Using natural wood in decoration home interior gives the premises a more solid look. Imitation antique is also popular in the manufacture of furniture, but the cost of such work when contacting cabinetmakers is high. You can complete the entire cycle of work yourself, since aging wood with your own hands is not too difficult. All you need is time, a minimum set of tools and desire.
Any treatment of wood for the purpose of improving decorative properties It also has a positive effect on its safety, since it is associated with the application of several layers of coloring compounds and varnishes to the surface. Properly aged products have a much longer lifespan than those that have been minimally impacted. Such furniture is less susceptible to rot, mold, damage by insects and other pests.
But the main goal artificial aging– giving wooden elements special external properties that will allow them to look more solid. But it is important to understand that the entire interior of the room must correspond to a single style.
Different types of wood can be aged using different methods. A number of methods are not suitable for working with certain varieties.
Table 1. Aging methods and types of rocks that can be subjected to the techniques.
Effects on the surface using special compounds can be divided into techniques:
Processing with physical impact on wooden planes is also possible:
Other methods are also possible - for example, imitation of natural damage, which is achieved using an awl, sandpaper and other tools.
Advice! All mentioned techniques can be combined to achieve greater reliability.
Most methods for aging wood yourself do not require specialized tools or expensive materials. It is important to carry out the work carefully and slowly.
What you will need:
Sequencing.
This method will help to imitate abrasions and emphasize the relief.
Varnished or painted objects partially darken over time - this occurs due to constant contact with hands and for other reasons. Most often, such a change concerns the corners and relief parts of the product.
To imitate the master use:
The application of bituminous varnishes is accompanied by their immediate removal from most of the surface. The irregularities of the wooden object will still remain dark. After drying, the product should be coated with a layer of shellac. When using wax polishes, they are rubbed onto the wood, and after drying (which will take a long time) they will appear in the form of reflections.
We present to you step by step instructions on patination of wood to create a scuffed effect on it.
Step one. To begin with, the box is carefully sanded using sandpaper. Thanks to this, you will eliminate all roughness and unevenness. Then, when the treatment is completed, you need to remove the dust with a rag.
Step two. All places where there will be abrasions in the future are treated with simple candle wax. For example, these may be some areas flat surface box, its sides. All these areas can also be pre-treated with wood primer, but - and this is important - with an extremely thin layer.
Step three. Paint of the main color is applied to the box (in our example it is white acrylic paint). Apply carefully, using a brush, to all surfaces. Acrylic paint dries quickly. All subsequent work should be carried out only after it has dried.
Step four. The box is re-processed with sandpaper. This will remove parts of the paint, and therefore sanding should only be carried out in the right places. With those areas that have been treated with wax, there will be no difficulties in removing the paint. It is also important to move along the grain of the wood.
Note! Do not use very coarse sandpaper. Otherwise, you may damage the surface of the wood.
Step five. Now you want the wood to look stained at the corners of the box. This can be done using a special composition called patina (preferably water-based). A small amount of paint is applied to the palette (or any other suitable surface).
Step six. It is better to use a piece of sponge to apply the patina. The latter is pre-wetted in a patination composition, after which the paint is applied to the surface with soft, gentle movements.
Step seven. When all the compounds have dried, the box should be coated with varnish (preferably matte, not glossy). That's it, the work can be considered completed. Now all that remains is to wait for the box to dry and screw on the fittings. You can use the furniture box!
On a note! If desired, the patina can be applied in two layers - this allows you to get more saturated color. But also overdo it in this case not necessary, otherwise the furniture will not look natural.
The essence of the method is to apply several layers of paint, and the lower (darker) layers should be visible through the translucent upper ones. What coloring compounds can be used:
Reference! Many also use strong tea leaves.
The result should be a surface painted in various shades, which shine through each other.
The technique involves covering surfaces with droplets of paint, which will give it an original look. Most often used in conjunction with other aging techniques.
You will need:
It also makes sense to prepare some object (for example, a sheet of paper) on which you can practice spraying.
Advice! It is recommended to cover the table and nearby objects with newspapers so as not to stain them during work.
Process description.
Advice! To get large splashes, you need to grab it with a brush. more paint, and for applying small pinpoint drops - on the contrary - as little as possible.
