I’m not sure I’ve ever even thought to look at how to whitewash plywood shelves, and yet, here we are! This was a surprisingly easy and fast process that I’ll share below. If you’re following along on my One Room Challenge primary bedroom renovation, then you can probably guess that these are the shelves for our custom built-in closet. It’s funny, I thought this whole project would be done the first three weeks, and yet, here we are on week 5 (almost 6!) and I don’t even have the shelves installed. Anyways, enough jibber jabber, let me show you how easy it is to whitewash plywood!
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Before we get going, I want to thank my partners for this project:
- Sleep & Beyond for my new favorite bedding
- By Cloud Designs for one-of-a-kind genuine Turkish rug pillows
- Fanimation Lighting for our new modern ceiling fan
How to Whitewash Plywood Shelves
The whitewashing process itself took me less than 30 minutes to complete (which was very pleasant surprise!). The full process, including set up and cleanup was under an hour (excluding applying the protective finish since I’m letting my shelves dry overnight first). It was SO EASY and gave me a beautiful and unique look for our closet built-ins. If you need a tutorial on how to install shelves into a closet, I wrote this post when we built our closet office detailing the process. I’m using the same process for these shelves, except I’m adding additional supports between the walls since my shelves are so long!
Materials Needed:
- Sanded Plywood of Choice (you *could* get unsanded plywood, but you’ll be in for a heck of a lot of sanding, and that doesn’t sound very fun… I would know, ha!)
- 220 and/or 320 grit sanding sponge
- Paintbrush
- Paint Mixing Cup or container (I used a washed out 32oz yogurt container)
- White water-based paint (I used the same paint that’s on my walls for the closet)
- Water
- Protective finish of choice (Wax, Polyurethane, Polycrylic, etc.)
1. Lightly Sand Your Plywood Shelves
The purpose of sanding your shelves is to get them nice and smooth to the touch. Even sanded plywood still has a bit of roughness to it, so we want to get rid of that. You can sand by hand or very lightly with an orbital sander. I used my orbital sander and 320 grit sandpaper, being very careful to not sand through the veneer. If you only have 220 grit on hand, that will work too! Once you’re done sanding all of the shelves, wipe them down to remove all dust and debris before moving on to step 2. This took me maybe 5 minutes. It was just a quick pass, just enough to clean up the bit of roughness on the shelves.
2. Mix Paint and Water to Create a Whitewash
For my shelves, I mixed equal parts water and paint. You don’t need a lot at all. I used about a cup of water mixed with a cup of paint (although I just eye-balled it!). Be sure to make enough for all of your shelves, or measure carefully in case you need to make more. Stir your mixture well to dissolve all paint into the water. If you want your finish to be more opaque or more transparent, then you can change your paint to water ratio.
3. Apply Whitewash to the Plywood
This is the fun part! Grab a large paintbrush and brush your whitewash onto the shelves. You don’t need to overdo it since you’re going to wipe it off in a minute, just brush it on like you would paint! I did one full shelf at a time, which is about 8 ft by 12 inches. It worked to do it this way as the whitewash mixture didn’t have time to dry onto the plywood before I could wipe it off.
4. Wipe Away with a Clean Rag
This was a two-part process for me. First, I buffed the whitewash into the plywood with a rag. This helped me get it evenly distributed as well as soak up the excess paint. Once most of it was wiped off and I had an even coating, I went back over it and did one long wipe down the entire length of the shelf. This ensured my finish was even and not smeary.
5. Apply a Protective Finish
Let your whitewashed plywood shelves dry and assess whether you want to do a second coat. If not, then we can move on to the final finish! Before applying my protective finish, I did another light sand, this time just by hand to knock down any roughness from applying the whitewash. Wipe off any dust with a clean cloth and then you’re ready to apply your preferred protective finish to your whitewashed plywood (I often use wax or polyurethane). I would let your paint dry overnight before applying this final sealant coat. That’s it!
One Room Challenge Week 5 Update:
For those of you curious about where I’m at on our bedroom makeover… I’ve fully finished the inside of the closet with drywall, painted all of the supports, and painted the bottom side of my shelves. I’ll go pickup my custom sized slats and build my doors this week (hopefully all goes well!).
Here’s what I have left to do with only three weeks left in this challenge:
Week 1 – Create a Plan & Source Large Items Needed DONE!
Week 2 – Hang & Hem Curtains (In Progress), Get Started on Built-In Storage DONE!
Week 3 – Continue on Built-In Storage, Source Wood for Feature DONE!
Week 4 – Complete Built-In Storage and Hidden Doors, DIY Ceiling Beams – Running Behind!!!
Week 5 – Complete Headboard Feature Wall, DIY Headboard, Replace Ceiling Fan DONE!
Week 6 – Refinish Dresser (In Progress), Source Nightstands, Paint Doors/Trim (In Progress)
Week 7 – Final Details, Complete Anything Leftover
Week 8 – Final Reveal!
At this point, I don’t think I’ll have time to do the ceiling beams before the reveal day. Given that this ends right before Thanksgiving and the fact that we are hosting 20 people, I’m trying really hard not to overcommit myself. So, if the beams have to wait, then they can wait! I am hopeful that I’ll get the rest done in time. If you feel like cheering me on, come follow along on Instagram! It’s been quite the journey so far…
Be sure to check out the other incredible room makeovers happening on the One Room Challenge blog!
