White painted paneling bounces light around and wears a faint air of summer beach house, even in the dead of winter. When your decor aesthetic is archaic, transform blinding white planks to your gently worn, faux-aged background for the own folk art which says “home.” You can add or remove to achieve a distressed and wrapped finish that is rich in character and showcases a milk-painted farm cabinet or a wall-mounted weather vane. Use the finishes by hand in a well-ventilated space, and wear a painter’s mask when sanding so you’re not breathing dust.
Sand protruding panel edges and corners gently, to remove paint where time would have worn it away naturally. If you’re lucky, the sanding will show another paint color beneath the white topcoat, but a glimpse of timber is fine, also.
Mix a bit of burnt umber universal tint in the paint shop with water and then rub it over the paneling. Experiment with the mixture proportions on a piece of painted scrap timber to get the aging effect you desire. White paint wasn’t pure white in Colonial times; rather, it was cream, like buttermilk, and yellowed even more with age. The tint takes the modern shine to create a richer, more authentic hue.
Apply the tint alternative with a clean rag, wiping off some of this tint with another clean rag as you go for subtle aging. Allow the tint to dry fully before waxing the planks.
Rub liquid beeswax over the paneling; allow it to dry and then buff it with a clean dry cloth. Beeswax adds a soft, dull gleam to pointed paneling. It was used in early American rural and city residences to protect timber and painted surfaces, and it’s environmentally green — nontoxic to use and to live with.
