How to Bleach Wood Furniture

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Let’s talk wood bleach! One of my favorite furniture looks is a raw, unstained wood look. You’ve gone through all that work of removing the existing finish, but you don’t love the natural color of the wood. This happens to me all of the time! It’s too yellow, has pink undertones, or maybe it’s just a bit dark. Bleaching wood furniture is a great way to lighten it up before sealing it. This article covers when to think about bleaching, how to do it, and options for finishing and sealing your bleached surfaces.

When to bleach wood furniture

The most obvious time to bleach wood furniture is when you want the wood to be lighter. When you sand a piece down to raw wood, it is important to remember that sealing the peice (even with a clear topcoat) will change the color. Water-based topcoats will darken the wood slightly and oil-based topcoats will yellow or amber over time. I will always test a small area to see.

Bleaching the wood is also a great way to pull out some of the color in the wood. If it has yellow or pink undertones, bleaching can remove some of that color. Even if I am considering staining a piece, I will often still bleach to remove some of these undertones in the wood so they don’t show through in the final stain.

Finally, bleaching wood furniture can get rid of hardware ghosting (where the area under the old hardware has changed color – see photos further down in this post for an example). If you are changing the existing hardware and want to have a wood finish, this is an issue you’ll have to address.

Methods for bleaching

I have tried bleaching wood furniture in two ways – using a product specifically designed for this purpose (Zinsser Wood Bleach) and traditional household bleach.

1. Zinsser wood bleach

This is my preferred way to bleach wood furniture – I find it is the most effective. It is a two-part kit that can be found on Amazon and other big box and hardware stores. The product directions are easy to follow, here’s a quick recap:

• Be sure that you protect your workspace with a dropcloth if necessary (I’m working on a concrete floor so I don’t care about stains or messes). Protect your skin with gloves and wear protective glasses. Work in a well-ventilated area.
• Pour Part A into a glass or ceramic bowl and apply with a chip brush or sponge to the raw wood surface. Let Part A sit for 5-10 minutes (5 for softwoods and 10 for hardwoods), then apply Part B in the same manner.
• Let it dry for at least 4 hours. Repeat the process if you are looking for a lighter finish.

2. Traditional household bleach

While using the Zinsser kit is my preferred way to bleach, there are times when I don’t have any on hand and don’t want to hold up my project waiting for it to be delivered. Yes, I can be impatient! In these cases, the second wood bleaching method that I’ve tried is just using plain old household bleach. This works best if you aren’t looking for a big change. It is definitely a more subtle approach, but it does work. Here’s how to proceed:

• Following normal precautions for bleach, I poured some into a glass bowl (don’t use plastic or metal), got out a fresh chip brush, and painted the bleach on (again wearing gloves). Do this in a well-ventilated area.
• Let dry for several hours and repeat as necessary. I find it generally takes 3 to 4 rounds of bleaching. If possible, dry in direct sunlight, this helps with the bleaching process.
• When you are happy with the final tone, neutralize the wood by wiping it with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Then repeat with water only and let dry completely (at least overnight).
• Sand the surface smooth. Be sure not to over sand, the wood beneath the surface will be the original wood color.

Finishing and sealing the bleached wood

Once you have completed the bleaching process and sanded your wood smooth, it is time to apply additional finishes and seal the wood. There are several different finishes, which I’ve outlined below:

1. Seal with a water-based sealer

This is the quickest option as the sealer is the final step. I use a water-based sealer, such as General Finishes High Performance Topcoat or Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish, becuase they won’t yellow over time. A traditional oil-based polyurethane will. The waterbased topcoat will cause the wood to darken slightly, you can test the final tone of the waterbased sealer on the wood by wetting the raw wood. I have a post that talks more about applying a water-based topcoat to furniture (it is focused on painted projects, but the same methods can be used over wood).

2. Paint wash and seal

Sometimes there may still be some blotchiness or unevenness in the wood tones on a piece of furniture after bleaching. Or, you test the raw wood color and it is still a little darker than you like. In these cases, I would do a paint wash, picking the color in the final tone that you are looking for. More details about paint-washing furniture can be found here.

3. Stain and seal

Finally, you may want to go with a more traditional stained finish. In this case, I prefer to use an oil-based stain and an oil-based polyurethane. Becuase of this, I will wait an extra day before proceeding (you don’t want any water moisture in the wood to react with the oil-based product). More information on staining can be found in this article that covers stripping and staining.

Summary

Bleaching wood furniture is a great way to take a vintage piece with a dated finish and give it a fresh new look. It’s a great alternative to paint if you have the patience to remove all of the existing finish. Remember that the color you start with and the type of wood you have will impact your results. If you’re interested in learning more about the bleaching process, this article by Bob Vila explains wood bleaching in more detail and provides some really helpful information. If you give it a try, I’d love to know your experience!

Other articles you might like:

• How to Paint Wash Furniture
• Stripping and Staining Furniture
• How to Seal Painted Furniture: Protecting With a Topcoat

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Want to learn more about all things furniture? Make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get the latest updates and exclusive content.