Do you want to have antique wood overnight? Pieces of furniture that look as if they are quite old have a special charm and style and in a sense carry a previous life. In order to age the wood within a short period of time and give it an artificial used look, there are many options and techniques that we will familiarize you with in this article.
Age wood with home remedies
If you want to give your furniture or wooden objects a worn finish, you can use some home remedies. To give the wood a warmer, rustic and darker look, you can stain it with coffee.
with coffee
Make a strong coffee, let it brew well and cool down. Then apply the brew to the wood and wait until the coffee is completely dry. Just brush the wooden surface and the desired vintage look is already achieved.
mitNatron
With baking soda, which is usually available in every household, you can give the wood a weathered look within a short time. To give the wooden surface the typical gray cast, as if the sun has bleached the material after a long period of standing outside, use a mixture of baking soda and water.
Apply the resulting paste to the wood and let the piece of furniture dry in the sun for at least 6 hours, if the size and condition of the item allows this. Then brush off the dried mixture and wash the surface.
with steel wool and vinegar
Another and uncomplicated method is to combine steel wool and vinegar. Steel wool is available in almost every household in the form of a scourer. Put a piece of steel wool and some apple cider vinegar in a mason jar. Leave this mixture in the sealed container for 24 hours to get the desired result.
If you want a stain with a more intense color, use more and finer steel wool and let the mixture stand longer. As soon as the vinegar has taken on a metallic, gray color due to the chemical reaction, you can coat it with the resulting stain using a sponge.
wood burning
A slightly more complex method, but one that achieves great results, is to flame the upper layer of the wood with a gas burner. The wood must be untreated, otherwise harmful fumes can arise. This variant of woodworking is suitable for wooden objects that can be placed on a fireproof surface outdoors. The wood must first be burned properly with the burner so that it begins to smoke. You can use a wire brush to carefully brush out the thin layer of ash until the color becomes uneven and grooves appear. This shows off the grain beautifully and gives the material a beautiful, rough and structured surface. The surface appears naturally weathered.
brush off with a wire brush
If you don't like the flaming method, you can achieve the same effect with a wire or brass brush. For larger surfaces, you can also get a wire brush attachment for a drill and use it to work on the wood. Simply run the edge of the brush horizontally over the wood material to give the wood the vintage look you want.
Allow signs of wear
Old pieces of furniture or objects made of wood look worn, show several signs of wear and have flaws. To make the wood look old, you can use some utensils from your workroom. With a hammer, for example, you can leave deep gouges in the wood surface. You can also hit a bottle cap with a hammer to create interesting notches on the material.
Give it an antique look by beating
If you want to imitate some wormholes, you can hit the wood surface you want to treat with the tip of a needle. To prevent the wood from getting scratches, you can fill a stocking with nails or screws and hit the wood with them.
With metal chain
For a scratched and realistic-looking surface, you can use a metal chain that is also equipped with screws and nuts. You need to be careful with this variation as the chain often snaps back and can injure your hand.
Depending on what kind of wooden object you want to age, there are of course other techniques. Small rings left by wet glass on darker wooden surfaces have a great effect on tables, for example. You can get scraped corners with a small chisel, for example.
You can achieve an aging effect with a solution of ammonia and water or by smoking with ammonia spirit. Since the smell is very strong and can be harmful, you must definitely use a respirator or call specialists to your side.
The result after processing will of course vary from type of wood to type of wood, which is why a preliminary test is recommended. If you want to age wood, you have to keep in mind that damage cannot be reversed. Therefore, start slowly, step by step, and add more dents if necessary.
