Seal Whitewash Furniture and Wood

Do you need to seal whitewash furniture and wood? Let me break down why you do need to and how to seal it.

Whitewashing furniture is an easy and affordable way to give a piece of furniture a unique and rustic look. If you want to make sure that your whitewashed furniture lasts for years to come, it’s important to understand the importance of sealing your wood project. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why sealing whitewash furniture is so important and how you can do it yourself.

Table of Contents

What is Whitewashing?

Whitewashing is a technique used to give wood (mostly raw wood or unpainted wood) an aged, rustic look or to lighten the natural wood. It involves applying a mixture of white paint and water to wood furniture, which creates a light, muted finish. This technique has been used for centuries in both interior design and outdoor projects. It can be used on all types of wood, including pine, oak, walnut, cherry, and more. It’s best to apply the finish in the direction of the wood grain and to small areas at a time. Sometimes the whitewash finish is used to highlight the grain of the wood, like with a liming wax product. Sometimes, it’s used to cover up imperfections or an existing finish that is undesirable.

Why Should You Seal Whitewash Furniture?

Sealing whitewash furniture is essential if you want it to last for years to come. Without a top coat, the paint or stain will start to deteriorate over time due to wear and tear from everyday use. Also, moisture can seep into the wood causing it to swell or warp. Sealing your wood surface with a clear sealant will protect it from these elements and help keep its original look.

Mixing part water with part paint is normally the solution most people use for a whitewash paint technique. If you are mixing water with paint, you need to use a water based sealer like a Polycrylic sealer product.

How many coats of sealer does whitewashed wood need?

This is ultimately up to the painter, but only a first coat of sealer is needed when it’s a rarely used piece of furniture. I would normally suggest a second coat of sealer for 99% of all surfaces. After all, It can’t hurt to add a second coat. You don’t want all your whitewashed hard work to go to waste because you didn’t properly protect it.

When you DON’T need to use a sealer on whitewash furniture makeover

The only time you won’t use a sealer is if you use a wax product (like white wax or liming wax) to whitewash the wood or a whitewash stain that comes with a sealer already mixed in. A wax type of finish is not compatible with a liquid sealer and wax is self sealing so no top coat is needed.

Related Wood Sealer Posts:

Protect Your Furniture! Best Clear Coat for Wood for a Lasting Finish

Stained Wood Stairs; Do they Need a Sealer?

How To Seal Painted Furniture for a High Traffic Surface

How To Seal Whitewash Furniture and Wood

Sealing whitewashed furniture is relatively simple and can be done in just a few steps:

Start by cleaning the surface of the wood with a damp cloth or sponge. Make sure that all dirt and dust are removed before proceeding with the next step.
Once the surface is clean and dry, apply a thin coat of clear sealant using either a brush or sprayer. Allow this coat of sealant to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Apply another thin coat of sealant in the same manner as before and allow it to dry completely before using your newly sealed whitewashed furniture!
Finally, if desired you can add additional coats of sealant until you reach your desired level of protection against wear-and-tear over time.

Make sure to check out my related posts for sealer recommendations!