DIY DRIFTWOOD FINISH and some hacking

I have the easy peasey of painted finishes for you that happens to fit into my "Beach Month" theme.
(Remind me to never "theme" out again- I have no focus or attention span so this is hard.)
SO... it is driftwood.  
Yes, it has been shoved down our throats hard by the likes of Restoration Hardware and company, 
but it still is soft and pretty and beachy, so I still like.

I have a new IKEA Tarva in my possession. It is awesome and it might possibly be the best of both IKEA worlds. I'm talking Malm and Rast had a baby.  It is big like Malm, but made of wood like Rast so you can paint the holy hell out of it. It is also 20x better constructed than Rast.  I approve.

This finish works best on raw wood, but if you want to do it on a painted surface I recommend not adding water to your paint in this first step.

#1- Mix up a 1 part water, 2 parts paint (Grayish brown- I used C2- Barnacle, it was left over from my office walls.) Don't use a Semi- Gloss finish- you want matte or eggshell.


#2 Brush it over the entire piece.  Go with the grain, and move quickly so you don't get a  lot of overlapping brush marks.  


 You don't want it to be too heavy, you should still see some wood grain.
( If you are doing this over a painted surface, you will want to make sure you have decent coverage and the old color isn't visible.)
 #3 add 1 part white to 2 parts remaining brownish-gray...
 Using a wide flat brush "dry brush" this new color over the entire surface, once again going with the grain. Just dip the tip of the brush in and wipe off excess on a rag, and drag the brush along...

#4 Add 1 part white to remaing paint and repeat.
You are progressively getting lighter with each step, and leaving darker streaks from underneath...
#5
Repeat if you want it lighter.
Here is the end result.  The wood grain actually shows through still in some parts...


 I added some mother of pearl knobs my Mom found for me at Homegood's...

And then I had to test out some new "Fiona" O'verlays that were sized for the Tarva.

(P.S. 15% off O'verlays with coupon code YOURMOM15, good til 5/15/12).

These were spray painted with Krylon "Nickel" 
and then dry brushed with the last batch of paint.

Super easy, and it has me wanting to driftwood my linoleum floors.
All in moderation...


23 comments:

Albertina M. Cisneros said...

Wao! good job! It looks beautiful. great ideas too.

Ambs said...

Love this idea! And so helpful! Driftwood is such a nice look, my mom will be happy to see this too!

~amberly

ambsgoodlife.blogspot.com

Bri@Meyouandawiener said...

You are an IKEA hacking machine woman! Those are a match made in heaven. They were meant to be.

Annie Loveridge Interiors said...

You are so clever - this is fabulous. As are those knobs. Gorgeous! Annie x.

Naomi@DesignManifest said...

you are awesome.

Didn't know about this new cabinet. Thanks for the heads up

pam {simple details} said...

Amazing job giving those Ikea pieces new life! It looks fabulous!

kayce hughes said...

beautiful!

LindsB said...

So lovely- love that finish and I love that little dresser with the o'verlays even more! Hmmm, now to find space for one of these in my apartment.

Brandi@ Flights of Whimsy said...

You've done it again! What a great look. Haven't bee by ikea lately and this has me thinking a trip is in order.

Kristen said...

This is my favorite of al your projects! Easy, doable and super high-end looking. LURVE it!

Kristen said...

This is my favorite of al your projects! Easy, doable and super high-end looking. LURVE it!

Laurie said...

I am busy pinning this one! Already was going to Ikea tomorrow - will definitely have to check this one out.

Sarah said...

Oooh, love it! I've been trying to figure out how to get a driftwood finish so this is great! Looks gorgeous!

therelishedroost said...

Fabulous job!!! Just bought a crate and barrel dresser for my daughter, cannot wait to Overlay it too!!!! You have such great ideas!!

SHERRY HART said...

Shut the front door...amazing! You are the "hacking queen".....

casey at loft and cottage said...

Gorgeous! I think these need to be my new nightstands.

Kar'Lei said...

Wow the finished product looks amazinggg!! I would have never thought it could have looked so great!

The Office Stylist

www.TheOfficeStylist.com

Janell @ House of Fifty said...

Seriously most beautiful thing I've spied in some time! Wish I'd headed out to blogfest now, would have been so fun to meet you in person after working with you on other projects! Janell

L.Duncan@Home23DuncanBoys said...

OMG! You did an awesome job! Now I'm totally on the hunt for something I can use this technique on:)

Unknown said...

FAntastic! Got to check that dresser out, and NEED to try overlays!
Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com

Kim @ Plumberry Pie said...

This piece is absolutely stunning! I'm in awe. Love it. Thank you for sharing!

Pat said...

This dresser looks amazing! I am trying to build up the courage to redo several pieces in this finish. I am very much an amateur when it comes to painting furniture though. Between each layer of paint did you sand? Or build up the layers? Then sand before sealing? I would really appreciate your input.

Thank you!!!!

Keggy25 said...

I know this sounds crazy but did you mix that white paint in or did you just leave it with the white on top and dip into it. I'm even embarrassed asking. It's seems obvious you would have, of course mixed but, on the other side, you are the first to explain what dry brushing is. Thanks.
Karen

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