Artificial aging of pine. How to age wood - best tips with video

Furniture made from aged wood makes any interior unique, noble, fashionable, creates a special atmosphere, and adds a touch of antiquity.

IN natural conditions wood ages under the influence of wind, sun, temperature changes, etc. However, it is not at all necessary to wait a hundred years for a tree to change appearance, it’s enough just to familiarize yourself with special technology, allowing you to travel back to the last century. This article will cover the question of how to age wood at home.

There are three most common methods that effectively age wood: mechanical, chemical and thermal. The technology for using each of them is different, but if you follow the specified recommendations for carrying out work, you can get good result, and self-aged furniture will be difficult to distinguish from antiques, but at the same time it will be much stronger.

How to age wood with your own hands: the most common methods

1. Mechanical method.

This method is otherwise called “brushing”. Translated from in English"brush" means brush. Brushing is ideal for processing oak, pine, and walnut surfaces, but it is strongly not recommended for use on cherry, beech, and maple surfaces.

Aging of wood occurs in several stages:

1) The wood should be treated with metal brush, which can be inserted into a drill. It will remove soft fibers, which will make the wood look like it has changed over time.

2) It is necessary to clean the wood from the remaining fibers and coat it with varnish.

3) To make the furniture age, it can be coated with contrasting paint before applying varnish, that is, patinated. You should cover the wood with a dark shade of paint and, without waiting for it to dry, begin to wipe it with a cloth. Thus, the pores will darken, but the surface will remain light.

1. Chemical method.

This method can only be used for aging deciduous trees. Its essence is to cover the surface ammonia and pre-processing it with sandpaper. As a result of exposure to ammonia, it will darken and acquire a noble, aged appearance.

1. Thermal method.

This method involves processing wood using a soldering iron, due to which the texture pattern appears. Then you need to use a wire brush or wire brush to remove carbon deposits from the soldering iron and make the wood texture rougher. The final stage of wood aging thermally– coating of the product with varnish.

Solving the question of how to age wood is very simple, especially if you follow all the recommendations given and do the work carefully and accurately.

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.

Brushing - analysis of the basics of popular techniques

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 fibers grow. light colors. 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 appearance. 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 impact 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 combing 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.

What to age in the interior - let’s look into the issue in more detail

Aged wood in the interior is the main attribute of 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:

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

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 some more ideas from this series: designer lamp, notebook with rough leather and wood trim, forged furniture for garden plot

Method No. 1 – wire brush and translucent glaze

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. Please note that the manual brushing process 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 do it in 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. Final stage– 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. Thanks to this simple method As wood ages, it turns out to be a whitewashed board with a light, long-term patina.

Method No. 2 - multi-layer painting

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:

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

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.

Method No. 3 – electric drill with an attachment and paint-varnish

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 hand plane and make notches along the edges of the material. Electric option We do not recommend using this tool, the result will look unnatural. Before proceeding to the next step, put on goggles 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 on a small area of ​​wood. 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 paint and varnish materials. 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 Once dry, 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.

Method number 4 - exposure to fire and a hard brush

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 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 it will help to make the surface more convex and embossed Preliminary processing. 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 it close gas burner 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.

Recently, the use of aged wood in furniture and interior decoration has become fashionable. Even the simplest cheap furniture made of wood will look stylish and expensive after it has been artificially aged. This article will reveal several simple and not very expensive ways to age wood with your own hands for furniture and other wooden products.

Under natural conditions, wood ages under the influence of sun, wind, rain and other phenomena. And this process occurs over a long period of time. We will make the process of aging wood artificial, which will significantly reduce the time and improve the final result. If we describe the whole work briefly, it will consist of two stages: mechanical restoration wood (light damage, removal of soft fibers) and painting with varnishes and paints.

To age wood, you will need:

• hard metal brush;
• circular brush;
• large and small skins;
• savvy;
• several brushes;
• wood antiseptic;
• White Spirit;
• dark Pinotex or dark Belinka azure;
• white Belinka azure;
• big sponge.

