Aged white wood. Brushing wood with your own hands

You can personalize your interior in a variety of ways. Most often, this is done by focusing on certain little things, for example, the use of unusual textures or colors. One of the technologies in demand for the formation of the original texture is do-it-yourself wood aging. The technique allows you to give the surface a unique pattern, while the basis is natural material.

The need for a procedure

Those who want to make antique furniture with their own hands should learn how to give its surface the most realistic appearance. For this, an artificial process is used - brushing (from the English brush - brush). During operation, the fibers of the wooden elements are structured. In nature, a tree reaches such a visual state over a longer period, but using modern tools, this time interval can be significantly narrowed.

Under natural conditions, an aged tree loses its strength, and under artificial impact, the reverse process occurs, depriving the material of weak fibers and providing greater strength.

Such treatment also helps to protect the surface from the effects of bark beetles and other insects. As a result, it will be possible to achieve the necessary colors and stylish appearance. You can age a tree with your own hands for any need: from small photo frames or boxes to making furniture or parquet.

The use of wood species

It is important to consider that not every type of wood can be processed in this special way. The final quality is influenced by the structure of the natural material. In most cases, artificial aging of a tree is applied to the following species:

• larch;
• nut;
• ash.

The internal structure of the tree should have a visible fibrous pattern. It will become the basis for the formation of the invoice. Deprived of this property, wood species with extremely hard fibers are not commonly used. These include:

• pear;
• maple;
• cherry;

The task of the performer is to directly influence the soft structure located between the annual rings. In the presence of the most homogeneous environment, it will not be possible to form the aging of a tree with your own hands.

So, for example, by firing, you can turn ordinary pine into a rare and valuable species of tropical wood obtained from the Wenge tree.

VIDEO: We turn pine into wenge

Application of the mechanical method

When carrying out a full cycle of brushing, the following algorithm of actions is carried out:

• primary machining using a metal brush to cut off soft particles from the surface of the workpiece

• carrying out grinding work with a roughing brush with polymer bristles or the use of sandpaper with a coarse abrasive;
• applying stain or other types of dyes to the treated surface;
• polishing work or applying several layers of varnish, in the intervals between drying, sanding “zero” is performed

During artificial aging of wood, drills or grinders are used to reduce the amount of manual labor and increase productivity. The process uses brushes with aluminum, steel, copper and artificial polymer bristles.

Do-it-yourself wood aging, as shown in the video at the end of the chapter, begins with roughing, when the tool is driven along the arrangement of the fibers with the same speed and uniform pressure over the entire surface.

Processing should not form unwanted "pits" in the blanks, so you need to enter the tool evenly, without much pressure, if the idea does not require the formation of a target rough relief.

The light during work must be of high quality and provide a vision of the natural pattern. In this regard, the lamp beams are directed perpendicular to the length of the fibers. In such a situation, the desired pattern is shaded.

The moisture content of the processed wood is selected in the range of 15-16%. This value will provide the preferred finish surface roughness without raised villi. If, before aging a tree at home, you use a polymer processing tool, you will achieve an effect with a less pronounced relief.

The next step in the form of sanding will cut off the raised wood pile from the fibers. Sandpaper or abrasive brushes successfully cope with the task. You can control the degree of roughness manually.

VIDEO: Do-it-yourself artificial aging of wood. Carpentry Tricks

Applying a coloring layer

The prepared relief with the help of mechanical means is processed by staining. This will significantly enhance the result and hide fresh peeling by mechanical means. Thanks to the play of colors, it will be possible to obtain the desired presentable effect.

It is customary to stain similar antique wood products with stain, and then wash it off. This will allow the material to enter almost instantly into the soft structure of the tissues, while the hard one will not have time to absorb the applied color. The natural beauty of the material will fully manifest itself outside.

It will be possible to leave particles of gold paint on the surface if you apply a small layer of it with a brush, and then remove the residue from the surface with a hard spatula. The particles will penetrate into the depressions and pores, which will ensure a successful result.

You can protect the cavities and grooves formed during the machining process with a transparent putty. This technique is useful in the manufacture of countertops, shelves or other practical surfaces. During their operation, fine dirt will not be clogged into relief zones.

Since the tree must be artificially aged carefully and with the possibility of its use, the finishing operations are:

• polishing;
• varnishing;
• waxing.

