Cerused Oak Tutorial

I love this finish on wood, especially oak, the grain pops, but at the same time it's subtle.  Originally a 16th century cosmetic made with lead, today cerusing is done with a lime wax that is lead free. And the best part about it, it's easy!  I'm not kidding, it's seriously easy.   Here's how I finished this little secretary I inherited from my parents.

Before

It was pretty tired looking when I brought it home, and I was very tempted to paint it a bright fun color with chalk or milk paint, but I knew in a couple of years I'd be tired of a coral colored desk, and then what was I supposed to do with it? So it sat untouched for a couple of years,  then I stumbled onto some pictures on Pinterest, of raw or blond looking wood.  I was captivated, and doing a little more research I learned the finish was acheived with lime wax, a process called ceruse.  I watched a couple of tutorials on You Tube then hopped onto Amazon, because if I can stay home and avoid going to a store I will,  ordered some products, mainly the lime wax and the bronze brush, the other products were sourced in local stores.  

What you will need:

Sandpaper

Gloves

Lime Wax

Bronze Bristle Brush

Cotton Rags

Waxing or Bristle Paint Brush

Steel Wool

1. Sand piece back down to bare wood.  I started with 120 grit and then finished with a 220.   This is the worst and dustiest part of the project.

2. After you have sanded wipe piece down with cotton rags to remove excess dust.

3. Now the fun starts.  Take your bronze bristle brush and rub along the grain of the wood.  This will open the grain so it will accept the wax.  This is important, so take your time and go over all of the wood.   Also don't be tempted to use a brass brush.  The bristle's on brass are stiffer than bronze and you will find it will scratch your wood, scratches you won't see until you apply the wax.

4. Once you've gone over all of the wood with the bronze brush give your piece the once over with a clean cotton rag.

5. On the clean dust free wood apply wax with a waxing brush or bristle brush, Don't just brush the wax on, but take the time to dab it into the grain.  The grain of the wood is the part that will hold the wax once you remove the excess.  I worked in sections, applying the wax and removing it before I moved to another part of the secretary.  

6. Once the wax has been applied remove excess with a clean cotton cloth.

7. After the excess has been removed take a piece of 00 grade steel wool and go over the wax again.  The steel wool will make the wood pop, but leave the wax that's embedded in the grain. If too much of the wax is removed with the steel wool, you can apply it and remove it again, letting it build up a little in the details.

If the piece is heavily used, you can seal it with a poly for durability.  I left mine finished with the wax only, it had a beautiful smooth feel and I liked the matted look.

What I learned during this project:  1. That cerusing is easy, I already have plans to try this on some other peices.  And 2, not use a brass brush.  I had some little details that I was having trouble reaching with the big bronze brush, so I bought a small brass brush, which was a mistake.  The brass brush left scratches that filled with wax and made them much more noticeable.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will find it useful for a ceruse project of your own.

Create Your Own Loveliness ~
Tonni