I came across an older coffee table on the Facebook marketplace, I knew it had so much potential. I love how it turned out, and the photos do not do it justice. Now, I need to find a fluffy white rug for the living room, and I’ll be set for a cozier Fall. Instead of spending the $500+ on a new coffee table, this enter project cost me around $80 (the coffee table was $40, and the supplies were around $40). There were many supplies left over, so I’ll be able to use them for the next furniture project I tackle. 
I filmed the entire process on my YouTube channel so make sure to check that out for all the details!
For this project, I used:
*Gloves to protect your hands from the stain!
*Protective Eyewear and a Dust Mask
*Decorative Finish Wax
*White Chalk Paint
*Sun Bleached
*Staining Pads
*Cleaner
*Paint Brush (i ended up using a chalk paint sand brush instead of the one pictured)
*Sander with 120 paper
HOW TO WHITEWASH AND DISTRESS YOUR FURNITURE
STEP ONE:
The first thing you want to do is clean your furniture. You’d be surprised what a few dirt marks can do to paint. I thought the furniture was spotless until I took the time to wipe it down. Those small dirt marks can cause paint chips or uneven paint lines.
STEP TWO:
Sand the areas where you’d like to whitewash! I sanded the top of the coffee table and the sides!
STEP THREE:
Clean the sand shavings off the table, and sweep the area around you. You don’t want those sand shavings sticking to your paint.
STEP FOUR:
Flip the table upside down and work on the legs first! I added two coats of white linen chalk paint. Then, I flipped the table back over and covered all the spots I missed with the chalk paint.
STEP FIVE:
Add the stain to the top of the table. Let it dry for about twenty minutes, and do another coat. Do not add too much stain because you’ll be finishing it off with white paint, but you also want the wood patterns to show.
STEP SIX:
Add distressing marks to the legs of the table with your stain cloths. If you add too much stain, use wax to remove it. This came in handy for sure!
STEP SEVEN:
Mix a little water and chalk paint together and add thin brushstrokes to the top of the stain. (the video helps explain this step better!) You’ll continue to add the white paint until you get the tint of whitewash you’re going for.
STEP EIGHT:
Use a fresh pad/cloth to add the wax to the table. Don’t rub too hard because it could potentially bring the stain back up. If you’re looking for a chippy distressed look, then that’ll be the route for you. I didn’t want the chippy look, so I gently added the wax to the coffee table.
STEP NINE:
I let the wax dry for about an hour (it only takes 20-minutes), and then I buffed it out with a towel. You’ll want to be able to run your hands down the table without feeling any tackiness, and that’s how you’ll know you did a great buffing job. If you want a thicker finish, you can also do another round of wax and buffing, but I think one did the trick. After using wax, I don’t think I’ll ever use polyurethane again. I loved the finished look.
STEP TEN:
Wipe down your table one last time, and put it in your living room! 💜
I have a few more Fall Diy crafts I’ll be filming and sharing soon, so I hope you’re in the fall spirit by then! You can also expect a Fall decor home tour. Oh, and that “news” I was talking about? Well, I’ll be sharing it, MONDAY! 😊
I hope you all have the best weekend. Kyle and I will see Alladin the Musical at the Theater tonight, and I can’t wait! Eeek!
Questions for you!
1. Have you ever refurbished an old piece of furniture?
2. Should I go with a fluffy cream rug or a patterned one?
3. Leave me a comment over on Youtube telling me what I should refurbish next!! (kitchen table? nightstands?..)
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You are so talented with DIY, Taralynn! Thanks for the tutorial. Hope one day I’ll have a place for myself to decorate and DIY too, haha! 😀
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks, Charmaine!
loved the video!
Thanks, Whit!
Omg! I love this coffee table makeover! So inspiring! I’m going to be on the lookout for a thrift store coffee table that I can use for this tutorial!
Thank you, Ashley!
This is awesome, Taralynn! I love all of your Fall decorations!! My Monday just got 110% better already, I can’t wait to find our your big news tomorrow!!
https://www.makelifemarvelous.com/
Thanks so much, Ashley!!
This is a great looking table. I’d like your opinion on whitewashing my 50 year old varnished kitchen cabinets.
Hi, Jill!
You’d want to start by removing all the varnish on the kitchen cabinets! You’ll probably have to sand them down, which will take some time, but that all depends on what color your cabinets are currently. You can add the whitewash stain, chalk paint, and wax steps to finish them off.
I love house projects like these! It turned out AWESOME, I love it!
XO, Katie | http://www.meshkomoments.com
Thanks, Katie!!
Hi Tara, I have been wanting to refurbish our coffee table this summer but have been putting it off because I was worried I would mess it up 😀 This post is perfect, thank you! I will get to it this week for sure, I am so excited!
Also I just got a new rug last week, a fluffy cream one from rugs.com. They have 80% sales and I paid $150 for an 8×11 rug which was an awesome deal.
Thank you, Orsi! The good thing is that if you mess up, there’s always the sander!!
ohhh i’ll look into that!! thats a great day.
I love how your table turned out! I actually white washed an old coffee table my parents gave me a few years ago and it turned out so nice! Your post and video has me itching to do another project like that soon! Your fall decor is looking so great too, I think a cream rug would tie it all together. I would love to see you work on side tables because that it something I could do with some older furniture I have. Keep up the great blogging (I really look forward to reading your blog posts and watching your Youtube videos)! And congratulations on your engagement! (I had read that post before this one haha)
Thank you so much! That’s awesome you did a whitewash to yours as well. I think you’re right about a creamy rug!
and thanks for the kind words!! xo xo xo
Looks incredible! I love your colourful patterned rug under the table, they look great put together. A kitchen table would be a great DYI tutorial. I love doing up furniture, at the moment I am going up my night stand, not sure if to while wash it for paint it funky colours, my mum brought me back some awesome vintage handles from England for me.
Thanks so much, Harriet! You’re always so great at DIY projects!
Okay so this inspired me to go buy a cheap old coffee table and do the same thing! I may end up keeping it, or I may flip it on the Marketplace! MAybe this can be a fun short term income building hobby!
Ahhh that would be such a fun hobby!!!
Nice job!
Thank you!
Cute!
😀
You did a great job on that project and it really ties your room together. Wonderful cozy autumn vibe!
Thank you!!
great DIY about furniture!!
Turned out great
Am I able to do this with a dining room table? It looks awesome.