It will also be possible to achieve an interesting texture for designers with the help of craquelure varnishing. It forms small cracks and chips on the front side. Paint or coal dust must be rubbed into them, providing a unique individual pattern.

Choose craquelure in specialized stores and within expiration dates. In most cases, expired varnish does not give a cracking effect.

Using chemical brushing

In the process of chemical action on the fibers, it is possible to achieve similar results that are obtained from mechanical processing. For this, active solutions are used that can affect the structure of the soft fiber. Corroding the desired areas, an original pattern is formed on the surface of a wooden blank.

Chemical brushing

The technique does not require the use of brushes and sandpaper during the active phase. For several cycles of applying and washing off the solution, the canvas is transformed.

In pickling, preparations are used that contain particles that are poisonous to humans, therefore, in order to prevent poisoning of the body with chemical vapors, it is recommended to work in open space.

The chemical solutions that are used in fiber softening contain a high percentage of alkali. You can take for this purpose a drug that cleans the oven. After a good rubbing, the layer is washed off, and the cycle is repeated until the desired effect is obtained. After etching, the finishing operations coincide with those that were carried out during machining.

Work with chemicals should be carried out in compliance with personal protective equipment: gloves, goggles, a petal and a protective gown or apron. After the operation, all residues of the substance from the surfaces are washed off under running water.

VIDEO: How to make an antique wood table top with your own hands

Interior and household items decorated with artificially aged wood:

Table and chairs - made of larch

Kitchen. Facade - larch, shelves - pine

This is tracing paper already from Italian - patina. In a broad sense, patina is the noble traces of aging. The essence of the method: we select the paint to match the furniture, cover it in one layer and let it dry (sand the surface before painting). Then we make the shade lighter - repeat the procedure. Now we take a fine skin or a hard sponge and sculpt the scuffs. It is important that the base is visible through the top layer. It must be seen that the furniture was painted more than once. Adjust the degree of wear to your liking. At the end, cover the product with clear varnish or wax.

Patination is suitable not only for wooden surfaces, but also for metal and plaster, for example. Keep this in mind when choosing paint. They differ just in the type of material on which you will use them. The most popular are acrylic.

Passionate about the process? In addition to furniture, anything can be patinated - from sockets and baseboards to photo frames. And by the way, to start with, it’s better to practice on the latter, and not on the closet.

InMyRoom Tip: sand the first coat lightly to improve its adhesion to the new paint.

Wood aging is gaining more and more popularity among lovers of antique furniture. Russian manufacturers have noticed this trend. Many large factories in the Russian Federation have special lines that produce furniture using the technique of brushing or artificial aging. Not everyone can afford such furniture, but even fragile female hands can turn wooden boards into an old masterpiece at home. Today we will get acquainted with 4 ways of artificial aging of a tree and learn how to apply them in everyday life.

Brushing - an analysis of the basics of popular technology

Take a wooden board and place it in front of you. What do you see? Tree pattern. Each breed has its own unique pattern, which consists of combined light and dark lines. They are created over the years as the tree grows. In winter, dark fibers with a dense structure grow, and in summer - soft light colors. Under the influence of moisture, sun, wind and weather conditions, the soft layer with light fibers is gradually erased, the board takes on an old look. To achieve the natural effect of aging wood will have to wait decades. Fortunately, there is a simple and quick procedure for brushing. As a result of thermal, chemical and mechanical impact, wood acquires a convex texture with worn edges and chips, which is characteristic of a "living tree" with a centuries-old history.

The brushing technique comes from the English word "brush", translated as a brush. For aging, a metal brush is really used. However, this is not the only tool that allows you to achieve the effect of an old tree.

After brushing with abrasive materials, the wood is covered with paint or stain, opened with varnish. Lacquer materials emphasize the new texture and extend the life of the wood. Standard paints can be combined with shades of bronze, gold, silver. To achieve maximum effect, it is important to choose the right wood. For brushing, wood species such as larch, merbau, wenge, alder, ash, oak, metoba, kempas are suitable. Spruce and pine look especially good in this technique. But beech, maple, teak, juniper, birch, alder, pear, cherry are bad examples for brushing. After processing, the drawing should be expressive and not merge, which cannot be achieved with the above breeds. So pay attention to the peculiarity of the pattern. The more expressive it is, the more interesting the result will be. The presence of chips, hollows and knots on the surface will be an additional advantage. Depending on the brushing method chosen, it takes from several hours to days to work.