This method is often used by artists to create craquelure - imitation of aging, looks like a paint layer cracked over time - in the form of a spider's web. Can also be used for aging painted or varnished wooden products. One of the most effective techniques.
There are two ways to get a craquelure surface.
Important! Only one pass should be made in one place. Otherwise, the composition will begin to roll off the plane.
24 hours after drying, you need to apply the finishing coat. It is better to use shellac or acrylic varnish. The result should be a surface with a cracked top layer of paint, with the first layer visible through the cracks.
The method is more labor-intensive than the one-step method, but it looks much more impressive.
The resulting surface will look and feel old, with peeling paint.
Other ways to create artificial craquelure:
All patination methods have been repeatedly tested by design and decoration specialists.
Not a very complicated, but effective way of aging. To work you will need:
Advice! For rubbing, you can use a regular candle.
Methods of chemical treatment of wood. Most often, craftsmen prefer to age products made from hardwood. Special compounds can be used as chemicals:
Or what is in every home:
Small products can be immersed entirely in the solution, while large ones can be treated with a brush or swab. It is important to choose a fabric that will not leave particles on the surface being treated.
Different chemicals interact with wood fibers each in their own way. For example, Epsom salt leaves purple spots on the birch, and iron sulfate leaves olive spots.
The process consists of primary mechanical processing of the part with sandpaper and application of a chemical solution. After the reaction has occurred and dried, the product will receive the appropriate appearance, after which it will be possible to continue working with it.
A type of mechanical effect on the structure of wood. Use metal brushes or special drill attachments. The method is based on removing the softer upper layers, while the hard ones remain. After this treatment, you can apply paints and varnishes or use other methods of artificial aging.
The following breeds are practically not amenable to this technique:
Surface treatment is carried out along the wood grain.
One of the types of thermal aging of a product. It is best to use a miniature one gas burner– it is more convenient for working with both large and small parts.
By exposing the surfaces to open fire for different times, you can achieve the appropriate shades - from light brown to radical black. This is often followed by metal brushing (brushing).
Advice! Such manipulations should be carried out outdoors, in a garage or a special workshop, observing fire safety measures.
The process looks like this.
The technique will require some experience to obtain best result. It is important to consider that the lower layers of sand are hotter than the upper ones, so the bottom of the workpiece will darken somewhat faster than its top. By placing and changing the arrangement of parts in the sand in different ways, you can achieve different effects and smooth transitions from light to dark tones.
Sand firing is also combined with other methods of aging wood.
Craftsmen also use other techniques for aging wood. Examples:
Combinations various techniques are carried out depending on the initial state of the wood planes and on what effect needs to be achieved.
Working with wooden blanks requires care and attention. Sometimes defects obtained during work are very difficult to correct.
This type of varnish is considered professional and expensive; it is used to protect many products: furniture, decorative ornaments, musical instruments. It is sold both ready-made (can be used immediately) and dry - you will need to dilute the resin yourself.
It is better for beginners to first buy alcohol varnishes that are already suitable for work; this will allow them to learn how to work with them correctly without being distracted by preparation methods, although the cost of such mixtures is high. After some time, you can try to make shellac yourself. Dilution proportion: 900 g of shellac will require 240 ml of denatured alcohol. Application methods: swab or brush.
There are several methods, but the basic sequence is as follows.
In addition to longitudinal movements, it is possible to rub shellac in circles or in “figure eights” - this way you can better achieve continuity. This type of work will require experience.
To give wooden product special type, as if it is already many years old, designers use artificial aging techniques. Some of them can be easily done on your own, while others will require special attention and care. In most cases, expensive materials will not be needed.
Find out how to age wood with your own hands in the loft style at home with your own hands and you can use it anywhere in production: for wooden kitchen, Provence furniture, tables, etc. This makes a wonderful color that will enhance the decor of any home! Application in decoration modern wood is, perhaps, a win-win option.
This is an incredibly attractive, breathable, pleasant to the touch natural material. It has a beneficial effect on the formation of the microclimate in the home, has bactericidal properties, and is useful for human energy. Wooden ceiling beams will look great in any room, individual elements decor.
This wonderful material lends itself perfectly to the most different types processing: it can be left in in kind, paint, age, and much more.
