Color Washing the Barn Door
One of my favorite projects to date has been our Dutch barn door. Anyone who sees it loves it (and I am not just saying that cuz I love it)! A Dutch door is just so whimsical, then add the barn door styling and it is just awesome! But one thing has bothered me. After I originally stained it, I was pleased but not perfectly happy with the color. (which is in case you are wondering- Minwax Water Based Wood Stain, tinted in Charcoal Grey)
I was going for a look of naturally weathered wood but ours was just too blue for my taste. So when I decided to update the wall where the dutch door is located for the clock project. It was the perfect time to face re-coloring the door.
In our Texas house, I painted the doors black and I LOVED it – with a passion! So I knew the moment I moved into this house that the doors would be painted at least some color. I finally settled on something like a charcoal grey- dark but not black. (hence when I picked out the charcoal grey color above)
I picked up a gallon of #7069 Iron Ore from Sherwin Williams, Emerald line in Satin. (Last time my doors were semi gloss. I didn’t love that much sheen) Since I am painting all the doors this color, I wanted the barn door to be the same tones, but I also still wanted to be able to see the wood grain.
Okay, but a paint is not a stain, right? Right. HOWEVER, my sister taught me while doing a craft like 8 years ago (thanks, Noelle!) that you can wash something with paint. That way you still see the wood grain, but you get the color of the paint. This may not be news to you, but it works really well if you’ve never tried it. So, if it is news to you, I will show you how I did it on our door.
Color Washing Paint Technique
1. Mix or shake your paint.
2. Take a wet washcloth (not dripping but not TOO wrung out) and dip it into a tiny bit of paint. (I used the lid of my can of paint for this, but you can use a plate or paint tray, you need very little paint). The goal is to not have that much paint on the rag.
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3. With a dry paint brush, apply a small amount of paint to a board. Be sure to work in very small sections or one continuous board that you can wipe down immediately, so it doesn’t dry out before you can work on each area. See below how the dry brush doesn’t coat the whole piece just leaves a quick layer of color on the board (sorry about the blurriness of the shot!)
4. Now take your wet wash cloth and wipe the paint in the direction of the grain, to a more uniform finish.
5. Continue working in small sections until you are done. Remember you can always darken a piece but it is hard to take color off as easily, especially once it is dry. So keep your layers of paint on the light side!
In the picture above, the color washed areas don’t look too striking, but in the picture below you can see it made a HUGE difference in the overall color of the door. The top half has no more blue! Hip hip hooray!
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Update: See more about how to use this color-washing technique in any color (like turquoise!) here.
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To finish up the wall, I painted the other door two “solid” coats of the Iron Ore color. They look great together! A match made in heaven!
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Wanna see the final updated door? I thought so!
What do you think of this technique? Have you tried it? Tell me what you think! If you like this post, please consider pinning it, I’d be super thankful!
[pinit align=”center” url=”https://www.remodelaholic.com/color-washing-paint-technique/” image_url=”https://www.remodelaholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Coloring-washing-is-a-unique-painting-technique-that-allows-the-wood-grain-to-show-through-your-paint-color.-Youll-love-it-A-tutorial-from-Remodelaholic-533×800.png” description=”Color washing is the perfect finish for your barn door (or any wood surface)! Come learn how to use this unique painting technique with Remodelaholic #Remodelaholic #barndoor #kitchenideas #livingroomideas #entrywayideas #laundry”]
Find more help and inspiration for your project:
Best Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Painting
Painting Furniture – Tips for Using 5 Different Types of Paint
Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.
I am trying to achieve a grey wash stain look on a dining room table I just stripped. I applied a water stain dark walnut..wiped off. Thinned out white
paint with water to do a wash. Wiped off. Then added a water base weathered grey stain. The lines in the wood do not pop and the color is just blah. Any suggestions on how to get a more weathered grey look? Thanks!
Hi Paula! You might try using some black stain like Jill did on her countertops: https://www.therozyhome.com/blog/diy-herringbone-wood-countertops. Good luck!
Wow, this is absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Summer!
Hi there loving your finished product, now onto my own and concern. I just washed 100 yr old barn wood to put on a feature wall at cottage. The wood is not the Hugh I was looking for , so , by doing you tecnique, will the paint just soak in like a sponge ? Also, should I go darker than the finished color I’m looking to achieve , or true to match ? HELP its happening soon thanx in advance
P. S. The wood looks medium brown ( trying to bring grey tones , both light and dark
Did you use the minwax charcoal gray at all or just the sherwin williams? I am painting or staining my farm table and want it the exact color or your finished door. Awesome job!