What to age in the interior - we understand the issue in more detail

Aged wood in the interior is the main attribute of country style and Provence. It creates a rustic, country atmosphere in the house, close to nature. To emphasize this style, the brushing technique can be applied to the following interior elements:

• "pot-bellied" or ordinary chest of drawers;
• window sills and doors made of natural wood;
• solid wood for flooring and wall cladding;
• floor beams;
• backyard benches;
• shelves, tables, chairs;
• log cabins for wells;
• wooden fences.

Natural wood with the effect of aging goes well with other natural materials (stone, leather, metal). Brushing is often used by craftsmen who create handicrafts. Here are some more ideas from this series: a designer lamp, a notebook with rough leather and wood trim, wrought iron garden furniture

Method number 1 - a metal brush and translucent glaze

The easiest option for aging wood is to use a stiff metal brush with a handle. After intensive movements on the surface of the wood, the texture of the material appears on it, which is then emphasized by the finishing. Before aging the wood, we sand the surface with sandpaper with a grit of 150. Then we take a metal brush and go through it along the line of fibers until characteristic stripes and bulges appear. It should be noted that the manual brushing process is lengthy, so be patient. Intense movements paid off, soft fibers were removed and texture appeared on the surface. Remove the resulting wood chips with a soft brush, not with your hand, otherwise you can drive a splinter.

The tree is changing before our eyes. To emphasize its relief, we cover the surface with 2 layers of translucent glaze. Such material already looks attractive. After a couple of minutes, remove the extra layer of glaze with a sponge and open the tree with varnish. If it seems to you that something is missing, you can in the Provence style. Use white glaze, applying it after the first coat of translucent glaze. Remove the fresh glaze with a sponge after 3 – 5 minutes after application in a chaotic manner. The final stage is varnishing or transparent glaze.

Simplified to a minimum option - the use of a metal brush and white glaze. We pass over the surface with a brush, cover it with white glaze and again, after drying, brush off thick areas with a brush finish. Thanks to this simple method of wood aging, a whitewashed board with a light, long-term coating is obtained.

Method number 2 - multi-layer staining

To make wood look like real antiques, you need to work hard. One way to do this is multi-layer staining. What is needed for this, we will find out a little later, but for now we will work a little on the wood manually. Take an awl, a hammer, a file, self-tapping screws, rods and leave a mark on each tool. Small chips, cracks, scratches and abrasions will give the naturalness of antiquity. The main thing is not to overdo it.

Now let's move on to the paints, you will need:

• primer for wood Pinotex;
• tinting paint;
• white glaze;
• white spirit for dilution.

For the first layer, take a Pinotex wood primer and spread it over the entire surface. Pinotex primer is thicker than glaze. It is used in cases where it is necessary to create a thick base layer. After the first layer has completely dried, we apply tinting paint (antiseptic). Wait for everything to dry and move on to the next step. We take fine and large sandpaper, a metal brush. We work alternately with all the tools, creating a natural raid of time. Next, take the white glaze, dip the brush into it, remove the excess and spread it over the wood. It is not necessary to apply glaze densely and evenly. The lower dark layer should be visible through it. Again we take a metal brush and go through the dried surface, creating more visible gaps. Such aging of wood looks contrasting. To bring it closer to natural, the next layer needs to be made more muted. This can be achieved by diluting the white glaze with white spirit in equal proportions. Apply the diluted mixture to the surface and wait for complete drying.

Method number 3 - an electric drill with a nozzle and paint-lacquer

The mechanical method with a hand brush is reliable but time consuming. To age a tree with your own hands quickly, use an electric drill or a grinder with a hard nylon bristle attachment. We begin the work with the preparation of wood. Take a hand planer and make notches along the edges of the material. We do not recommend using the electric version of the tool, the result will look unnatural. Before proceeding to the next step, we put on goggles and a respirator to protect the mucous membrane of the eyes and nasopharynx from wood chips. Thick gloves won't hurt either. Take a drill or grinder, put on a stiff brush attachment and practice on a small area of ​​wood. Move strictly in the direction of the fibers, do not press the nozzle too tightly to the surface. If you're sure you're ready, move on to the main part. With light movements we move along the wood, remove the soft fibers.