There is no specific, unambiguous answer to this question.
This procedure is carried out for different purposes, most often these are:
There are many in various ways for processing wood to achieve the desired result. Brushing, or texturing, is one of the most actively used.
The word brush is of English origin and means brush. From this comes the name of the technique, which consists in using the mentioned object to remove soft, pliable fibers of the material. Very similar processes occur as a result of natural aging, but in this case they take a fairly large amount of time. This method is considered the closest to natural changes occurring in the material.
With its help, wood acquires a distinct woody texture.
Give the surface wooden material An aged look using brushing is quite possible on your own, at home. The problem is that not every type of wood is suitable for such processing.
Maple, cherry, beech, pear, selected varieties exotic plants, do not lend themselves to this method of aging.
It is also not suitable for products and surfaces made of MDF. What to do if there is no suitable material available? You will have to use a different method, chemical. Coniferous wood is best processed mechanically.
Brushing is a rather labor-intensive procedure. The main tool for its implementation is an elastic and durable metal brush. Quickly change appearance wood will not be made with its help, so you can speed up the process.
To do this you will need either a drill with special brush made of rigid wire.
It should be noted that the use of electromechanical tools for wood processing can be very unsafe. The fact is that during the event quite strong vibrations occur, which can cause not only wood chips, but also metal elements to tear off and suddenly fly off.
Therefore, it is important not only to know how to age wood, but also to be able to do it safely, without risking your own health. All activities are carried out in a special protective suit; eyes must be covered with camouflage goggles or a face shield. The airways are closed with a special respirator.
Is it possible to age wood by hand without using special devices and tools? You will need coarse sandpaper to clean the surface. Ammonia (ammonia solution) is applied to the prepared material, which makes the wood noticeably darker.
Thanks to this treatment, the wood texture becomes more distinct, while the noble darkening gives the material a touch of refined antiquity.
Such processing can be superficial and fairly light in nature.. In this case, a polymer coarse brush is used. If the tree is subjected to deep processing, even the annual rings of the wood become noticeable.
The main thing is not to overdo it when performing this operation. Otherwise, the result of the efforts spent will not be an elegant textured surface, but loose, indefinite wood.
Regardless of the chosen processing method, after rough initial cleaning wooden blank it is necessary to return the original aesthetics. Irregularities and burrs are carefully removed from the surface of the object, then using a special abrasive brush. Then the material is additionally lightened and given a gloss, for which thin sandpaper is used.
Mechanical processing alone is not enough to achieve the desired effect of aged wood. What to do with the material next? You can coat the product with one of the types of varnish. The material looks very interesting after special processing - patination. It allows you to make the surface of the material even more embossed. Patina is a peculiar, unique gloss acquired by a material over time.
Recreating it with your own hands requires considerable effort, and is carried out in several separate stages. What is the patination process?
This is the application of special stains and compounds to the surface being treated. In each case, they are selected individually, in accordance with the desired shade and color of the product.
The compositions should be applied in such a way that they end up in the pores of the wood, which when machining open.
The essence this method is to make the deep pores of the material appear contrasting and dark against the general background, which is lighter. To carry out this procedure yourself, you need to choose a paint that matches the color. They completely paint over the prepared surface and, without waiting for it to dry completely, remove part of the top layer with a cloth or sponge. This wood looks noble and looks like antique.
But patination is not the only way to achieve a similar or similar result. It is absolutely wonderful to age products using special enamels. This method will allow you to get a real work of art that looks little different from a genuine antique.
A layer of enamel of a certain color is applied to the surface. When it dries, it’s time for the next coloring. For secondary application, you will need a composition of a different shade and a more liquid consistency.
When the treated rock has completely dried, its surface can be easily processed with sandpaper. In some places the initial layer appears, forming elegant abrasions.
The patination process must be completed by tinting. To carry it out, you will need special compositions containing resins and natural ones. As a final finish, treated wood is coated with a double or triple layer of varnish. After drying, the surface is treated with a soft cloth to give it a special shine.
This varnishing consolidates all previously carried out manipulations and gives the product a finished, finished look.
And although the process is quite complex and time-consuming, anyone can master the art of working with wood.