With the help of a set of these tools and materials, we can age a tree in five different ways. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

The first way to age wood is to remove soft fibers and paint

Artificially age wooden surface You can use a hard brush, which removes soft wood fibers and thus creates a relief, the lines of which will be emphasized by the color of the wood.

The wooden surface is first sanded, then it is processed along the grain with a circular brush (using a special attachment for an angle grinder) or a metal hand brush, as a result of which soft wood fibers are removed from the surface.

Sawdust is removed with a special brush with soft bristles, but in no case by hand to avoid splinters.

The tree instantly changes its appearance, acquires a beautiful relief and contrasting color, which is specially emphasized by painting in two layers.

For painting, use translucent Belinka glaze, which is applied to the cleaned surface using a brush or roller.

The tree will already have a rather attractive appearance.

After a few minutes, take a sponge and use it to carefully remove the layer of glaze, as a result of which the wooden surface acquires a relief. You can leave the surface as is and cover it with clear varnish if you like the color of aged wood.

But if you want to add a Provence style to the coloring, then apply another autumn layer on top of the first layer thin layer white Belinka azure.

After a few minutes, we carefully remove the fresh azure with a sponge, as a result of which we get a bleached aged wood, with the help of which we create stylish interior a la Provence. When the glaze is completely dry, the surface can be coated with varnish having the same base as the glaze, or another layer of colorless glaze can be applied.

This method of aging wood is ideal for beams and other elements. wooden structures, when creating an antique style.

The second method is the relief of antiquity and multi-layer painting of wood

Using this method, the wood is specially given the appearance of an old, antique thing, worn out by time. For this purpose, multi-layer painting of wood is used.

First, the surface of the wood must be specially subjected to all kinds of minor damage: it is beaten with a hammer, pierced with an awl, torn with a saw, sealed with screws or steel rods, and everything possible is done to give it the relief of antiquity.

Then the surface is primed with a layer of Pinotex. After it dries, it is covered with a continuous thick layer of tinted paint (antiseptic).

Since Pinotex has a thick consistency, it can be applied unevenly, as it is much thicker from Belinka glaze. It is used in cases where it is necessary to create a thick bottom layer on aged wood.

Belinka's glaze is more liquid; it spreads easily and evenly over the entire surface of the wood, creating an even coloring of the surface.

When the first layer has dried, it can be intentionally subjected to minor damage: rub it with fine or coarse sandpaper, or brush it with a wire brush. The main thing is not to overdo it. The amount of time spent here should be minimal. According to experts, the most reliable effect of antiquity is achieved by painting with Pinotex in an uneven layer.

After the procedure of deliberate aging by scratching with sandpaper or a metal brush, a translucent layer of white glaze is applied to the surface so that the dark lower layer is visible through it. It is not necessary to apply the paint in an even layer.

After the top layer has dried, use a metal brush to scrape off the upper layer white glaze, resulting in a relief pattern of aged wood. This pattern has a very contrasting color, which is very far from the natural color of aged wood. To bring the color to a more perfect tone, you need to make it a little muted. To do this, the white glaze is diluted halfway with white spirit and the wooden surface is covered with this mixture.

Aged wood, created on the basis of Belinka glaze, has a calm, warm tone after final processing. Pinotex gives more interesting decorative effect, with deep dark color basics. It is used in creating aged furniture, as well as in finishing elements.

The third method is brushing and white glaze

This method of aging wood is the easiest and fastest. The wooden surface is treated with a wire brush, then covered with a layer of white glaze.

After the glaze has dried, the surface is again treated with a metal brush. As a result, we have a bleached wooden surface, slightly aged with a relief pattern from a metal brush.

Master class: “How to age wood?”

Let's look at another way to age wood with your own hands. The photo above shows the stages of the work, and below I will describe them in detail.

1. You need to choose the right wood for aging. You should not choose young wood; due to its small fibers, it has no decorative value. Resinous wood will be difficult and long to process. The tree must have a pronounced structure and healthy knots.