To speed up the process and enhance artificial aging, before starting work with a drill or grinder, you can singe the tree with a gas burner. It is important not to hold the torch in one place too long to prevent the resin from igniting.

If you are not burning wood, then after using power tools, dampen the board with a brush and let it dry for 2-3 minutes. Next, sand the surface with fine-grained sandpaper, collect wood dust. It is better to do this with a vacuum cleaner to completely eliminate the entry of drifts under the skin, or carefully walk over the surface with a soft bristle brush. Before finishing, holes can be made in the board with a depth of 1-2 mm with a blunt nail.

The last stage is coating with paints and varnishes. Use paint and varnish of your choice. Tip, so that the artificially aged tree looks as realistic as possible, we paint the recesses in light shades, and the convex parts in darker ones. If you decide to paint the board in one light shade, after drying, sand the surface to bring out the dark details. After finishing the work, we fix the finish with varnish. To enhance the result, instead of the usual varnish, you can use craquelure. After drying, it cracks, the lower layer of paint is visible in the voids.

Method number 4 - exposure to fire and a hard brush

Aging wood with a gas burner or a blowtorch is widely used among craftsmen who want to get a deep effect. In addition, this is a quick option, which, depending on the use of additional tools, has its own characteristics.

If you just want to emphasize the texture of the wood, do not pre-treat the surface. Burn the board with a gas burner in separate places or completely, and then go over with fine-grained sandpaper. But pre-treatment will help to make the surface more convex and embossed. Remove soft fibers manually with a wire brush or go through with a drill with a nozzle. Carry out firing. After processing, such wood looks noble and more advantageous than the previous version due to a deeper effect on the material. Also, a special effect is obtained by completely firing the material with a gas burner and subsequent processing with a hard hand brush.

When working with fire, remember: you should not bring a gas burner or blowtorch close to a tree. Do not hold the machine for too long in one place, work quickly to avoid fire and be sure to follow safety precautions. Before starting work, put on thick gloves, a robe, goggles and a respirator. After cleaning the surface, varnish it.

Artificially aged wood is a unique finishing material. Practical, inexpensive, fully retaining its strength characteristics, but at the same time possessing original beauty and the charm of antiquity. The scope of such a tree is wide: interior design, furniture manufacturing, facade decoration, arbors, stairs, even fences are made from it. The most important thing is that wood processing does not require special knowledge or experience, and anyone can handle it. Let us consider in more detail how to age a tree on your own, and what is needed for this.

There are three effective ways to age wood - mechanical, chemical and thermal. Depending on the chosen method, the final result has certain differences.

The mechanical method includes two types of processing - brushing and patination. Both types can be used together or separately, depending on the material and the desired result:

• brushing - the surface is treated with a metal brush to remove soft fibers and expose annual rings. As a result of such processing, the upper layer acquires a pronounced relief, which is further emphasized by the application of glazing compositions. This method is the most time-consuming and is used mainly for hardwoods - pine, larch, spruce, oak, walnut;

• patination - surface treatment with coloring compositions, followed by polishing. It is used for soft woods, as well as wood with a slightly pronounced texture - maple, cherry, beech and others. Wood wax and stain can be used along with the paint to give a brighter pattern.

The chemical method consists in treating the top layer of the tree with various compounds that change the color of the fibers. Ammonia and products containing alkali, for example, liquid for cleaning stoves or sewers, are suitable for this. This method can only be used for rocks containing tannins, that is, hardwoods. Chemical treatment of coniferous wood will not give the desired effect.

The thermal method is the firing of wood with a gas burner or blowtorch. The type of tree does not matter. They do not burn much, if only the texture of the fibers appears more clearly, and then the carbon deposits are removed with a metal brush. Next, cover the surface with a stain or varnish to give the wood a more decorative look. In general, the process is not difficult, but requires caution and safety.

brushing technology

Tools and materials for processing

In the process of work you will need:

• hand planer;
• chisel or small hatchet;
• steel brush;
• angle grinder with brush attachments;
• sandpaper, large and small;
• paint brushes;
• dense sponge;
• tinting antiseptic for wood (for example, "Pinotex");
• white azure;
• brush with soft bristles.

