How To Whitewash Wood? A Complete Beginners Guide 

In most cases, once your wooden surfaces are stained or painted, they’re pretty much stuck with that color and appearance for a long time. Unless you want to sand everything down and start fresh. But there is an alternative – whitewashing wood! 

Darkened, unevenly stained wood spoils the appearance of any interior. You can whitewash any wood by choosing an appropriate method. If you want to refresh the look of wood furniture or give it an antique look, we can help you learn how to lighten wood to match your interior. 

Whitewashing can also help in the fight against fungus. Stained fungus disrupts the aesthetic look and the material’s structure. And this is where you need to act urgently. Whitewashing is an easy and dependable approach to restoring any of your interior elements to their previous state. So, gather your supplies and let’s get started!

What are the Best Methods for Whitewashing Wood?

Two of the best methods to whitewash wood are chlorine and non-chlorine. Also, it is necessary to sand the surface well before treating wood with bleaching agents. As a result of sanding, up to 20% of the blue stain will go. In addition, bleach penetrates the structure of the wood better. We can divide special bleaching agents into two large groups:

1. Chlorine-containing agents. These agents include sodium or potassium hypochlorite, chlorine lime, and chlorine dioxide.
2. Non-chlorine formulations with ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, oxalic acid, and alkali as active substances.

In addition to the essential ingredients, wood whitewash contains substances such as stabilizers. They slow down the decomposition of the bleaching components, fungicidal additives, and agents. They improve the solution  penetration inside the wood, catalysts, thickeners, and surfactants (detergents). 

Any wood-bleaching compound works on the same principle. It causes an oxidative process that discolors the coloring pigment. Read the following rules for whitewashing wood painting:

• You should always rinse any compound with water after bleaching.
• You can wash off acid-based bleach with an aqueous solution of baking soda.
• Refrain from combining different compositions. You can treat the surface with only one product.
• If the wood is heavily infested with fungus, you need to treat it with a more concentrated compound.
• Bleaching is the most effective. The optimum temperature should be 18-20 degrees Celsius and a humidity of about 60%.
• The house should ensure room airing when processing wood inside. Since almost all compositions for wood whitewash contain components unsafe for health. If you carried out the treatment in the bath, it is necessary to heat the room twice before bathing to remove chlorine vapor.

Below you will learn how to whitewash wood after sanding.

How to Whitewash Wood With Oxalic Acid?

Oxalic acid must be used cautiously, as it is very poisonous. Before applying the acid, you have to treat the surface with sodium hydrosulfite. Then almost immediately, you ought to cover the wood with 10% of oxalic acid. After five minutes, you can wash off both compositions with water.

Oxalic acid is well-suitable for whitewashing light woods: maple, poplar, birch, and linden. You have to dilute 6 ml of oxalic acid with 0.1 liters of water to achieve the desired effect. You should neutralize the acid left on the wood. Apply the following composition: 15 g of bleach, 3 g of soda ash, and 0.1 l of water. Then you need to wash the wooden surface with water.

How to Do Bleaching with Hydrogen Peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide is an effective tool for whitewash painting. However, you cannot use it on all wood species. For example, the wood gets a green hue when applying the solution to oak. But perhydrol is excellent for treating birch and beech.

Bleaching is carried out with a 30% solution. The composition is most effective in this concentration. Before applying the agent, you need to moisten the wood with water and treat it with 10% ammonia.

How to Do Whitewashing with Chlorine-Based Products?

You can whitewash wood with bleach lime:

• Before applying the agent, removing tar from the wood is necessary. For this purpose, you need to treat the surface with calcined soda. 
• Next, you need to dilute bleach with water in this proportion: 2 kg of dry substance per bucket of liquid. 
• Add 250 g of soda to the diluted solution. Stir everything and allow standing for a while.
• Then you should apply the remedy with a brush or roller. And 5 minutes after treatment,  you also need to wipe the surface with acetic acid. After about fifteen minutes of whitewash painting, the wood should lighten. 

You can repeat the procedure if the wood has yet to lighten enough.

Final Thoughts

These whitewashing wood methods allow you to quickly and efficiently perform all the necessary steps to bleach and renovate your home.
But remember that it is strictly important to observe all applicable rules. The slightest breach of the technological process can lead to unfortunate consequences. If you feel you need more confidence to carry out whitewash painting yourself, it is necessary to entrust the bleaching of wooden surfaces to professionals.

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