How to Get a Restoration Hardware Finish
Get the perfect weathered Restoration Hardware finish in 3 steps.
Ok, folks, I'm not sure what happened to my original post with all the details photos, but somehow it got deleted. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but I've had a ton of people messaging me asking where it is. I'm not sure when I'll have time to do another full blown post (I can't find the photos from the original post), but until then, I can at least give you a super quick rundown.
Note: Since I first published this, I've had a couple people tell me that theirs didn't look exactly like mine. While yours might not be an exact match, the first question I always ask is what type of wood are you using? I use yellow pine for pretty much everything because it's so cheap. If you're using a different type of wood, the stain will come out differently. Test it out on a piece of scrap wood.
Step 1: Weathered Oak
Apply Minxwax Weathered Oak with a cloth to the surface, and allow it to dry overnight. Note: This stain doesn't add much color so the wood really won't look that different after this step.
Step 2: White Wash Pickling
Working in small sections, use a paint brush to apply Minwax White Wash Pickling, and wipe it off with a clean cloth. I keep my white wash layer pretty light so I wipe most of it off, which is why I work in small sections. It dries quickly so you need to work in small sections. Allow this layer to dry for a few hours.
Step 3: Dark Walnut
For the final layer, use a clean cloth to apply Minwax Dark Walnut. Because the wood is already saturated from the first 2 layers, it won't be able to absorb much of this stain. Use a clean cloth to wipe off the excess. You're basically just doing a really light layer of the dark walnut. Allow it to dry overnight, and you should have that beautiful weathered Restoration Hardware finish.
Sealing: I always get questions about how I seal stained furniture. I prefer to use a matte polycrylic applied with a high quality paintbrush. If I know the piece will get a lot of use, I use a triple thick polyurethane so I only have to do 1 coat.ScheduleSchedule
