How To Give Wood Furniture A Gray Weathered Paint Finish

This is the technique I used to achieve a gray weathered paint finish using various paint colors. It was a process of trial and error but I got there eventually.

Gray Weathered Paint Finish

I’m going to try to tell you how I created the weathered gray finish for the themed furniture project from last week. The process was fun for me because I enjoy trying new things. I may recreate the finish on a small stool now that I know how to do it!

This is the table before painting. We had a rustic wood table and we had a metal base. We didn't really like the one table with the wood legs so the JTS removed the table top and put it on the metal base I bought at the junk shop. You can see how it looked before the two parts came together by clicking here. $2 Auction Table Gets A New Set Of Legs.

This is how the table looks now. I'm so happy with the new look.

First thing to do was paint the metal table base. The legs received a coat of Rust-oleum Heirloom White Spray Paint. This is my go to spray paint color for almost everything. The paint was dry in 30 minutes.

If you've been around here very long you know I'm the Queen of Distressing! I love distressing paint because distressed paint adds character and depth! I used a sanding block to distress the metal base. This process didn't take long. The layer of spray paint is much thinner than brushed on paint.

Now to work on the plain old plywood table top. I brushed a thin coat of Reclaim Beyond Paint Pewter color on the top. You notice I didn’t cover the wood in all areas.

Next I dry brushed a little black paint in random areas on the top.

Before the black paint completely dried I dry brushed watered down off-white paint in strategic areas. When I say dry brush I mean dip the tips of the brush in the paint then wipe off most of the paint on a paper plate or paper towel. And I do mean most of the paint.

The you run the "dry brush" lightly over the surface you are painting.

Immediately after applying the white paint using the dry brush technique I went over the table with a damp rag trying to blend the paint.

The paint didn’t blend very well and this is what the project looked like at the end of the day. I quite for the day because I was frustrated.

The next morning I decided I hated the look. I went over the painted table top with dark wax. That didn’t work either. I then mixed more off-white Reclaim Beyond Paint with water to thin it about half and half. I brushed the paint on in a heavy coat and started wiping it off with a damp rag. Now we are getting somewhere. This look worked!

Once the paint dried I finished the table top by applying a thin coat of Annie Sloan soft wax in neutral.

You notice in the photo above there are nail holes and imperfections in the plywood. Those just add to the worn weathered look.

DIY weathered gray paint finish on plywood table top

So that's the story of the gray weathered paint finish. Even though I worked on the table for two days the whole paint process including drying time only took about 2 hours. Seriously.

When working on a project don't be afraid to experiment. That's what I did. Keep working until you get the look you want or trash it and start over with a new vision. Let me know what you think of the weathered look finish. Have a great day and as always, thank for being here, Kathy

Supplies used in this project (on Amazon):

Sanding Block
Clear Finishing Wax
Rust-Oleum Heirloom Spray Paint
Beyond Paint in Soft Gray (Pewter is on backorder).
Paint Brush