Prices for cordless drill/driver

Cordless Drill

Rough cleaning should be done with a steel bristle bristle, but nylon and copper bristles are better for finishing. There is a special nozzle called "Piranha". It is a polymer-abrasive brush that can effectively remove soft fibers from the surface and leave hard ones. The grinder can be replaced with a drill, such nozzles are also produced for it. In extreme cases, you can get by with a hand tool, but this is long and tedious.

Piranha brush

The wood should be dense, strong, not damp. Resinous boards should also not be taken, as the resin makes processing difficult. The presence of knots is welcome, as they make the pattern more pronounced and decorative. In the absence of experience in such work, take a small piece of unplaned board or timber, up to half a meter long.

In the process of such work, a lot of fine dust is always formed, so it is best to do it in the fresh air. If the weather does not allow, take care of the possibility of airing the room and be sure to prepare a protective mask or at least goggles.

Step 1. The workpiece is laid on a flat surface and processed with a manual planer. It is better not to use an electric tool, as it leaves small transverse stripes, which reduces the naturalness of the pattern.

Step 2 With the help of a chisel or a corner of an ax over the entire surface, you need to make chaotic chips, shallow and shapeless, to give the material a rougher look.

Step 3 Now with a metal brush you need to tear off the soft fibers. The brush should be driven only along the fibers, pressing the tool against the board with force.

Advice. To reduce dust generation, it is recommended to lightly dampen the surface of the workpiece with water. But before grinding and impregnation, the tree must be dried.

Step 4 When the relief begins to appear, the manual brush is replaced with a grinder with a metal brush, and work continues. The nozzle should be located perpendicular to the surface to be treated, movements should be performed strictly along the fibers. If you do not need too rough relief, take a Piranha brush or a nylon bristle brush right away and do not press hard on the tool during work. Wormholes and knots on the tree go around the perimeter to emphasize the contours.

Step 5 With a soft brush sweep the resulting dust, and then proceed to grinding. You can sand the tree by hand or with a grinder, the main thing is to remove protruding fibers and sharp protrusions. In conclusion, the workpiece is once again cleaned of dust.

Step 6 Now the material needs to be given color. To do this, the surface is first coated with a Pinotex primer, which is applied with a brush along the fibers. You can use both stain and dark azure - any coating with color that will not hide the texture.

Step 7 After applying the composition to the workpiece, give it a few minutes to soak, and then gently wipe the top layer with a sponge. It is not necessary to rub strongly, it is enough to gently rub 2-3 times along the fibers. After that, all the recesses will remain darker than the protruding edges, and the relief will appear more clearly.

A distinctive feature of good quality stains is that they show the texture of wood.

Then there are two options: leave this color and cover the wood with a transparent varnish or add another layer and give the material the look of an old bleached wood. The second option is suitable for processing elements in the Provence style. To do this, wait until the impregnation is completely dry, and apply white azure with a brush in a very thin layer. After it dries, the wood is lightly sanded with the finest sandpaper, cleaned of dust and coated with a colorless varnish.

This method is also used: after brushing, the workpiece is covered with a dense layer of white glaze, dried and brushed again with a metal brush, but now not so intensively. Finally, a layer of clear varnish is applied.

Applying white paint

To make a dark tree, and not bleached, instead of white azure, the surface is thickly covered with stain or Pinotex, and the layer is made uneven. Next, use a brush or sandpaper, depending on what kind of finish you want to get. Sanding gives light blurry scuffs, and after the brush, rough grooves remain and the tree looks more brutal.

Prices for various types of stains

How to make patination

Primary processing is carried out according to the technology described above: soft fibers are removed, a relief is given and the surface is polished. Only after that, the workpiece can be patinated.

Step 1. Take any wood primer and carefully apply it with a brush to the wood. The primer should penetrate well into all grooves and recesses. Allow the workpiece to dry.

Step 2 Apply the first coat of paint. Acrylic paint is best suited, because it is not prone to peeling, fits well on the surface, and does not leave streaks.

The choice of color depends only on your preferences, you can take any shades, the main thing is that they are saturated and contrast with the patina shade. The paint is applied with a brush, evenly distributing the composition in a thin layer. The base coat must dry completely, so they take a break from work for a day.

Step 3 Sand the workpiece with fine sandpaper. Wipe the dust and apply a layer of patina with a brush. Patina for wood is best chosen in the color of bronze or gold, with a metallic tint. Here it is not necessary to evenly distribute the paint, on the contrary, the difference in coating density will only emphasize the effect of aging.

