Whitewashed Ceiling and Beams

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I had not really noticed whitewashed ceilings and beams before my daughter moved into her new home. I had posted pictures of her bedroom ceiling here with  wood beams and my friend Nancy @ Sea Rose Cottage wrote in a great comment “A wash of color of the beams may be nice too. French Linen mixed with a little water applied over the surface would give it a driftwood feel. Good luck with the project!”

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Such a great idea! So I started looking around at examples of whitewashed ceiling and beams:

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Then the more I kept reading, the more I began to get confused at all the different terms! Whitewashing? Pickling the wood?  I figured out that whitewashing is basically the same procedure as pickling. Whitewashing/Pickling is a technique that allows you to brighten your wood without hiding the grain pattern. The difference is that whitewashing is using pine wood, where as pickling is the same procedure used but on oak wood. Here is a good article from DIY that explains the differences here.

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Note that whitewashing is not to be confused with painted white ceilings and beams:

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The difference is whitewashing uses paint mixed with water. Here is a photo below of a painted ceiling (not whitewashed):

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I think they are both beautiful! I think the question before you decide which would work best in your home is “Do you want a more rustic look in your home?”  If the answer is yes, then I would suggest a whitewashed technique:

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Or do you prefer the more contemporary ‘cottage’ look:

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Then the all white painted ceilings would work best for you. Which look appeals more to you? Do you like the look of the whitewashed wood? Or do you prefer the all white painted ceilings? Love to hear your thoughts!If you need help choosing colors for your home, contact me today.                                                            Kelly