Whitewashing with a twist

I got a sturdy wooden desk off of a Craigslist ad. I had been looking for a desk, since in recent weeks it has become apparent to me that we need a dedicated desk for our computers and other technology. The Craigslist desk was too good of a deal to pass by, but I wasn’t crazy about the dark wood. Neither of the rooms that I thought I might put it in would benefit from more (or any) dark wood. Since whitewashing has been on my mind, I decided that there was no better time than the present to appease my new whitewashing obsession.

Instead of just whitewashing the desk; I decided I wanted the final product to have a blue undertone. So, before I got busy whitewashing, I painted the desk a pretty blue. After a good 24 hours of drying time, I got out my $4.99 white paint, a tub of water and a clean rag. I put about 2 parts water to 1 part paint. I mixed the solution and then started to paint. At first I thought I had messed up—the paint was still pretty thick—but when I wiped the rag over the just painted part I realized that I was right on track. I love how the top of the desk looks a little like marble.

The whole whitewashing part of this project took 15 minutes. I was satisfied with how the desk looked after the first coat, so I didn’t have to go back and do a second coat once it had dried. I am in love with the way that this turned out. I even like how I rubbed too hard at one point and some of the original wood is showing in the front. I think that it gives the piece more of a vintage look.

Have you ever whitewashed anything before? How did it turn out? I want to hear all about it!