Step 4 When the patina begins to set, you need to take a dry rag and wipe certain areas. After the paint has dried, the wood is covered with a transparent varnish.

Types of patina for wood

Thermal aging

First of all, take care of safety precautions. When firing wood, there should be no flammable objects and liquids nearby, and it is better to carry out such work in general in the fresh air. Be sure to check the condition of the burner or blowtorch.

Prices for various types of gas burners and blowtorches

Gas burners and blowtorches

Step 1. The workpiece is placed on a non-combustible surface or installed vertically, after which they proceed to firing with a burner. The material is treated as evenly as possible, the top layer should be charred by about 2-3 mm in thickness.

Step 2 After cooling, the charred soot is removed manually with a brush or with a grinder. The intensity and duration of this treatment depends on the desired texture.

Step 3. Having formed the desired relief, they take a grinding nozzle and process the workpiece again. Here it is important not to overdo it and not remove the excess, otherwise the aging effect will be insignificant.

Step 4 Since the color of the wood has changed during firing, dark and light areas have appeared, there is no need for painting. Now it remains only to cover the material with a colorless varnish or protective impregnation.

The use of chemically aggressive substances requires special care and accuracy in work. Be sure to use protective gloves, and the room should be well ventilated. The workpiece is pre-treated with coarse sandpaper and wiped from dust. Then alkaline products or ammonia are applied with a brush and left for several hours. To slow down drying, you can cover everything with a film on top. Under the influence of ammonia and alkalis, the surface acquires a gray tint, characteristic of old weathered wood.

When the color of the workpiece has completely changed, it is rinsed with water, and then wiped with vinegar solution (a tablespoon in a glass of water) to remove the remaining alkali. If ammonia was used, the vinegar solution is not needed. After drying, the wood is brushed, sanded and a protective coating is applied. It is not necessary to paint such material, because then the meaning in chemical processing disappears, and it is easier to do everything mechanically.

Outdoor use of aged wood

Such a decorative material is great for decorating facades in a rustic style. First of all, this is the German half-timbered style: the original wall decoration involves the use of wooden beams of a rough texture, giving the building a characteristic look.

Country-style decoration also allows the use of aged wood: this is the sheathing itself, and shutters, and front doors, as well as decorative elements.

Railings, steps, support pillars at the porch - all this can also be made using the described wood processing methods. By practicing on small pieces, you can effortlessly cope with any surface. Of course, large-volume elements, such as cladding for a house, are not so easy to process manually, but there are special machines for sale for this. The most important thing is to have a desire, and then everything will definitely work out.

Video - How to age a tree

Video - Wood patination

Video - Wood aging by firing

Video - Chemical way of aging wood

The recent fashion for vintage products, cars and retro-style clothing has not bypassed the design of wooden products. Antique wood processing allows you to create an interior in new buildings that looks as if the apartment was inherited by the owners from their great-grandfathers. The owners of country houses decorate the facades and interior space with old wood. Artificially aged wood is used to make decorative false beams on the ceiling, stairs, doors and other design elements that give the house a resemblance to a medieval castle or a fairy-tale forest hut.

The high cost of artificially aged wooden objects makes home craftsmen want to make the necessary things with their own hands, achieving both a reduction in the cost of the product and its genuine uniqueness. Doing the work of aging a tree is not at all as difficult as it might seem from the outside. You just need to know about the main ways to achieve a beautiful textured surface on ordinary lumber, which can be purchased at any company that sells building materials and wood.

How to prepare for work?

There are 3 methods of wood aging: chemical, thermal, mechanical.

There are 3 widely used:

• chemical, which is only suitable for hardwood products;
• thermal (firing) - applicable to wood of any species;
• mechanical (brushing) - suitable for conifers and oak.

To work with wood, the following tools and materials are required:

• axe;
• drill or grinder with nozzles;
• brush with metal bristles;
• hair brush;
• paint brushes;
• stain, acrylic paint, colorless varnish, wax;
• sandpaper.

When purchasing boards or timber from which it is planned to create an artificially aged thing, you can choose specimens that are already damaged by a bug, have chips and potholes on the surface, small cracks and knots. After processing, they will give a special charm to the "old" subject.