3. Using a chisel, you need to make shapeless notches on the edges of the board, as if using an ax.

4. To remove soft wood fibers, you can use a drill attachment with hard nylon fibers. At the same time, you should not be too zealous and put pressure on the tool; the pressure should be light so that the efficiency of the work does not decrease. You can also use a metal brush for processing - in this case the result will be rougher.

5. You can add the effect of wormholes, but this is not for everyone. Using a core or a blunt nail, we make holes 1-2 mm deep.

6. Now you need to clean the surface and open it with Pinotex Uitra paint-varnish. This coating will be resistant even to atmospheric conditions. You can also use Senezh aquadecor.

7. After the paint has dried, the surface needs to be sanded with fine sandpaper No. 80. The result will be a very beautiful effect when the depressions in the wood remain dark and the protrusions are light, that is, we will highlight the volume and structure of the wood.

8. The final stage is re-opening the redwood.

Aging wood with fire

You can age wood with a gas burner.

And here there are three main ways:

1. Aging without preliminary mechanical treatment of wood. That is, we simply emphasize the texture of the wood by burning it. Then we go through it with fine sandpaper and open it with varnish.

2. First, the wood is mechanically processed - soft fibers are removed, and then fired. This method will give the tree a relief and volumetric look, which will certainly look chic.

3. Intensive burning of wood, which will burn out soft wood fibers and subsequent mechanical treatment with a stiff brush.

Finally, I want to give some advice:

• Aged products made from old boards will look more beautiful and impressive. If you don’t have such material, ask your neighbors or friends; you can often get such material completely free of charge, and it will be much easier to work with.
• Different types of wood will age and stain differently when using the same materials. This must be taken into account when assembling wooden structures.
• Now in stores you can buy ready-made aged boards without performing the operations described above.

When creating interiors, designers are happy to use wood. For some, it allows you to create a certain style concisely and clearly, while others can shape the appearance of the space, paying attention to small details and nuances.

Rural life, which received the French name Provence (literally provincial), has been adopted as a fashionable trend in the design of living space. It may use motifs from France. However, not many people know that there was not that elegance that is talked about so much (only in the southern regions can you find exquisite options; the northern regions have always existed much more modestly and poorer). Much more interesting is the German or Russian rural style. They contain much more colors, shades and woodwork.

Required attributes rural style- these are somewhat rough benches, massive tables, separate stools, cabinets and shelves above them. The clumsy products were made with quite careful finishing. Only time changed the appearance of wooden structures. Due to intensive use, the structure becomes clearer and the fiber pattern is more visible.

Boards that have existed for decades are characterized by the presence of a silvery coating, as well as blackening of individual zones. Time has its own way of coloring wood that is not protected from precipitation. There are even those who want to purchase ornamental material, which for a long period served as an auxiliary structure on the site. Old boards are transported hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers to be used as an antique construction material in the hands of a modern craftsman.

You don't really have to search old barn to make antique furniture from its boards. There are ways in which you can make boards and bars look as if your great-grandfather used them in products:

• brushing is the name given to the method of revealing deep texture using mechanical action on the surface layer;
• staining makes it possible to simulate wood being exposed to atmospheric precipitation During a long time;
• roasting and other heat treatment, which creates the effect of using wood after fire exposure;
• chemical treatment that allows modern furniture to look like it was created a couple of centuries ago.

Most often, more than one chosen aging method is used, but they are combined with each other, achieving an even more noticeable effect of presence in a room of the 12th...19th centuries. It turned out that antique furniture was in demand on the market. Some users say that back in the nth year an ancestor who participated in the Battle of Borodino, or a participant in another historical event, for example, a veteran of the Battle of Kulikovo, sat on this chair. Listeners touch with delight the creation of the medieval master, admiring how they managed to preserve the product from the depths of centuries.

Brushing is a method of aging wood

Artificial aging is easily performed on wood coniferous species. It is distinguished by the presence of soft fibers in surface layer. You can reveal the texture by removing some of the soft fibers using a brush with hard metal bristles (Fig. 1). By repeatedly moving along the fiber, it is easy to remove the soft component. Only structural rigid fragments will remain.

