Whitewashed Wood

 

This is a very simple post on white washing which is something you all probably have done or know how to do, but I thought I’d post it anyway incase you are like me and enjoy seeing other people’s techniques.

 

When I think of white washing my thoughts go to Tom Sawyer and all that fence he needed to paint as a punishment. I’m sure I had more fun with my little project earlier this week than he did with his seemingly endless fence!

I sorted through my stash of old wood and quickly made this little wren house…

 

 

 

Next I mixed white paint and water, equal parts. The trick is to get it really thin.

 

 

I applied it using a bristle brush. After the first coat dried I gave it another. The amount of coats is optional. It would really have looked okay with only one coat but I wanted it a little whiter.

 

 

 

I added some grapevine using staples to attach. There’s other vines that can be used, like bittersweet or honeysuckle. I thought about taking a walk in the woods and looking for a vine with berries but didn’t get around to it. ( my luck I would have ended up with poison ivy vine since it actually looks great :\ )

 

 

I fastened a pipe holder of some kind to the roof and attached rusty barbed wire as a hanger.

 

 

The house can be hung outdoors and hopefully provide a haven for a wren or chickadee or set indoors for decoration…

 

 

 

 

I’ve used this method of painting for anything you want to look old and weathered. For this birdhouse, the wood was a dark, weathered gray - perfect for a base, but when working with new wood you can paint it a dark gray first to get that weathered look in the end.

I hope you enjoyed this little touch of spring! Thanks for visiting and good night!

 

-Mary