Ready-made furniture for aging is selected massive, a little rough or rustic, similar to hand-made piece furniture of the last century. Before decorating in any way, it is best to disassemble a piece of furniture into its component parts. This will allow you to process all surfaces without leaving untreated areas in hard-to-reach places that will catch your eye.

Before you start decorating an item for the first time, you should practice and get your hand on various waste pieces of boards and any wood. The master will act more confidently, with knowledge of many of the nuances that may arise during work. On the same tutorials, it is convenient to select the tone of paints or stains, to evaluate in advance what will be the result.

Many operations (brushing, coloring and drying after it, firing) should be done outdoors.

The most affordable materials for purchase are coniferous wood: pine, spruce, larch. They have a pronounced structure and a pattern formed by fibers of different hardness. This makes them suitable for mechanical decoration.

With the help of tools that destroy the upper layers of the tree, you can achieve the effect of aging much faster than if it happened naturally. All abrasions, potholes and cracks can be simulated by 2 methods:

1. On the surface of a board, beam or log with a sharp corner of an ax, apply potholes of different depths and vastness in a chaotic manner. Cut off the corners of the bar a little with an ax, without worrying about accuracy or a flat surface. After that, all surfaces treated in this way must be carefully sanded with a stiff brush with steel bristles. When grinding a large product, it is better to use a drill or grinder with a special nozzle. It is necessary to grind until all the sharp edges that have arisen during cutting with an ax acquire the outlines of natural damage smoothed out by time. It is important to remember that the movements of the brush should always be directed along the fibers. The next step will be sanding to remove protruding fibers and steel brushing with softer bristles than the 1st time. At the same time, part of the soft fibers is removed, forming shallow depressions between the ridges of the harder winter wood fibers. The same brush can additionally highlight knots and cracks.
2. After polishing the light surface of the new product, it is required to give it a resemblance to the old wood darkened from time to time: paint it with stain or dark acrylic paint. After drying with a sandpaper with a medium grain, without strong pressure, rub the wood a little, removing the paint from the protruding ridges and hills. In this case, the dark color is preserved in the potholes and between the fibers. For final finishing, the product is covered with acrylic transparent or light yellow varnish, dried until completely dry.

More "humane" way. Suitable for medium-sized products and furniture, wooden utensils and other small surfaces. Brushing is done by hand, with a brush with metal bristles. In this case, as in the previous case, the soft fibers are removed, leaving the ridges of hard wood. Wood dust is swept away with a hair brush, controlling the process by eye and achieving the desired degree of surface wear. After that, the product is painted and decorated, as indicated above.

Thermal and chemical wood processing

These methods can be called related, since the destruction of the upper layer of the tree occurs almost without mechanical influences. These are more dangerous methods than the previous ones, so processing should be done in the air and in compliance with safety measures.

The essence of firing lies in the fact that soft fibers are destroyed when exposed to open fire. To do this, the surfaces of the workpiece are fired with a flame of a blowtorch or a special gas burner to a depth of 3 mm. With surface firing, the effect of aging will be negligible, with deeper firing it will be more pronounced. The master at the same time regulates the process depending on his taste and needs.

After charring the top layer, a metal brush or a nozzle on a drill is put into action, scraping off the carbon deposits until the desired color and texture is obtained. Such wood can not be painted, because it will already have dark and light areas. The final processing consists in sanding and varnishing the product.

With the chemical method, antique wood decoration occurs in the process of exposure to alkalis or ammonia. To do this, you can use aerosols for cleaning stoves or a sewer cleaner. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the composition of the product before use, it must contain alkali. Particular attention should be paid to precautions when working with it.

Once on the surface of the tree, these chemicals "burn out" some of the soft fibers, while painting the tree gray. After treatment, all surfaces are washed with water and covered with a weak solution of table vinegar or citric acid (1 tsp per 200 ml of water), removing alkali residues.

When using vinegar, pay special attention to the fact that it should be 9% table vinegar, and not acid.

Dried products are subjected to brushing and staining, if necessary.

Processing wood in the above ways will help the owner to decorate the interior of an antique apartment himself, without investing a lot of money and without spending a lot of time on it. The availability of materials and tools for processing allows both a sophisticated carpenter, a beginner, and even a woman with imagination and skillful hands to engage in this type of creativity.