Rice. 1 Wire brush for brushing wood

It’s easy to treat one or two boards with a brush like this. If you need to harvest a certain amount of timber, you will have to use means of labor mechanization. An electric drill or an angle grinder (grinder) will help here. A mechanical radial brush is installed on them (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2 Mechanical brushes: a – for an electric drill; b – for an angle grinder (grinder)

Attention! Mechanical end brushes for electric drills and grinders can only be useful for processing the ends of bars and boards. When working, you need to use protective equipment: gloves, respirators and safety glasses, preferably a mask.

Before brushing, all lumber should be planed. Many people think this requirement for preparation is unnecessary; in fact, craftsmen have always respected their work, as well as the people for whom they made pieces of furniture. Planed boards and bars were always used. Some carpenters were able to use an ax to give workpieces a look that other contemporaries would not be able to do even with the help of modern planes or machines.

The process is performed in the following sequence:

1. The board (bar) is fixed on the work table (workbench). It is convenient to use a comb or a fixing wedge here;
2. Turn on the power tool and move the brush along the fiber, moving towards the stop.
3. When working, try not to apply too much pressure from above; the brush itself will select what it can remove from the surface.

After three or four passes, the result is examined. There is no need to overdo it here. Having obtained a depth of only 0.4...0.6 mm, you should stop. The process has begun. After a couple of days, the grooves will deepen on their own, as destruction has occurred in the wood structure. The visible effect can only be enhanced by subsequent treatment with varnishes or oils.

Antique wood painting

Probably everyone has seen that old boards have a grayish coating, giving them the appearance of a slight silvering. Using paints you can give a similar color to any wooden product. For this purpose they use acrylic paints(Fig. 3). But they white. Therefore, tinting paste is added to them (Fig. 4). By changing the concentration of the color, you can achieve different shades of gray.

Rice. 3

Rice. 4 Tinting paste for imparting shades to wood

In practice, furniture makers also use more complex painting methods to give wood an antique look. There is a method called patination. The effect of such treatment is not to apply a continuous coating, but only a coating of bronze film. This treatment produces shiny bronze fragments. In Fig. Figure 5 shows one of the ways to patina wood. In addition to applying a bronze (golden) tint, additives were used to create the effect of antiquity. Craquelures are macro-irregularities specially created on the surface.

Rice. 5 Patinated facade fragment

To give products the look of old wood, it is not necessary to paint the products completely and cover them with opaque paint. In practice, varnishes are used, which, after being applied to the surface, are covered with a fine mesh.

By combining transparent and opaque finishes, you can achieve the effect of aging wood to such an extent that it will seem that this furniture came from the distant past (Fig. 6). There is patination of individual fragments, there is also treatment with varnishes, which gave the appearance of an antique.

Rice. 6 Antique nightstand

Antique wood burning

Heat treatment opens up enormous possibilities. With its help, the following is applied to wood:

• its own unique design, because any cut is created by nature, which never repeats itself in anything;
• during firing, the shades change, the appearance of coal particles gives more expressiveness to the wood;
• using old boards that have been removed by fire old paint, achieve real aging of the product for several decades.

Firing is performed using the tools presented in the table.

Chemical treatment of antique wood

Chemicals: alkalis and acids - give new wood aged look. For acid treatment, sulfuric acid for batteries is used (Fig. 8). When exposed to a product, even on hard grades, deep streaks of texture appear. This method is used for oak, walnut, and ash. You have to use concentrated acid with a density of 1.42 g/cm 3 . Acid of lower density works through the texture more slowly.

Upon completion of the treatment, it is necessary to neutralize the effect of the acid, so use a solution of caustic soda or spill it with a solution baking soda. Then a long period of soaking in water is necessary.

Rice. 8 Sulfuric acid

Treatment in solution gives an excellent effect for wood. copper sulfate. For such an operation, plastic sewer pipes. The lower hole is closed with a stopper, and then boards or bars are placed inside. Then pour in a solution of ten percent strength copper sulfate. The duration of exposure depends on the type of wood. To obtain the appearance of driftwood, it has to be kept for up to a week. Even soft varieties: pine, spruce, acquire high hardness and resistance to rotting. The wood darkens and becomes brown. Looks impressive on finished products.

