Friends has recently started renovating their home. They had beautiful wooden floors, rich in colour but have now opted for something a little more modern. After looking through interior design websites, design and DIY blogs, I came across some information for them on the process. One lucky find was the website of a young European man who is attempting to whitewash wooden flooring which he discovered when he pulled up old carpet throughout his new home.
Here is a closeup of what a whitewashed hardwood floor would look like.
Here are a few instructions on creating the white-washed appearance;
The process for white washing is a simple one but time consuming. It can also be called Pickling wood. Instead of buying a premixed pickling, you can make your own by simply taking a latex paint of colour you like and mixing it 50/50 with water.
To apply, you want to apply areas the whole length or width of the flooring depending on which way the flooring runs. It can be applied using a paint roller and letting it set for about 2 minutes. Then you take a clean ran and wipe over the surface with the grain. Remove as much of the paint as you want. Some like to leave a white film over the wood, while others like wiping it down so the paint is only in the grain.
After you are done, let it dry over night and then apply a coat of polyurethane. You let that dry and then sand it with a 220 grit sand paper (you can find this at any Bunnings store in Australia), just buffing lighting to remove any raised grain.
Vacuume and apply another coat of polyurethane.
You can also apply the white wash a bit thicker, which will of course give you a brighter and whiter look.
