Annie Sloan Wax and Chalk Paint go together like Ben & Jerry or Thelma & Louise – some of us can’t image one without the other. This explains why all the blog-land-tutorials on Annie Sloan’s White Wax are demonstrating its effect on painted furniture – which is beautiful btw. If you’re looking to soften your painted finish or highlight your details in white, this is the perfect product to do it. But besides top coating and turning painted pieces into stunners, this wax also works its magic on raw wood.
Today I’m sharing how to use Annie Sloan White Wax to create a trendy limed wood finish!
I played around with Annie’s new wax on this Salvaged French Provincial Desk. This is what the desk looked like when my MMM found it. Two missing drawers, fused on contact paper and in need of a cleaning – but other than that, this solid wood desk was a diamond in the rough.
The desk’s missing drawers have been turned into bottom shelves/cubbies and now both the desk-top and bottom shelves have a limed wood finish. Using white wax to lime wood mimics the look of wood that has been gently aged and bleached by the sun. This sun-kissed effect is very similar to whitewashing but more subtle…more of the natural wood showing through.
Supplies:
- Annie Sloan White Wax
- Sander and Sandpaper
- Heat Gun or Stripper
- Gloves
- Wire Brush
- Soft Lint Free Cloth
How To Lime Wood w Annie Sloan White Wax:
1. Start by prepping your wood for the liming finish. I removed the contact paper and then stripped off the old manufacturer’s paint finish using a combination of my heat gun and a paint stripper.
2. Sand the wood to a smooth finish with the required grit sandpaper. After sanding with 80 grit and working my way up to 220, I cleaned the desk’s surface and then left the wood natural. At this point, you can stain it in a color of your choice if you want more of a contrast. I left the wood natural to achieve a very soft looking top to match this feminine french provincial piece.
3. Optional – Open the grain with a wire brush, brushing in the direction of the wood grain. This step creates a more intense/dramatic limed effect as more white settles into the open grain. This desk was just sanded as I wanted a more soft and subtle look.
4. Apply Annie Sloan White Wax with a brush or soft cloth. I applied it back and forth, and then in a circular motion to help the white wax get into all the little nooks and crannies.
5. Wipe excess wax away until your soft cloth slides smoothly over the new finish. After the wax has dried, a second or third application can be added if you’d like more white highlights.
The grain of the wood absorbs the white wax creating a beautiful faded effect. The sheen can be controlled with additional buffing.
A huge thank you to Melanie at The Painted Bench for supplying the Annie Sloan White Wax for this French Provincial Desk Restyle. I’m so happy to have finally given it a try. Also, thanks to all of you on Facebook who chimed in on what to do with the missing drawers on this FP Desk. You all came up with amazing ideas and as always, I appreciate your creativeness!
*Update~A few of you have asked what color/paint this desk is painted in. The body is painted in Sherwin Williams SW7006 “Extra White” in Eggshell.
Have you tried Annie Sloan’s White Wax?… or do you have any questions about it? I always I love hearing from you so chime with your thoughts!
Happy Painting and have a great day!
Denise x
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Love the look the wax gave your desk! What type of wood is it? I am thinking of doing this to an oak dresser top.
Perfect. This desk was oak! 🙂
Hi Denise, are you able to seal the piece with poly or anything after waxing? I want use this on chairs which would get a lot of wear so may need additional protection after the wax is applied…
Thanks!!
Hi Melissa! No wax is always last unless you’re using the Dixie Belle Brand of Wax and Poly. They are the only company I know of that has formulated their wax and poly to be interchangeable. Then you can double up for extra heavy-duty protection. 🙂
I love this, it’s beautiful! I’ve used white wax several times on projects that I have chalk painted, but never on stained wood. I may try this on a hairpin leg desk I made recently instead of whitewashing it. I used 2 different colors of stain to make the wood look weathered and the white wax might give it just the right amount of highlights I was hoping for. Great idea, thanks for the tip!
I have a question. I’m doing end tables new unfinished light wood. For some reason the wax will not penetrate in the wood. After applying there is no white on the wood. I love your look and wanted to duplicate. Any suggestions?
If there is no contrast between the wood and the white wax, the white wax may not be very noticeable. Also, if there isn’t a wood grain for the wax to sink into (some woods are very light and have a very tight grain) you may not see the effect as much. If the wax isn’t working, possibly a white glaze or gel stain may be helpful. Hope this helps.
Hi Denise, I have a 20 year old Thomasville pine dining room table, chairs and China cabinet. It has “oranged” over the years and would love to know if you have redone any pine pieces with this method. We do love the look you achieved and feel it would tone down the orange and be beautiful in our new low country, coastal home. Any tips?
I colour pine with the steelwool and vinegar method. It takes away the yellow/orange and leave it with a beautiful greyish colour.
Wow, this is stunning! My grandparents have gifted me their 1960s dining table, I’ve sanded it back and applied danish oil but it’s come up much darker than I had expected! Do you think the white wax would help?