How to Achieve a Restoration Hardware Weathered Oak Finish

Blend traditional craftsmanship and innovative product technology to get this Restoration Hardware Weathered Oak look on hardwood floors and unfinished wood furniture.

If you like this post you might also like How to Refinish Wood Furniture, How to Mix Wood Tones like a Pro, and How to Make Homemade DIY Wood Stain.

When you’re looking for a great aged wood look, it’s hard to beat actual salvaged wood. But when you have a piece you just want to *look* old, how do you do that? Well, Karen is here today to show you!

You’ll love her 3-step method (4 steps if you need to strip an existing finish) for creating a great weathered oak stain, just like those furniture catalogs we all love to ogle (I’m looking at you, Restoration Hardware!).

Here’s Karen with the details (remember her from here and here and here? we kinda like her 🙂 ). 

Getting a Restoration Hardware Style Weathered Oak Finish on Wood Pieces

Hello from Texas. My name is Karen from The Weekend Country Girl. Do you like the look of Restoration Hardware furnishings as much as I do?

I like how they take inspiration from old furniture, buildings, and global styles. What I especially like is the way their weathered finish allows the wood grain to show through but has the faint look that at some point the wood was whitewashed.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a thrifty cheap. I hate to spend more money than I have to on things I know we can do ourselves. No way we would pay thousands for something we could do for hundreds or even better, less.

After a little experimenting and being patient in shopping on a local store, I think I have found the right combination of stains to get that RH weathered oak finish look.

The best part is that it is cheap, easy, and fast almost foolproof. The only trick to the finish is waiting between coats for the stain to dry, On a cold, rainy Friday evening I got busy making a sample board for you guys.

Step 1; Remove the existing finish:

I started with this dresser drawer front. The dresser was a total mess that I picked up on the side of the road. The drawers and chest couldn’t be saved but I liked the drawer fronts even though they were not solid wood.

The first step was to strip the finish off the drawer front. I love Citri Strip. It can be used inside with no harmful fumes and it works well.

Paint the stripping gel on with a cheap but not foam brush, wear gloves and the wipe off after a few minutes with a plastic scraper and then wipe down with cotton rags. I always get one rag damp and wipe it down to make sure the residue is gone.

If the finish is tenacious and wont come off, paint on the citrus strip and then cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out while it works on the finish.

Step 2: Allow to Dry Completely and then Sand Smooth:

The finished result is wood that still has a faint color but no sealer or varnish. Give it a quick sand with 220 grit sandpaper to make it feel smooth but not necessarily perfect.

At this point I let the wood sit overnight. I want to make sure it is totally dry before going any further. Patience is a virtue in this project!

Step 3: Frist Coat of Wood Stain, Weathered Oak:

Early the next morning I got busy staining. The first layer I used is Minwax Weathered Oak. (you could try any gray stain you like the tone of)

I did not use a pre-stain wood conditioner on this project. But if you are working on pine (a soft wood) I would suggest it.

I use a foam brush to put the stain down then wipe off the excess with cotton rags.

The stain goes on dark but it wipes off and the color is faint.

Step 4; White Washing with Pickling Stain:

Once that coat of stain dries (a couple of hours), the scariest step takes place. Paint on the white pickling stain (white-washing) and immediately wipe it off. If you are doing a really big job, two people make the job not as crazy. It is a paint on, wipe off process.

Remember, to go with the grain in the wiping or in the case of the drawer front go in the direction that the wood would go, if it were real wood. I am really messy with this step because I like the really rustic look but if you want a consistent look take your time and make long strokes.

This is what the wood looks like with the whitewash brushed on.

This could be accomplished with a watered down white paint wash, one part paint one part water for the mixture, brush it on with the grain using a paint brush. Wipe the excess off with the grain. I would test the process on a test piece of wood to get the process down before committing, make sure you like the look.

Here it is wiped off. The pickling stain sort of looks like bleached wood from the 80’s.

Step 5; Coat with Dark Stain of Choice:

I wait a couple of hours again to make sure it is all dry, then I add the final coat. Jacobean stain over the top. (You could also try Special Walnut)

This particular product has a finish in the stain, so just adding the stain will also do the sealing. You don’t need to add another coat of poly after the stain but if this is going to be in a place with a lot of water you could consider another coat of finish.

Wipe it off and make sure it is dry before adding another layer. To get the color as dark as you need, you have to keep layering the stain on making sure it is drying between coats or it will be sticky.

Here it is after two coats.

The PERFECT weathered wood finish for me.

I had another drawer front so that you could see the comparison of the two colors.

Here is the finished drawer front. It will be a rack in our bathroom.

I also used the same process on our bathroom vanity and on a funky dresser. I have been thrilled with the look each time.. I have been able to use the same product on all three pieces.

You can see in the image below how the different wood stains work their way into each nook and cranny and leave such an interesting finish. This is one of my favorite DIY projects!

The final coat is a coat of polyurethane. I used marine varnish on the bathroom vanity.

It is a really simple process that looks old and worn.

I hope you are able to reproduce this process yourself.

I would love to hear from you,

Blessings,

Karen

——————————————-

Thanks so much for sharing another project with us, Karen! We love what you do!

Remodelaholics, pay Karen a visit over at The Weekend Country Girl for more great projects, like this awesome suitcase wall in her office!

—————————————-

More ways to finish and refinish wood:

Use a layered stain technique to make new wood look like reclaimed wood.

Color-wash wood to any color you want while still showing the wood grain

and it works with bright non-traditional stain colors, too!

Try this easy DIY faux driftwood finish.

Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn’t stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.

Related