It was both, the Minwax and then the color-washed with paint over the top to get the finished color. Thanks for the comment, Audrey! I’d love to see pictures of your table when you’re done!
Love it! I have some projects that I want to tackle this year
I’ve been using paint for stain for a couple of years now. I love it! I love that you can take any color you want and water it down for stain. I started doing this because I wanted my kids old bunkbed set to be stained black, but didn’t have any black stain on hand. So it hit me…just water down some paint…and viola! I actually just water my paint down versus using a rag. I paint it on and use a dry cloth to wipe it off 😉 Great post! And I LOVE that door!!!
Thank you!
Wow just found your site today, this is a great tutorial and inspiration. I will be trying asap!! thank you
Thanks, Virgie! We’d love to see when you’re done!
I have tried the washing technique before, but not like this. I generally just add water to my paint (until it looks like you could drink it) and paint it on and rub it with a dry cloth. I will have to try this and see if it turns out similar!
– “Awakened for Creation”
I love the door!!! I’m remodeling an older Airstream. It has solid oak cabinetry. I love the wood grain, but hate the oakey finish. Is there any way that you know of to make this work without sanding the finish off? Nobody has that kind of time. I’m wondering if a stripper would be sufficient. I hate to lose the wood grain, but they have to be changed.
You could try this method for removing the finish — it’s minimal sanding: https://www.remodelaholic.com/step-by-step-refinish-wood-furniture/
Or if you’re wanting to go darker, you could try gel stain like on this stair banister: https://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-stair-banister-makeover-gel-stain/
Good luck! I’d love to see when you’re finished!
Thank you Cass! I’ll becsure to share my results ????
Hi Cassity,
I am really interested in using your method on a wood farm table that has already been lightly stained. Do you think it would work to just use this gray wash paint method overtop of the stain?
Thank you so much!
Madison
Hi Madison,
That’s basically what I did here — I adjusted the finished color by layering the paint color wash over the previously stained door. So as long as the table hasn’t already been finished with a top coat, it should work! This color wash will only work if there’s no topcoat or sealant, though.
This technique worked very well on an old bench that my grandfather made. I wanted the bench to match the exterior door near it, but I didn’t want to lose the old wood look. Thanks for sharing your how-to idea.
Thanks for the comment, Barbara. So glad it worked for you! We’d love to see pictures if you want to share. http://www.remodelaholic.com/share-brag-post/
Great idea. Absolutely love it ????
Thanks, Sarah!
Hi. Was looking into staining a piece of furniture, I love the colors of the doors but I would need my dresser to be white – would color washing work or would I be better of staining it?
As long as the piece is unfinished (no sealant, poly, etc) and, in your case, unstained, then the white will work! You can see how I whitewashed the background of our advent calendar here: https://www.remodelaholic.com/christmas-advent-calendar/
Hi.
I do a similar technique that works well. Take a sanded board, white wash it using a water based 1:1 ratio of paint and water. Then lightly sand back in some places so stainnwill take. I then use a grey stain and follow the same technique. It allows wood grain to come through with some whiter patches that also show wood grain. Very good finish.
I will try your technique on one of my next pieces
Ooh, I’m going to try this one this weekend! Thanks for the idea!
What kind of paint did you use? Enamel or latex?
The Emerald line is latex paint, the same as I used on our doors.
Hi
Did you make the actual Dutch barn door or did you buy it from a company? And if so, what company ?
We built it! Plans here: https://www.remodelaholic.com/2012/09/diy-dutch-barn-door/
Before I found this post I tested a small piece of wood with white gloss paint I had around for trim work. I added a few scoops to some water and used a brush, wiping off access. It looks good. Before i commit, do you think this is a similar technique?
Hello! This color is absolutely perfect! I just bought my son a dresser that is grey and has a slight yellow/green hue with the grey. So I’m looking to redo it! Would I just sand the whole thing down and do exactly what you did? It is all pine! I’m so nervous to redo something I just paid for!????
Hi Courtnie,
Yes, you’d need to take off the finish, since that will prevent the paint/stain from setting into the wood. This tutorial has some step-by-step instructions for removing the finish and stain from a piece that might be helpful: https://www.remodelaholic.com/step-by-step-refinish-wood-furniture/
Absolutely gorgeous!! No comparison between the two doors. The final result is Jaw dropping. Great work.
Thanks, Peter!