Pickling or bleaching oak, or other light-colored woods, is a method of infusing the wood with an even lighter color – white or sometimes a very light grey – that gives the piece an almost ethereal glow. The effect is popular in many parts of the world: the American South, Scandinavia, and Northern Europe especially. The idea probably started in Europe in the 1600s when caustic lye was infused into the wood to prevent insect infestations. They found that this treatment not only kept the insects away but also looked pretty cool.
Start by lightly dipping your brush into the pickling stain and brush it on following the direction of the wood grain. Wait a few minutes, and then wipe the stain with a dry cloth. Remember, you’re not painting the wood, you’re applying highlights. You want just some of the stain to remain down in the wood grain, but you don’t want the wood to look painted white.
Keep up the process, applying the pickling stain and wiping it off until you’ve coated all the wood. It’s important to use a dry cloth when wiping away the stain so you aren’t putting any stain back onto the wood.
Allow your newly pickled wood to dry thoroughly (probably overnight) then apply a clear varnish or polyurethane to protect the surface.
<script async src=”//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js”>
<!– Website page 4 –>
<ins class=”adsbygoogle”
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8606636774765718″
data-ad-slot=”7032792787″
data-ad-format=”auto”></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>