The main thing here is to carefully study the technology, understand the sequence of steps, and strictly follow the instructions.
How to competently carry out the brushing process so that the resulting result is pleasing to the eye? You need to know some of the nuances of the process.
Wood treated in a special way cannot be found in every home. The fact is that it is not enough to simply age the wood.
The ability to correctly use it for interior design is of great importance. But the use of the described brushing method allows us to produce completely unique products, actually exclusive.
These can be individual pieces of furniture, or entire sets and sets.
Chests of drawers, candlesticks, made from such material look especially interesting. bookshelves, antique sideboards, frames for mirrors and paintings, country furniture and kitchen sets. This method of wood processing is excellent for making individual doors and partitions.
The wood brushing method is great for giving special effect to flooring and parquet boards. Often this material is used for designer decoration of the walls of saunas or home baths, billiard rooms, retro cafes, bars and non-standard premises.
Various methods of wood aging technology are no secret today. Throwing- not the only method, there are others. They differ from each other in the amount of time required to carry out the process, as well as the complexity of the technology. But no matter what method is used to achieve the desired effect, in any case, aged wood is capable of creating a completely unique atmosphere of warmth and comfort in any room, and ennobling the interior with the sophistication of antiquity.
Aging wood is becoming increasingly popular among antique furniture lovers. Russian manufacturers noticed this trend. Many large factories in the Russian Federation have special lines that produce furniture using brushing or artificial aging techniques. Not everyone can afford such furniture, but even fragile people can turn wooden boards into an antique masterpiece at home. female hands. Today we will get acquainted with 4 methods of artificial aging of wood and learn how to use them in everyday life.
Take wooden board, put it in front of you. What do you see? Wood pattern. Each breed has its own unique pattern, which consists of a combination of 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 grow. Under the influence of moisture, sun, wind and weather conditions the soft layer with light fibers gradually wears off, and the board takes on an antique look. To achieve the natural effect of aging wood, you will have to wait for decades. Fortunately, there is a simple and quick brushing procedure. As a result of thermal, chemical and mechanical effects, the wood acquires a convex texture with worn edges and chips, characteristic of a “living tree” with a centuries-old history.
The brushing technique comes from English word"brush", translated as brush. A wire brush is actually used for aging. However, this is not the only tool that allows you to achieve the effect of antique wood.
After brushing with abrasive materials, the wood is coated with paint or stain, and varnished. Paints and varnishes highlight the new texture and extend the life of the wood. Standard paints can be combined with shades of bronze, gold, and silver. To achieve maximum effect, it is important to choose the right wood. Suitable wood species for brushing include larch, merbau, wenge, alder, ash, oak, metoba, and kempas. Spruce and pine look especially good in this technique. But beech, maple, teak, juniper, birch, alder, pear, and cherry are poor examples for brushing. After processing, the pattern should be expressive and not merge, which cannot be achieved with the above-mentioned 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 chosen brushing method, the work takes from several hours to days.
Aged wood in the interior – main attribute Country and Provence style. 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:
Natural wood with an aged effect goes well with other natural materials (stone, leather, metal). Brushing is often used by craftsmen who create products self made. Here are a few more ideas from this series: a designer lamp, a notebook with rough leather and wood trim, wrought iron furniture for garden plot
The simplest 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 finishing. Before aging the wood, we sand the surface with 150-grit sandpaper. Then we take a wire brush and run it along the grain line until characteristic stripes and bulges appear. It should be noted manual process Brushing takes a long time, so be patient. Vigorous movements have borne fruit, soft fibers have been removed and texture has emerged on the surface. We remove the resulting wood shavings with a soft brush, not with your hand, otherwise you may drive a splinter.
The tree is transformed before our eyes. To emphasize its relief, cover the surface with 2 layers of translucent glaze. This material already looks attractive. After a couple of minutes, remove the excess layer of glaze with a sponge and open the wood with varnish. If you feel like something is missing, you can paint the wood in the Provence style. Use white glaze, applying it after the first coat of translucent glaze. Remove fresh glaze with a sponge after 3 – 5 minutes after application in a chaotic manner. The final stage is coating with varnish or transparent glaze.
