French Wash Painting Technique

Bring a touch of the French countryside home with this lovely wooden shelf from Krylon. Or use this French Wash painting technique on any home decor project.

Materials:

• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint - Leather Brown (#52501)
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint - Ivory (#51504)
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint - Sweet Cream (#53540)
• Wooden shelf or Project of your choice
• Sandpaper
• Newspaper
• Disposable rubber gloves (optional)

Surface Preparation:

• When working with unfinished wood, prepare your surface by sanding smooth and wiping clean with a tack cloth. Apply a primer to seal the surface.
• When working with bare metal, be sure surface is free of rust and oil. Apply a primer to seal the surface.
• When working with plastic, glass or ceramic, lightly sand surface with fine grain sandpaper and wipe clean with a tack cloth. This will help the paint to adhere better to these smooth surfaces. Apply a primer to further improve adhesion.

Steps:

1. Place project on newspaper to protect work area.
    
2. Spray one coat of Leather Brown onto all sides of project. Let dry.
    
3. Spray one very light coat of Ivory on front and sides. Let dry.
    
4. Spray one light coat of Sweet Cream on front and sides. Vary your spray pattern so that some areas have more Sweet Cream and others appear lighter. Let dry thoroughly.
    
5. Sand raised areas and edges of project to reveal brown paint. Wipe clean with tack cloth.
    
6. For added protection of your finished project, spray several light coats of Krylon® Matte Finish or Satin Finish as a final step. For projects that will be used outdoors or near a window, use Krylon® UV-Resistant Matte Finish.

For more project ideas, please visit www.krylon.com/projects.