I DESPISE sanding!! Like truly I will avoid it at all cost, so the fact that I went from...
THIS
TO THIS...
...with no sanding and 2 simple steps is shocking to me!!
I found this beautiful old Pottery Barn vanity on Facebook Marketplace recently and I knew it would be perfect in our bathroom. I really wanted to keep it the color it was but when I got it home it was just too red and I knew I wouldn't be happy long term. I did love the depth of the wood and the warmth it brought to the room so I tried to bring those two things back in with this 2-step method I found while scrolling Pinterest for help. I found THIS blog post from Vintage Porch and if you ever are trying to figure out how to make a furniture piece bleached looking and beautiful she is your girl!!!
What You'll Need:
I started by taking the doors and drawers off of the vanity and taping so that I could paint quickly! I had to do 3 coats of the white chalk paint but it dried super fast so I knocked it out quick!
I tested the antique wax on a scrap piece of wood because I had no idea what it was going to look like, I was honestly super skeptical. I wiped it on with a rag and somehow it looked like wood! What I did learn on my scrap piece though, was that if there was any section of paint that wasn't absolutely & completely dry it would mix in with the wax and kind of turn gray in those areas (this was also because I was using a rag to apply at first).
Have I ever mentioned how impatient I am? It's a really bad quality that comes out when I am doing projects, ha! I can just see the panic in my Aunt Donna's face as I grab the rag and start wiping it on. But as you can see I started on this side of the cabinet, which also happens to be the side you see when you walk into the bathroom!!! A little bit of the paint was wet AND I applied the wax with a rag..... So I walked away from it for a bit and when I came back things started to get better.
This is why I am here right?! To try these crazy things, learn the best methods and then share them with you! Okay, so I learned that applying with a brush is absolutely the way to go, and guess what...... the stinkin' instructions told me to use a brush. One day I will learn to listen ;)
I saved some up close videos of this project on my Instagram profile HERE if that will be helpful for you! But honestly it is SO easy to work with I know you can do it!
I just brushed the wax on super heavy to cover each section I worked on and then brushed it all in the direction I wanted the faux wood grains to go. Then the super fun part! I used an old broom and brushed that on at the very end and I kid you not it looks like real wood!!! It even has wood-like texture!!
One more thing that I ended up doing and now I love it even more. I did two full coats of this wax process. After one coat I did love it and it was a very light wood, bleached look. But it was a little splotchy and looked a little more rustic than I wanted. After the second full coat I absolutely love it!!!
I am still not sure how it works or if my eyes are playing tricks on me. But I am super happy that I have the wooden vanity that I wanted and that I didn't have to sand! Also, It looks even better in person!!!!
Stay tuned as I finish up this bathroom (FINALLY)!!! I have my heart set on a vintage rug, block print curtains, and a cozy chair for this space!