How to Pickle Finish Wood Paneling
Pickling wood produces a whitish or grayish washed-out appearance, and it is an efficient way to brighten dark paneling that’s dominating a room and creating a somber atmosphere. The technique hearkens back to 16th-century Europe, when craftspeople infused wood furniture using caustic lime to maintain it. Modern pickling techniques use stains and pigments to simulate that the caustic preservatives. The weathered, antiqued appearance of pickled paneling complements decor motifs dominated by lighting colours along with hard, cold temperatures, such as stone and tile. It appears best on lighting, wide-grained wood, such as oak, ash, fir and pine.
Strip that the paneling using a chemical stripper if it’s a complete, after placing a dropcloth over the floor and above all exposed surfaces. You must apply stain or pigments to bare wood to simulate a wood preservative. It is possible to modify the color of this paneling by glazing over an existing finish, but that’s a different technique that produces a different effect.
Sand that the paneling with 150-grit sandpaper, with the grain, prior to applying the pickling pigments. In case you had to sand the paneling using an orbital sander to remove the finish, then erase sanding marks from hand-sanding using 120-grit paper before sanding with 150-grit paper. An easy way to hand-sand walls is to use a pole sander, which is designed to sand drywall.
Purchase pre-mixed pickling stain or mix your own. Make pickling satin by slimming white wood tip with 50 percent water or mineral spirits — depending on the buffer foundation — and include pigments to shift the colour as desirable. The primer ought to be runny, but thick enough to bind with no dripping.
Brush the pickling stain on the bare wood using a paintbrush, brushing along the grain of the wood. Totally cover a 4-foot part of the paneling, from ceiling to floor. If the paneling is divided by trim, cover a part between adjacent strips.
Wipe off the stain before it dries with a rag, going along the grain of the wood. You’ll need several rags to complete the job; drop every single one as it becomes saturated.
Let the stain that remains on the surface dry, then rub it gently one last time using a clean rag to remove any residual powder. Protect the pickling stain using one or two coats of a transparent finish, such as polyurethane liners. Spread the masonry by painting in the direction of the grain using a paintbrush.