Creating the White Washed Coastal Look with Chalk Paint

One of the questions I am asked most often is....
How do I make my dated furniture look modern and coastal?

There are variations of this style and technique of course, 
from shabby chic to French-style, white-washed to driftwood...
 with each of these the interpretation is subjective and colour and finish is a personal choice. 
Some prefer warm, aged cream and ivory, others very cool, blue whites.

For this post I'll focus on a contemporary coastal style
using a pale grey as a base and soft white to finish.


Knowing we love a challenge, a neighbour offered us these beauties...how could we say no?

Headed to the landfill...a project for For The Love Creations!

Waiting for some love

Even with peeling varnish, only minimal prep is required

No sanding, no prep, simply paint straight over 
the chipping, peeling varnish. 

Because I didn't want the yellow/orange of the wood coming
 through the finish, the first step was painting with 
a neutral grey colour.

Before and after side-by-side

One quick coat is all it took.
I prefer the variation of some timber peeking through. 
The dated floral fabric on the seat base was also painted.

Even though the paint was dry in about 20 minutes, 
 I  allowed it sit overnight to prevent the first coat from wiping away too easily
or sticking to the brush when applying the second coat.

The next morning I used  a combination of dry-brushing and
a wet rag to wipe away excess.
I varied the strokes, the pressure, the amount of paint and the amount of 
paint or timber I exposed (depending how hard I wiped).

This technique is completely flexible.
You may prefer a more solid finish with only hints of the colour peeking through. 
Or,  as shown, you can very lightly dry-brush allowing a fair amount of undercoat to show. 
You may prefer it somewhere in between...or you may 
want to skip the first coat altogether and let the timber work its magic.
It's entirely up to you!

First coat only (closest) with white-washed chair side-by-side

One coat of base grey on the left with the final dry brush of white over on the right

Detail of white-washing

For a smoother, more even finish, water down the top coat and use a rag.
For more obvious detail (like above) use the dry-brush method.


Go heavier in some of the details like the "seams" where 
paint would naturally have settled.
And one more tip...if painting spindles like on this chair 
it helps to use a combination of brush and rag techniques to finish each spindle.
Don't do one side, then the other, it can leave a line or look choppy.
Complete each spindle.

And Cling On Round Brushes are a secret weapon for 
anything with spindles. They hug the curves and
make life MUCH easier!

Just waiting for the final step...wax!

The last step is the most fun...waxing!
Waxing seals and  protects the furniture and keeps the finish 
from chipping, peeling or discolouring. 
It also makes the paint colour intensify and creates dimension. 

These beauties have certainly gone from dated to divine. 
From trash to treasure. 
(Do you think the neighbour is going to want them back now? he he)

AFTER — Ready for indoors or out!

Before & After

It's all here...for the love...
Sada