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…white-washing

May 1, 2013 by christen | 22 Comments

Some achievements just come from necessity, don’t they? I found these amazing, vintage blue shutters. I knew I wanted them and I also knew that they were not “my” blue hue.

I got them home and DH helped me hang them in my family room.

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No easy task, but he typically does not get many easy ones from his Dear Wifey 🙂 Don’t worry about him, though, he’s always up for a challenge.

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Love them, but see what I mean about the blue. Beautiful, but sky blue is not really what I relate to. I lived with them for about a week and stared & stared at them. Then I knew I had to do something to change them. Patience is not my virtue. So instead of waiting for DH to get home and take them off the walls again (which I knew he would not be thrilled about), I decided to alter them where they were. I know, I know.

Soooo, once upon a time I had read on Annie Sloan’s website something about white-washing or diluting your paint. I really had never tried it and honestly I wasn’t terribly excited to try it. I didn’t want to ruin the blue on the shutters or take of any of that chippy paint – that was the best part. I just wanted to alter the color a bit. So, I experimented.

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I went out to my garage and poured a bit of my Duck Egg Blue and a bit of old white. I went back into the kitchen and added some water and stirred. It was a very, very watery consistency which is what I was trying to acheive. Again, I didn’t want to comepletely cover the sky blue, I just wanted a bit more green in it similar to my beloved Duck Egg color.

I threw a tarp over the couch and set to work. Keep in mind that I really would not try this at home unless you are in an outdoor space.

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I brushed on the thinned-out paint. It was not thick so all the beautiful crackled paint stayed as it was. It was instead like a tinted stain treatment that I was doing. The color started to change and dried quickly. Yipee! I applied one more coat for a deeper color, cleaned up the dripped paint on the floor and removed the tarp. Voila! Be aware that since it is a watery consistency that the paint is much harder to control and will drip!

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I’m super happy with the results. I plan on doing a tutorial once I find a piece that suits the technique.

 

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Comments

  1. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    May 1, 2013 at 10:45 am

    Christen, I love the subtle color change. It makes a world of difference… and the shutters are the perfect architectural statement for the room. Beautiful and brilliant!!!

    Reply
  2. Pam says

    May 1, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    Agree…perfect behind the couch!

    Reply
  3. L. Thompson says

    May 1, 2013 at 2:18 pm

    I love these shutters. What a find. They look great, more subdued, after your color change, but I also
    loved them as they were—-love all blues.

    Reply
  4. Angela says

    May 1, 2013 at 3:45 pm

    Nice subtle change! What a great find!!~~Angela

    Reply
  5. kevin jeffer says

    May 2, 2013 at 6:07 am

    Nice look, Christen. Do you think this technique would work on darkish pine panelling/kitchen cabinets?

    Reply
  6. Sharon says

    May 2, 2013 at 6:09 am

    Love them! I have 2 just like those…minus the paint…now you’ve given me ideas! Love the way they look in your room! I think the color wash is perfect!

    Reply
  7. Linda says

    May 2, 2013 at 8:00 am

    I just happened upon your blog and loving it. Newest follower!
    Yes I agree those shutters are perfect !!

    Reply
  8. Linda says

    May 2, 2013 at 8:06 am

    I just happened upon your blog and loving it. Newest follower!

    Reply
  9. Amanda says

    May 2, 2013 at 8:38 am

    What a find! I just love your taste. Those made the perfect addition to your room. I have not had a chance to try the white washing techninique yet but now I am very eager to. Beautiful!

    Reply
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Welcome. I’m Christen, founder of Blue Egg Brown Nest. I am a mom, writer, designer, painter and lover of all cats far and wide. Thank you for coming!

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