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Retro Blonding - 1988 Lockwood

Azim Ali
5 years ago

Hi All,


We recently purchased a property, which is an 1988 Lockwood. We are really interested in retro-blonding the interior as per the below.


Can anyone offer any advice and/or recommend a suitable company which can get the same desired look?


Current presentation:



Desired outcome:


Much appreciated!

Comments (7)

  • Azim Ali
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    We haven't had much movement, we're not in a rush, but I've been doing some research, and I'm keen to see what's been done to original lockwood's, as Lockwood NZ mentioned it is difficult to get the same look as their new White-Wash homes.

    I've checked a few painters who have done it before, but wasn't happy with the results. Difficult to view any whitewashed properties in Auckland, as there don't seem to be many and Lockwood NZ doesn't have a showroom here :S

  • Azim Ali
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    If anyone’s interested here’s our IG which we’ll be posting updates on

    https://instagram.com/p/BrgDgxVHOzd/
  • lyndagoulden
    5 years ago

    Hmm, similar experience. On the Lockwood website, there are two or three examples of Lockwood houses that have been relocated and upgraded.

    Incidentally, I didn't think that it was a particularly easy site to navigate as you don't seem to be able to back up but persistence allowed me to have a reasonable look at the projects that interested me.

    I suspect that it might be easier to sand back the polyurethane and paint it rather than trying to blonde the walls. If you miss getting all the polyurethane, it's got the potential to look bad, I think. It would be nice to be able to get hold of those homeowners on the Lockwood site and ask their opinion.

    I liked the look of the beach house that has been repainted but will see what response I get from here before tackling the project outright.

    The painted boards have a smart look to them which is encouraging at least.

  • pottsy99
    4 years ago

    Have either of you thought of doing it yourself ? I did some furniture -- I assume this is similar . To practice , get some plywood , and play around until you are comfortable .

    I used a 5 gallon bucket , you add 10 cups of salt to the bucket almost filled with hot water ( I added an electric jug of boiling water to the warm water before adding the salt ) , then stir until the salt disolves , then add 20-25 cups of hydrated lime ( tip -- you can buy 20kg bags at Mitre 10 Mega for around $20 ) . It thickens , you can paint it on or rub it on with a rag .

    On the furniture I did , I waited a couple of days for it to dry , ran those green pot scourers over the corners etc to make it look old and used , and then did a really thin mix ( I used the original leftovers , but added about 4 or 5 times the water to it ) and rubbed it on , as some of the corners looked too yellowy wood after my amateur efforts -- this took that look off it .

    I'm not sure how you get rid of the polyurethene though -- lots of sanding and maybe paint stripper ?

  • lyndagoulden
    4 years ago

    pottsy99: Thanks for your recipe and method. I bet your piece of furniture looks a treat.

    While I would love to give blonding a go, we have decided to just sand back the polyurethane and paint as it's going to be the easiest option in the long run. The main living space has a high vaulted ceiling and the thought of trying to strip that back ready for blonding, was just too much to consider.

  • daydaisy
    4 years ago

    I'd love to see what you end up with. We are considering blonding/painting our lockwood as part of bigger renovations.