A simplified option to the minimum is to use a metal brush and white glaze. We go over the surface with a brush, cover it with white glaze and again, after drying, brush off the thick areas with the finish. This simple method of aging wood produces a whitewashed board with light perennial raid.
To age wood to look like real antiques, you need to work hard. One way to do this is through multi-layer painting. We’ll find out what we need for this a little later, but for now let’s work a little on the wood by hand. Take an awl, a hammer, a file, screws, rods and leave a mark from each tool. Small chips, cracks, scratches and abrasions will give it a natural antique look. The main thing is not to overdo it.
Now let's move on to the paints, you will need:
For the first layer, take 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, apply tinting paint (antiseptic). We wait until everything is dry and move on to the next step. We take fine and coarse sandpaper and a metal brush. We work with all the tools one by one, creating a natural patina of time. Next, take the white glaze, dip your brush into it, remove the excess and spread it over the wood. There is no need to apply the glaze tightly and evenly. The bottom dark layer should be visible through it. Again, take a metal brush and go over the dried surface, creating more visible gaps. This 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 parts. Apply the diluted mixture to the surface and wait for it to dry completely.
The mechanical method with a hand brush is reliable, but time-consuming. To quickly age wood with your own hands, use an electric drill or grinder with an attachment made of hard nylon bristles. We begin the work by preparing the wood. Take a hand plane 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, put on glasses and a respirator to protect the mucous membrane of the eyes and nasopharynx from wood shavings. Thick gloves won't hurt either. Take a drill or grinder, put on a stiff brush attachment and practice small area tree. Move strictly in the direction of the grain, do not press the nozzle too tightly to the surface. If you are sure you are ready, move on to the main part. With light movements we move along the wood, removing the soft fibers.
To speed up the process and enhance artificial aging, before starting work with a drill or grinder, you can scorch the wood with a gas torch. It is important not to hold the torch in one place for too long to prevent the resin from burning.
If you do not process the wood with fire, then after using power tools, wet the board with a brush and let it dry for 2-3 minutes. Next, sand the surface with fine-grained sandpaper and collect wood dust. It is better to do this with a vacuum cleaner to completely prevent drifts from getting under the skin, or carefully walk over the surface with a soft bristle brush. Before finishing, you can make holes 1–2 mm deep in the board with a blunt nail.
The last stage is coating with paints and varnishes. Use paint and varnish at your discretion. The advice is to make artificially aged wood look as realistic as possible, paint the recesses in light shades, and the convex parts in darker shades. 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, you can use craquelure varnish instead of regular varnish. After drying, it cracks and the bottom layer of paint is visible in the voids.
If aging wood with your own hands using paint or wax is expensive for you, and you don’t have a drill or grinder with an attachment at hand, use a metal scraper for washing dishes. Wood processing will take longer, but it will save money. Instead of wax, use shoe polish in the desired shade. It also contains wax; the main thing is to open the wood with varnish after treatment.
Aging wood using a gas torch or 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 simply want to highlight the grain of the wood, do not pre-treat the surface. Burn the board with a gas torch in some places or completely, and then go through it with fine-grained sandpaper. But pre-treatment will help make the surface more convex and embossed. Remove soft fibers by hand using a wire brush or with a drill attachment. 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 burning the material with a gas burner and subsequent processing with a hard hand brush.
When working with fire, remember: bring the gas burner close or blowtorch not worth it to the tree. Do not hold the device in one place for too long, work quickly to avoid fire, and be sure to follow safety precautions. Before starting work, put on thick gloves, overalls, goggles and a respirator. After cleaning the surface, coat it with varnish.
Using wood in interior design is always a win-win option. This is the most beautiful natural, aesthetically perfect, breathable material. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on human energy and has bactericidal properties. Looks great in any room: furniture, floors, doors, ceiling beams, various elements decor made from natural wood, which is easier to process than other materials.
It is difficult to get a definite answer to this question, but there are three main answer options:
There are several ways to achieve the desired result. The most interesting and most used of them is the texturing or brushing method. Its name comes from the English word brush, which means “brush”. The essence of this method is that soft fibers are removed from the top layer of solid wood. As a result of processing, the surface becomes embossed. During the natural aging process of a tree, the same changes occur, but this takes a lot of time. Brushing is considered the closest to reality method of simulating antiquity. It is used to give wood a distinct textured texture.
