Whitewash Tutorial

Whitewashing, or in my case greige-washing, is actually quite simple. In fact, I'm quite certain I could have employed Belle & Peanut to do the job if it wasn't for the fact that the family room carpet is white & I wish to keep it that way.  What I'm trying to get at is that the project is a no-brainer…shockingly time consuming, but simple minded. So let's get to the details.

First thing I did was run over the brick with a dry dust cloth to remove any loose mortar/ cobwebs/  superfluous stuff that might have taken up residency on the brick.

Next I mixed up the "paint". Traditional white wash is equal parts white paint and water. I knew that I wanted a more subtle gray tone for the brick so my mixture was 1/4 BM Pashmina, 1/4 BM Dove White & 1/2 part water.

I mixed it all in an empty gallon paint container and then carried the container with me as I tackled the project.

Here is how I went about applying the mixture. I worked in sections starting with the sides of the fireplace first (to hone my skills in a less noticeable spot). I painted a large section of grout lines first and then when back & filled in the face of each brick.

When my brush ran out of paint, I would grab a dry paper towel and dab the freshly painted bricks allowing as much brick to show through as desired.

That is it folks. Repeat about a million and one times & you're finished.

A couple of tips:

• Baby wipes do a great job of removing dry paint build up from bricks if you find you accidentally applied too much paint in an area.
• Magic Erasers will remove all the dried paint from a brick if you need to start fresh.
• If you find your whitewash medium is beginning to resemble paint, add more water. 
• If whitewashing a fireplace, once you are done the inside of your hearth will appear filthy…be prepared to clean that as well. 

So there you have it, my DIY step-by-step guide for ridding your home of ugly brick. (Click here to see more fireplace before & after shots and here to tour the updated family room in its entirety.). If you use the tutorial please leave me a message or drop me a line. Nothing makes my day more than to know I've inspired others to make their space reflective of themselves. Plus, I'm nosy and love to see the inside of other people's homes..thank God for blogs or else I'd be watching endless episodes of House Hunters!