Instantly Make Any Wood Look Less Orange With A Clever Paint Trick

There once was a time when nearly every furniture manufacturer was applying what they called a honey-maple stain to their products. It was hugely popular, meaning there are tons of well-made furniture pieces existing with that distinct orangey hue. Curiously, honey-toned cabinets and other furniture are no longer appreciated, leaving those pieces as, well... orange headed stepchildren, to torture an idiom. 

As an expert woodworker who has spent decades finishing and refinishing furniture, I'll tell you that there are three ways to get the orange out. The first, of course, is to simply paint the piece of furniture outright. Sadly, if the furniture has attractive wood grain, it will be lost under that thick coat of paint, and personally, I'd rather people let wood be wood and stop ruining it with paint. The second — and perhaps most common — option is to refinish the wood furniture, which certainly is effective but requires a lot of work: You'll have to remove the old finish using a combination of chemical stripper, sanding, and a good deal of elbow grease, then apply a new one, which is always messy.

This brings us to the third approach, which is what I'm going to tell you about today: Applying a wash-coat of thinned paint to modify the color. Wash-coats are fast to apply. The results can be amazing. You'll still be able to see the wood grain while taking a fraction of the time compared to the other two techniques. And this method is worth your time, because the DIY process of using wash-coating to "get the orange out" is not complex, won't drain your budget, and means you can preserve any piece of high-quality orange furniture that is still excellent in the areas of form and function, despite its dated finish. 

The first step in wash-coating your orange wood furniture is to clean the piece thoroughly. A window cleaner spray is great for this, as it removes both oils and dirt. Follow that up by sanding the whole piece — sanding with the grain — using sandpaper. Choose either 120 or 150 grit. You are just roughing the surface a tiny bit to give the paint some additional purchase. When you are done with that, wipe the piece down with a damp cloth to remove any sanding swarf. Now is the time to do any minor repair needed. Re-glue a joint or loose trim, fill any dents or cracks with wood filler that matches the existing look, orange as it may be. Sand those repairs smooth.

While I have called this technique a wash-coat, another very common term that folks use is whitewashing. That's because white paint is by far in a way the most common choice for this technique. Whitewashing the wood will brighten any existing finish while hiding unwanted colors. With that said, I'm using the term "wash-coat" instead, because white is not the only color you can use – grays and dark browns are not uncommon choices, depending on your desired result. If your goal is to remove the orange hue, choose white paint with a blue tint. Blue and orange are opposite from one another on the color wheel, and for that reason will cancel each other out. But beware using too much, as combining two opposites will create a muddy gray. Test your choice on a small area before you commit to the whole piece.

Get started by preparing your paint. Thin the paint with a formula of two parts water to one part paint. That will produce an opaque finish without fully covering the wood grain. If you are doing this for the first time, you may wish to add even more water. You can always apply a second coat if you want more coverage, but once the paint has dried, it's hard to remove it evenly. You may use either water-based paint or oil-based paint. The advantage to oil paint (thinned with mineral spirits) is it dries slower, providing time to adjust the coverage before the paint dries. The disadvantages? It's stinky, requires paint-thinner, and takes forever to dry. Water-based paints, including latex, are what I recommend. But when they are thinned with water, they dry quickly — which may make getting an evenly applied coat more challenging.

Apply the thinned paint with a soft bristled brush. I usually start by getting the paint into any corners. Take care to don't get more paint in the corner joints than on the rest of the piece. Paint with the grain using long controlled brush strokes. 

It is important to have good lighting as you work. If you go without, it's easy to apply the opaque coat unevenly without being aware of it. If you find an area where the paint coverage looks too thick, remove just a bit of paint by using a dry paintbrush to lift just a portion of the applied wash-coat. The good news is that wash-coats tend to be very forgiving in their results, which is why it's such a great choice for getting rid of the orange.

As with many finishing techniques, there are alternative wash-coat approaches. You can even whitewash raw wood, not just the orangey stuff. 

Some folks use a rag to apply the paint, intentionally creating an uneven application — the goal here, with this approach, is a more rustic, antique look. Another fun thing to do, after using the basic application process I've described above, is to add a wash-coat of a slightly different color, adding depth and contrast. If you are going to experiment with wash-coats, though, it is best to do it on something that you do not care about. Not every experiment is successful! If you choose to go with a second application, whether of the same color or a contrasting one, take the time to smooth the finish with 0000-steel wool between coats, for best results.

Finally, I recommend applying a clear finish over the completed wash-coat. It's an added layer of protection for the furniture piece. My preference is a no-gloss (flat gloss) polyurethane. It creates a durable protective layer without adding shine to the furniture piece. There are several brands on the market that offer a matte finish to their poly. This step is especially important to me if the original wash-coat is on a tabletop, as they tend to get more abuse in the normal course of events. Whatever approach you choose, though, just know that wash-coats are a fun, fast, and easy way to upgrade a worn finish or get rid of the orange.