How to Whitewash Wood Panels

Clean the wood panels with a mixture of water and dish detergent. Wipe the panels down with a clean rag or sponge. This will help to clean the panels and better prepare them for painting.

Lightly sand the wood panels with fine grit sandpaper. Using an electric hand sander will speed up the process. You do not need to completely sand the wood panels, just enough to “roughen up” the surface of the panels in preparation for the paint. Once you have finished sanding, vacuum the panels and wipe them with a tack cloth.

Decide what kind of whitewash finish you want for your wood panels. Applying an opaque whitewash finish will require a different painting technique than a pickled finish where the wood grain shows through the paint.

Apply a thin coat of latex painting primer to the wood panels with a paintbrush. Brush the primer onto the panels and allow it to dry completely. If you want to see the wood grain show through the paint you may want to skip this step and not apply the primer.

Paint the wood panels with white latex paint. For a whitewashed appearance, apply the paint with a paint brush in several thin coats, letting each coat dry before applying the next.

Allow the wood panels to dry for 24 hours before returning furniture and artwork to the room. Do not apply a polyurethane finish to the panels as the finish may yellow the whitewash finish over time.