It is quite easy to transform a wooden surface into an antique look using the brushing method at home. But not all wood can be processed in this way. In order to age wood, you need to use species with a clearly defined texture: pine, oak, larch, ash, walnut. And maple, beech, cherry, pear, teak and some exotic trees are absolutely not amenable to mechanical aging. It is useless to use such a mechanical method for products made from MDF. But how to make aged wood from these materials if others are not available? For this case there is chemical method. If it is necessary to age the wood coniferous species, then it would be more rational to use the mechanical method.
Brushing is a rather labor-intensive process. The main tool for this is a stiff metal brush. Since it is not possible to quickly age wood in this way, the process can be accelerated. To do this, you will need a drill or grinder equipped with a special wire brush.
Processing wood with power tools is a rather unsafe process, associated with characteristic vibration and the risk of tearing off wood chips and metal rods. Therefore, you need to know how to artificially age wood without getting damaged. It is recommended to carry out work in a protective suit. To prevent small debris and dust from getting into your eyes, you must wear special camouflage goggles or cover your face with a shield, and use a respirator to protect your respiratory tract.
How to age wood with your own hands without using special tools? To do this you will need stiff sandpaper. It requires cleaning the surface and then applying an ammonia solution ( ammonia), which causes a noticeable darkening of the wood. As a result, the structure of the wood will be able to appear especially clearly, and the noble darkening will give the finished product an antique look.
Depending on the desired degree of aging, such treatment can be light, superficial, using a coarse polymer brush, or deep, when growth rings become visible. At the same time, it is very important not to overdo it, since you may not end up with the desired textured noble product, but damaged, loose wood.
After the initial rough cleaning, regardless of the processing method, the workpiece must be brought to the desired aesthetically pleasing. To do this, burrs are removed from the surface, then the product is polished with a polymer abrasive brush. After this, the wood must be additionally carefully lightened with sandpaper and given a final gloss.
To obtain the desired antique effect, mechanical processing alone is not enough. Next, you can simply coat the product with varnish. But it is also recommended to perform the so-called patination. This will allow you to better emphasize the relief surface of the product. Patina is a characteristic luxurious gloss that wood acquires over the years. Recreating it at home is done in several stages and requires a lot of effort.
Patination is the process of applying special compounds and stains to the surface being treated. They are selected depending on the desired color and shade of the finished product. The compounds are applied in such a way that they get into the pores of the wood that open during mechanical processing. It is important to achieve a patina effect in which the wood's deep pores appear slightly darker and have more contrast than lighter surfaces. When performing this treatment yourself, it is recommended to use paint of the desired color. To do this, the surface is first painted completely, and then removed with a sponge or cloth. upper layer without waiting for it to dry. As a result, the tree appears more ancient and noble.
But patination is not necessary at all. Products painted with antique enamel also look great. With the help of such materials, you can create a real masterpiece that can only be distinguished from a real antique by a true connoisseur of antiquities. One layer of enamel should be applied to the surface. Then the wood needs to be dried and another layer applied. When re-painting, the enamel must be chosen more liquid and of a different color. When the wood is completely dry, you need to wipe the surface with sandpaper so that the bottom layer shows through and creates abrasions.
After patination, more toning should be done. For this process, compositions based on natural oils and resins. At the last stage of processing, the wood is coated with 2-3 layers of varnish. Then rub it with a soft cloth to add extra shine. Varnishing consolidates all previous stages and gives the product a finished look. Although the process is labor-intensive, anyone can master it. The main thing is to follow technology. Then it will be clear how to age wood with your own hands.
How to age wood to get the best effect? To do this you need to know some subtleties.
Not in every home you can find treated material, since simply aging wood is not enough. It is very important to use it wisely in the interior. Thanks to the brushing method, you can create exclusive, almost antique products. For example, pieces of furniture: exquisite bookshelves, chests of drawers, cabinets, kitchen units, country furniture, frames for pictures or mirrors, candlesticks and other decor.
This method is perfect for processing parquet and floorboards, as well as for making doors, partitions, and various wooden elements. Antique-treated wood is often used to decorate the walls of a home bath or sauna, non-standard rooms or an entire house, retro cafes, bars, and billiard rooms.
