Make An Old Bookcase New
Rather recently, I redecorated my home office. Changing it from Old World Traditional to a Modern Traditional with Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware influences. Basically, making the decor fresh, simple, warm and inviting...without spending a fortune or buying a bunch of new furniture. I needed to how to make my wonderfully large oak bookcase fit in with our new decor. You can't really see it in the pictures, but the oak was getting a orange-ish hue. It definitely didn't fit in with the newer decor of our home. I needed to find some way to make my old bookcase new and beautiful.
Keep reading to find out how I came up with this weathered gray faux painting technique.
Old oak bookcase before applying my special weathered gray finish
Modern Traditional Decor With a Splash of Chic
I share my home office with my daughter when she isn't travelling. I would say the decor that worked for us both was a simple chic, modern traditional decor. We love the space we created, it's very functional and comfortable. It could use better lighting in the closet over the pull out desktop and over the writing desk in the middle of the room. However, that'll have to be another post.
The old oak stained finish didn't lend itself at all to a modern traditional chic themed decor
The big oak bookcase was made for me years ago when oak was all the rage. Boy, that really dates me! Anyway, the stain was starting to get an orange-ish hue to it and the finish was well-worn. It's a very solid bookcase. Anyway who can't use more shelves in an office? Certainly I can!!! But the color...was really ugly and would ruin the look of the room as it was.
Pinterest To The Rescue
So, I do what I often do and went to my favorite place on the web; Pinterest. There I searched around on and off for a few days. I knew that I wanted a gray finish to match the new decor color scheme, but was working around a big, beautifully carved, mahogany writing desk. Finally I decided a weathered grey finish would work well. Back to Pinterest to check out painting techniques.
What I found was that I had an option of full on furniture paint or a chalk paint. I liked the idea of chalk paint, no sanding needed! But I needed a more durable finish and to be honest chalk paint for this size of project would be pricey.
Close up of the weathered gray faux finish I created
Light Bulb Moment; Idea On How To Make Old Bookcase New and Beautiful
One evening I was bored and decided to test out something a little different from what I found. I was thinking of a little in between full on paint and chalk paint. First I tested on just a spot on one side of the bookcase. Using a brush for chalk painting, I applied a coat of flat paint to a fairly small area. It dried so fast, I added another coat, then a few minutes later I applied a little brown wax mixed with twice as much clear wax . This idea new technique of mine was definitely worth giving it a go.
Later That Same Evening...
Feeling "fairly" confident, I went ahead and painted one coat of a flat gray paint on the entire bookcase. Of course, after I rubbed off the test spot with a damp wet rag-then painting that side last. It was looking promising. I went ahead and painted on a second coat and really was beginning to see this was perfect base coat. I allowed the second coat to dry; only took about 30 or so minutes. Yes, yes indeed this was a perfect base coat for the weathered wood finish I was wanting.
Next I took a plate of brown wax, the same you'd use for chalk paint, then brushed it on with long, light strokes. I applied the wax heavier in some spots, lighter in others trying to mimic nature. The first coat of wax took about 30 minutes to dry, it dries fast. The second coat of brown wax finish was needed to create more depth. This second coat of wax took about 45 minutes to dry. After that, I applied a thin coat of clear wax brushing it on lightly to make the finish more durable. The next morning I decided, to add yet another coat of clear wax to make the bookshelves even more durable to use.
Quick, Easy Faux Weathered Finish Makes Old Bookcase New and Beautiful
Wolah! It turned out better than I hoped. By the way, I did let the whole bookcase dry for a couple of days to make sure it was completely dried and cured before setting books and decor on it.
In case anyone is wondering, the finish has held up extremely well. The bookcase looks as good today as the "evening" I painted it - a little over a year ago.
Check out these easy step by step instructions on how to paint a faux weathered gray finish. Please leave a comment or feel free to ask questions. I'm always happy to share my ideas with fellow DIY enthusiasts.