Easy Pickle Wash Finish

This Easy Pickle Wash Finish eliminates a lot of the steps from the traditional pickling finish...and looks just as fun! I'm sharing below how I made over this 1990s garage sale find into a lovely little craft table using this finish.

Today is also Thrifty Style Team day, y'all! Our group of thrifters is really rockin' and rollin' on the vintage fun! All of their goodies are linked at the bottom of this post.

Ironically, this was not the original project I had for this month's Thrifty Style Team. I had sewn up the prettiest pom pom trimmed pillow to share with you...using some super cool vintage fabric I had stumbled onto at the thrift store (can't beat a buck-fifty, yo). But, then Saturday happened and I changed alllll the things. The good news is I'm set for next month. And truly, there's no bad news here. I'm a month ahead of the game. That's huge, y'all.

Back to Saturday. The 12-year old wakes us up announcing that he can see a garage sale in the cul-de-sac across from our house. I equipped him with one of our phones and had him text me photos of all the things (all of 'em). This is about the time he deeply regretted announcing this garage sale he spied. Meanwhile, I shopped in the comfort of my pajamas and bought myself a good 'ol 1990s-style table. Really, y'all. Who didn't have a table like the above? I sure did. It was the first table I bought for my college apartment. It was skinnier than this new one...and it came from a back-alley store with legitimate velvet Elvis art errrrry'where. But when you're 20 and buying your first piece of furniture, you go sketchy places that your budget affords you.

Against my better judgment, I'm showing you the reason I needed the new table (notice I didn't even watermark it...I don't want to claim it if I have to!). The above is the previous table in my studio space. Clearly, this was not working for me. Clearly. I had known all along that this oval shaped table was temporary until I found a rectangular one. And since I knew this wasn't for the long haul...I didn't really put a lot of effort into keeping it uncluttered or even remotely organized (I'd love to say this was on the subconscious level, but it definitely manifested itself into the very real mess above). I love this oval table...but it's actually a drop-leaf side table that I was stretching the capacities of. The rectangular 1990s number was a much better fit for this spot.

Now that I've overtalked myself, it's about time I buckle down and share this easy pickle wash finish. Pickling (sometimes referred to as liming) is basically using a white wash to make wood look like driftwood. In the past, I've always mixed up my own pickling with primer, paint, water, and then poly. But, I had been just waiting for a chance to use my new Pickling Wash I've had for a couple of months. 

I started by sanding the top of the table like crazy. It had that classic 1990s yellow-orange wood stain with a thick coat of glossy polyurethane on top. It took me a good hour or so to sand all that mess off. I started with a really coarse grit paper and worked my way down to a finer grit. I only wanted to pickle wash the top of the table, so I didn't sand the legs.

Sanding was step one. The second and final step is the Pickling Wash. I have been dying to try this new finish from Folk Art and Plaid Crafts. I went with a more traditional pickling look using the Cottage White for the tabletop.

It was really easy to work with. You brush it on, let it sit for 30 seconds and then wipe it off a bit. Then repeat with a second layer. You can seal it, if you like, but I like pieces like this to age naturally on their own with this kind of finish.

On the bottom of the table, I started with a light, quick coat of chalk-style paint. I used the Waverly brand in Pool. I purposely did it a bit haphazard...I wanted to end up with a muted and weathered look.

I tried something new with the outer layer. I mixed one part Agave Chalk Style Paint, one part Pool Chalk Style Paint, and two parts Antique Wax. Then I applied this on top of the layer of plain Pool paint with a wax brush. I also used a soft cloth to wipe off the excess.

I really liked the outcome of this experiment.

The combination of the chalky bottom of the table and light pickled top really makes me happy. It's almost French-looking in appearance. 

There are actually quite a few colors in the Pickling Wash (even more than shown here).
You can find these at Walmart, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Jo Ann's, and more.

I used the Hidden Oasis Pickling Wash on a new tray. Loving this fun color!

I really like the softer look of this finish. It's perfect in this space.

A little side by side...taking the 1990s into the present!

Be sure to check out all of my friends' posts below, too!

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