How to Bleach Wood

Bleaching wood is an inexpensive and easy way to brighten up furniture without covering up that beautiful grain. If you want to lighten up a dark, outdated piece of furniture, here’s how to bleach wood!

This is one of the most common refinishing furniture techniques that you can do to give your old pieces a fresh new look. You can also do this before applying a new shade of stain or finish. So let’s get started!

I snagged a pair of these nightstands off of Facebook Marketplace for an unbeatable price but wasn’t crazy about how heavy-duty they looked. They were thicc gals! (Yes, with a double cc, as the teens these days say.) So, I really wanted to take off some of the weight (not literally) and brighten them up a bit.

Paint alone is always a great option, but I was dying to keep some warm wood tones in the mix. There are fancy bleaching kits made by Zinsser and probably other well-known brands, but you can make homemade wood bleach with products you likely already have around your home!

Do you have a piece of furniture or maybe some old picture frames that are begging for a fresher, lighter look?

Supplies Used for DIY Bleached Wood Furniture

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Rag (I used an old T-shirt)
Cleaning product (I used Krud Kutter. Dawn dish soap would also work)
Tack Cloth (optional)
80 Grit Sandpaper
120 Grit Sandpaper
Sanding Star to Sand Table Legs
Plastic Cup or Small Container
Household Bleach
Water
Chip Brush
Vinegar
Trewax

Cleaning and Sanding Furniture

You never know where your furniture has been. So step one – ALWAYS – is to clean your piece! I love Krud Kutter and old T-shirts for this first, essential step.

Dawn dish soap and water can also be a great degreaser. When I use Dawn I simply fill an old bowl with soapy water, dip an old T-shirt in the water, wring out and wipe down outdoors. Check out this post to learn more about how to clean furniture before painting.

After you have it squeaky clean and dry, now it’s sanding time! This will require more than a scuff sand to get down to the raw surface. So grab your gumption and 80 grit sandpaper! Once you get the majority of the old finish off, move to a 120 grit sheet.

I personally wouldn’t go much higher than 120. In theory, you want the grain to still be open enough to soak in the bleach. Learn more about sandpaper for furniture painting here.

If you are sanding table legs, or anything with curved edges – like the legs on these nightstands – I highly recommend a sanding star. It’s a life-saving tool that easily attaches to any standard drill and will save your fingerprints.

After it’s sanded and smooth, wipe the piece down with the rag with leftover Krud Kutter or Dawn mixture. I followed with a tack cloth to get every last speck of dust, though a dustless environment is not as crucial here as in a painting situation.

Learn all about how to prepare furniture for painting here, from cleaning to sanding.

How to Bleach Furniture

I promise the hardest part is now over! Once all your dust is cleaned up you’re ready to mix your bleach solution and paint it on.

How to Make Wood Bleach

Mix together 1 part bleach to 1 part water in literally any container that you have sitting around. (I used a very fancy mixing cup – a plastic cup from a dollar store pack).

Using your chip brush, paint your bleach solution over the wood you want to transform. Allow it to dry in the sun (about 15 mins). The sunnier the day the better!

*** CAUTION: Be careful not to let the bleach mixture pool/drip or you’ll get splotches (see picture below).

To avoid this, I recommend applying to upright furniture. These splotches occurred because I applied the bleach while the table was laying on its side. If this happens to you, don’t fret, just sand them out and reapply your bleach.

Easy! Once your homemade wood bleach has dried just reapply your bleach solution and let dry in the sun, again.

You may be satisfied with 1-2 coats, but if you’re working with something like mahogany you may need 4+ coats. It just depends on the species of wood you start with and the end goal you have in mind. Keep in mind, each type of wood likely has its bleaching limits.

comparison of original wood leg with post-sanding and post-bleaching states

How to Neutralize Bleached Wood

Once your last coat of bleach has dried and you are satisfied with the tone of the wood it’s time to neutralize. Take a rag and household vinegar and give the piece a good wipe down. This will neutralize the basicness of the bleach.

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wood leg after bleaching and neutralizing

How to Seal Bleached Wood Furniture

Grab your favorite topcoat and seal in that newly brightened wood grain. I was nervous to use anything that may darken the grain (such as oils or poly), so I chose my favorite Trewax which I applied with an old sock.

It did darken the wood just a smidge but didn’t take away from my bleaching work. Learn more about more topcoat for painting furniture options here!

How easy and inexpensive was that? It’s a totally achievable weekend project that you can accomplish with products you probably already have laying around. This process would be a great way to brighten up a space on a smaller scale too with picture frames or wooden trays, etc.

Krud Kutter

BIN Shellac Primer

Sale

220 Grit Sandpaper

Painting Nightstands

I painted the tops of these nightstands in a gray/blue color. I loved how the cool blue balanced out the warm wood tones. Once my paint was dry, I applied 3 coats of poly to the painted portion only. Learn more about how to apply polycrylic to painted furniture here and how to spray polyurethane here.

For the final finishing touch, I added new black knobs that I purchased at Home Depot.

Check out more French blue painted furniture here if you love this look! If you’re wondering is two-toned furniture in style, check out this post to find out.

I allowed my poly to dry for 24 hours before staging. But keep in mind it takes 28 days for paint/poly to fully cure before it’s ready for heavier use.

pair of painted nighstands with bleached legs

More Before and After Makeovers

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Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.

How to Repair Rattan Furniture

vintage vanity painted blue before turning into nightstands

Vanity Turned into Nightstands

Repurposed Sewing Table

wooden twin headboards before the makeover

How to Make a Bench from a Headboard and Footboard

Does Bleach Damage Wood Furniture?

You might worry about using bleach on your wood furniture since it’s a pretty strong chemical. But if you use it properly and in moderation, bleach can actually be an effective tool for transforming the color of your wood furniture.

The key is to use a diluted solution to make it less harsh. As we did above, mix together equal parts bleach and water in a container. This will create a milder solution that is still effective but less likely to damage your wood furniture.

It’s also important to neutralize the wood like we also did to help balance out the effects of bleach. So you should be able to safely create a beautiful light look for your wood furniture by bleaching wood with household bleach.

If you don’t want to use bleach, you can also try alternative methods for lightening wood, such as using a chemical stripper to remove the existing dark finish and then sanding before applying a lighter stain or paint. Here’s how to change dark wood stain to light for more on this method!

Now you know how to bleach wood with household bleach! So, if you have a piece of dark wood furniture that could use a little lightening up, grab some bleach and give this easy DIY project a try. Just remember to work carefully to avoid splotches, and always neutralize and seal your wood after bleaching.

This makeover was created by Jess with Oak and Grain Restoration. She currently lives in North Carolina where she works full-time in an emergency room. She loves dipping into her creative side by transforming furniture and in the process, keeping her sanity.

Follow her on Instagram to see more action behind the scenes!!