Beginners' Guide To Painting Part 2: Weathered Oak

While stripping isn't my favourite afternoon activity, 

it does give me the chance to show you the GORGEOUS finish 

{White Weathered Oak, anyone?}

that I've created for the top of the dining table.

I've given you the tutorial here but I'm going to wait until

this Friday, at my Paint, Please link party

to do the full reveal.

Oh, and remember my new idea? 

If you have any piece that you're wondering about and would like some advice on, 

then do link up on Friday, 

among all the room transformations and other paint magic.

The finish that I'm about to share with you 

looks great AND is hard-wearing

{my favourite combination}.

This is how to achieve a weathered white oak look.

Mix up a wash of Annie Sloan Old White with water at a ratio of 1:1. 

{A little goes a long way.}

Make sure you mix the paint well before you pour it. 

This is how the can will look when first opened.... 

...but it mixes easily to a very slightly creamy white.

Paint onto a medium-sized area at a time.

Before the paint has had an chance to dry, 

fold a rag so there will be a smooth surface in contact with your piece 

(wrinkles in the rag will make streaky marks in the paint).

Rub the paint with the rag 

so that you'll be left with a thin translucent coat. 

It will leave this kind of finish:

DON'T WORRY THAT IT LOOKS UNEVEN. 

It's a vital part of the end look.

When it's dry, which will be very quick, 

rub in a layer of thin clear wax all over.

This will give a rich glow 

but, more importantly, allows you a lot of flexibility, 

as I'll explain in a mo.

Then place some dark wax on the piece with your rag

and rub that in over the top of the clear wax. 

The dark wax clings to any grain lines in the table, 

and leaves its colour behind. 

I rubbed it around until I achieved this kind of look:

Just to show you how completely flexible working with Annie Sloan paints and waxes is, 

I want to demonstrate what to do if you make a mistake.

Simply smear on some clear wax over the top of the dark wax and rub. 

The dark wax will come away. 

If you want a slightly heavier feel with the paint in a particular area then you can add a bit of paint to the wax and the two magically combine to produce a coloured wax.

Then you can start all over again 

until you're THRILLED with your end product!!

There's SO much freedom to play around.

And if any marks do get scratched into it at any point, 

you can simply wipe over a little more dark wax and 

'Marks, begone!'.

I'm thrilled with this finish. I hope you have fun with it too.

See you tomorrow with a post I'm calling 

'Farrow and Ball: eat your heart out'.....

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