In Fig. 9 shows furniture elements made modern masters antique All described methods were used during processing. The products look quite interesting.

Rice. 9 Modern furniture antique

Video: Patination of the facade. Master class from an Italian

One of the most interesting ways Adding zest to wooden objects is to age them. In this article, read how to age wooden crafts with your own hands.

Wood is one of the easiest materials to process. This is what makes it possible for manufacturers of wood products to pamper their customers. various options decoration and finishing. One of the most interesting ways to add flair to wooden objects is to age them. Such a procedure requires not so much time as effort, so that the cherished years or even decades are reflected on the tree in a matter of days.

Brushing

One of the ways to help add young tree age, is brushing. This method is actively used in all workshops where artificial aging is carried out.

It got its name from the English word brush, which translates as “brush”. After all, the main tool that helps to age wood using this method is a metal brush. With the help of such a simple tool, soft fibers are gradually removed from a wooden workpiece, as a result of which pronounced growth rings begin to appear on the surface. Such a pattern can only be observed on old, worn boards, but here it appears in a few hours. However, simply worn wood does not look very aesthetically pleasing, so after the initial rough processing, the workpiece is brought to its final form. First with special tool get rid of burrs on the surface, then grind the product. There is a color option different parts V different shades to create a patina effect. A floor aged by brushing looks very colorful.

Brushing is usually used to age rough surfaces: floors, walls, doors. But you need to remember that not every type of wood can be brushed. Pines and larch age well using this method. And, for example, such species as beech, birch, maple have an unexpressed texture and are not suitable for brushing. Of course, this method cannot be used for MDF products.

Scuffs of paint - patination

If you still need to age solid beech, maple doors or pieces of furniture, you will have to act more subtly and use the patination method.

First, paint is selected that matches the basic tone of the piece of furniture. The wooden surface is coated with this composition in one layer, after which the wood is allowed to dry. Next, a second thin layer is applied on top of the first layer of paint. For this it can be used light tone, up to milky white. It is important that the second paint is not too light or bright. The fact is that an overly bright coating will look too new, which will reduce the effect of antiquity.

After applying the second layer, it is also allowed to dry.

When the coloring is finished, it is time to create the desired antique effect. To do this, take a fine piece of sandpaper and use it to make abrasions on the surface of the wood. It is important to achieve a result when the lower base begins to show through the top layer, as if the furniture had been painted more than once.

The degree of “shabbyness” of the wood can be adjusted independently, bringing the piece of furniture to the desired age.

Scuffed wood

Another way to create artificial scuffs is to apply wax to a wooden surface. Individual parts of the product are rubbed with paraffin; before this, the wood must already be painted antique. As soon as the job is done, the product is covered with a new layer of paint, lighter than the base. Next, using a spatula, the paraffin layer is removed, and the wood is carefully sanded. All that remains is to tint the wood surface with stain, and then treat it with wax. This technique creates a believable effect; it has been used for decades.

Coating with stain is another common and very effective method aging wood. As a rule, it is also used to treat furniture or doors.

• You need to start by completely covering the product with a base layer of water-based stain.
• Immediately after this is finished, take a soft, clean sponge, which needs to be used to wash off the freshly applied stain, but only with certain places. First of all, the middle parts of the boards should be processed, while the edges, cracks, and corners should be left untouched. Depressions and hard to reach places can be painted with a brush.
• When the wood has dried, a finishing layer of stain is applied to it, but based on white spirit or another composition, after which the workpiece is again allowed to dry.
• The next stage of aging is filling the wood pores with shellac primer using a brush or the same sponge. This is done to fix the color of the product.
• At the end of the processing, antique wax is rubbed into the wood fibers using a special metal brush.
• As a result, the surface receives the necessary texture, and the aging effect will last for a long time.

If you want to have an antique chair or doors with a patina, but you don’t want to do it yourself, you can always buy them in a store where professionals have done it for you.