Today it is no secret to anyone how to age wood. There are many other methods besides brushing. They differ in the complexity of the technology and the amount of time spent. But regardless of the choice, aged wood helps to create a unique spiritual atmosphere in any room, connect eternal values and the spirit of modern times, and fill the house with the atmosphere of noble antiquity.
Due to the fact that wood has been used for the construction and decoration of housing almost from the very beginning of time, many different, at first glance even strange and illogical, methods of wood processing are known today. Different processing methods have different goals: in one case it is necessary to protect the wood from rotting, in another - to make it more fire-resistant, simply change the color or give it a more expressive shade.
IN Lately This type of processing, such as wood aging, is becoming more and more common. It is quite simple to artificially age wood, and this is usually done solely for decorative purposes, since after aging the wood, the internal or exterior finishing, a house or furniture made from it looks like antique, ancient and worn out by time. In the eyes of connoisseurs and aesthetes, the aging of wood gives buildings and decoration greater value.
A sample of furniture using the wood aging technique.
There are several more or less simple techniques that are used to produce artificial aging. You can make them yourself, having a basic set of tools and substances for finishing wood.
Materials and tools that will be useful to age wood yourself: a brush with metal bristles (or circular), sandpaper, antiseptic and solvent, as well as dark and white glazes, sponge or foam rubber.
This is one of the most simple methods aging wood with your own hands, which consists of first treating the required surface with a wire brush. The wood has a structure that is processed unevenly, because in winter, spring, summer and autumn, when the corresponding annual rings are formed in the pillars of wood, its plant vessels develop unevenly.
The wire brush thus removes soft fibers, while the harder fibers remain because they are more resistant to mechanical impact. This causes a change in the relief surface of the wood, which is emphasized by further painting.
One technique for aging wood is called casting.
Before treating a wooden surface with a wire brush, sandpaper is first passed over it. Only after sanding is brushing done.
Instead of a regular metal brush, you can also use a circular brush, which will require a special attachment from a sander. It is important to remember that brushing wood is carried out along the fibers, so they are easier to remove.
The formation of wood dust when processing wood is inevitable, so it must be removed with a special brush or brush, being careful not to injure your hand or introduce a splinter under the skin.
After this, the wood is coated with two layers of glaze. A translucent dark composition is applied to the surface and then removed by soaking with a sponge. After this, the surface can be varnished, left as is, or treated with a light translucent glaze and also blotted with a sponge.
In the second case, a pattern is created in the “a la Provence” style, which is often used for ceilings and floor beams, for example, in basements or attics, thus creating an atmosphere of antiquity.
To give the wood an even more antique look in the interior and at the same time look as if it is already quite worn out, multi-layer painting is best suited for aging.
Even before painting the wood, they try to make the surface as textured as possible, damaging it with various tools, for example, self-tapping screws, hammers, saws. This creates the effect of highly worn wood.
Already with a relief, the wood surface is covered with a layer of primer paint until completely dry. When it dries, a fairly thick layer of dye is applied on top, which can be used as tinting paint or antiseptic colored compounds, which gives the wood even more protection.
It is better to use liquid compositions for applying paint, which spread well and provide an even layer. After the paint has dried, a second stage of mechanical aging is carried out using tools.
At the second stage, the damage must be applied carefully so that it is small. This damage layer is also covered with a white translucent glaze, which, unlike primer, can have an uneven layer to create the desired relief effect.
The varnish gives the aged surface an even more noble appearance.
Then, after drying, the top layer of white glaze is completely removed with a metal brush. This allows you to give the wood a relief look with a fairly contrasting color pattern.
The quality of the aged surface depends on how well the white glaze has been thinned. Before aging the wood, it is recommended to mix it with white spirit in a 1 to 1 ratio.
The fastest way to age wood at home, which does not require special effort- This is aging wood using a brush and one type of glaze. First of all, a metal brush is used again, with which you need to scrape the grooves on the surface in the longitudinal direction.
Coating with white glaze allows you to give this surface old looking. Finishing surface is carried out using a brush.
Using this method, you can obtain a bleached wood surface, for which the aging effect is ensured by treatment with a stiff brush.