Whitewashing brick and stone can range from quick and simple to time consuming and difficult. It all depends on the type of stone you’re working with!
I’ve done complete whitewashing projects in the span of one nap time, but when I decided to tackle the double-sided fireplace in our new home, I had no idea what I was getting myself into!
That is, until I got started.
This stone not only soaked the paint right in, but it was full of edges, bumped, holes, and divots. Let’s just say, it was nearly impossible to fully cover each and every stone, which was the look I was going for.
Luckily for me, I have a few tips and tricks I use every time to ensure my project ends up like I have in my head, even if it does require a few extra hours of hard work to get there.
WHITEWASHING STONE – THE TIPS & TRICKS I SWEAR BY
To start, I always tend to use the same chalk paint and ratio combination!
CHALK PAINT
My favorite go-to chalk paint for whitewashing stone is Linen White Chalk Paint by Rustoleum. I love it because it’s chalk paint so it’s a little thicker and you get a little more coverage.
But I also love it because it’s a little off-white, so I find it plays well with the natural colors in brick and stone!
KEEP THE SAME WATER TO PAINT RATIO THROUGHOUT
I usually try to follow a 1:1 ratio between my chalk paint and water and look for a milk-like consistency.
But this can be up to you! If you want more coverage, use more paint. Less coverage? Use more water! Just make sure you keep the same ratio throughout your project to make sure it looks the same throughout!
The last thing you want is your stone to look fully covered on one side and lightly covered on the other. Save yourself the time and keep the same ratio!
USE A SOFT BRUSH
I love using a soft paintbrush to paint my solution onto the stone. The soft bristles help you get into all the nooks and crannies where a more firm bristled brush would be tough to manipulate!
GO OVER YOUR STONE WITH A STAINING PAD
Once your stone is painted, grab a staining pad and run it over the stone to smooth out any brush strokes and stop any drips!
This is one thing I swear by when it comes to white washing. You don’t want streaks from drips all over your stone! Plus this helps some of the natural stone tones shine through a little bit, making it look like true whitewashed stone.
THAT’S IT!
And really, it’s as simple as that! You really can’t mess it up (which is my kind of project), and even for my giant double-sided fireplace, it just took about 2 cans of chalk paint!
Talk about a quick and easy update! What do you think? Will you give it a try? Let me know in the comments!
Looks great! What color are the walls?
Thank you! The walls are Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore!