How To Get The PB Distressed White Finish

Potterybarn always gets it just right with their aged finishes.  A little bit old and crusty yet still refined.  Today,  I'd like to share how I used these PB finials as inspiration for a client mirror makeover. 

{Potterybarn}

Last week,  I shared a before/after of a Foyer I decorated for a client.  We started the transformation by shopping her house and we found a gorgeous mirror stashed away.  It was beautiful as it was however, the color was almost identical to the wall color.  

So, I brought it home with me to my furniture studio and gave it a little makeover.  Here is how it went down...

It already had a great antique faux finish.  I wanted to keep the same look, just a lighter shade, more of a creamy white and less yellow. 

Less like this...

{Before}

More like this...

{Potterybarn}

So, I set out to recreate the exact same finish the piece already had.  

{Source}

First, I geared up with protective eye wear and a face mask.  {Lookin' good}.   

Then, I took this project outside for maximum ventilation. 

 Instead of completely covering the old finish, in a mixing cup I added about two tsp. of water to 1 cup of white latex paint to create a wash.  I applied the wash to the mirror with a paint brush.  This technique allowed some of the old finish to show through.

To take the "white-ness" down a notch and to get the antiqued look, I used a combination of stain and glaze.  In a plastic cup, I mixed equal parts of dark walnut stain and clear glaze with a wooden skewer.  

Please ask your local paint professional for product recommendations before mixing products together.  Remember, water and oil don't mix :)

I used a cheap disposable brush to apply the mix to the mirror concentrating on the little nooks and crannies.  Using a cotton rag (an old t-shirt) I removed the glaze/stain mix.

Please read and adhere to the safety instructions on the product labels for use and for cleanup/disposal.  If you are using rags it's very important to dispose of them properly.

After the stain/glaze mix dried I polished the piece using paste finishing wax.  It not only protects the new finish but, it gives it a beautiful, low luster sheen. 

I applied the wax with cheesecloth.  I found that it works best if you put the product on the cloth and fold it over so you are applying the product through one layer of cloth.   

After a few minutes, using a new clean cheesecloth, I buffed the surface to remove the exccess wax and reveal the shiny new finish.

{After watching my neighbors house burn completely to the ground after leaving a pile of stain soaked rags sit overnight, I can't stress safety enough.  Luckily, no one was hurt.}

Click here for safety basics from Minwax.  

 {After}

Thanks for stopping by. 

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