How to make boards grey. Brushing wood with your own hands: how to artificially age a tree

Recently, the use of aged wood in the decoration of furniture and interiors has come into fashion. Even the simplest cheap wooden furniture will look stylish and expensive after artificial aging. This article will open up some simple and not very expensive ways to make old wood for furniture and other wooden products with your own hands.

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

To age a tree, you will need:

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

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

The first way to age a tree is to remove soft fibers and paint

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

The wooden surface is pre-sanded, then it is processed along the fibers with a circular (using a special nozzle for a 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, in order to avoid splinters.

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

For staining, Belinka translucent azure is used, which is applied to the cleaned surface with a brush or roller.

The tree will already have a rather attractive appearance.

After a few minutes, a sponge is taken and with its help the layer of glaze is carefully removed, as a result of which the wooden surface acquires a relief. You can leave the surface as it is and cover it with a clear varnish if you like this color of aged wood.

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

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

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

The second way is the relief of antiquity and multi-layer coloring of wood

With the help of this method, the tree is specially given the appearance of an old, antique thing, worn by time. For this, a multi-layered coloring of the tree is used.

Previously, the surface of the tree 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, 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 placed unevenly, as it is much thicker than Belinka's azure. It is used in cases where you need to create a thick bottom layer on an aged tree.

Azure Belinka is more liquid, it is easily and evenly distributed over the entire surface of the tree, creating an even surface color.

When the first layer dries, it can be intentionally subjected to minor damage: rubbed with a fine or coarse sandpaper, walked with a metal brush. The main thing is not to overdo it. The time span here should be kept to a minimum. According to experts, the most reliable effect of antiquity is given by painting with Pinotex with an uneven layer.

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

After the top layer has dried, the upper layer of white glaze is scraped off with a metal brush with longitudinal movements, as a result of which a relief pattern of aged wood is created. Such a 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, it needs to be made a little muted. To do this, the white glaze is diluted by half with white spirit and the wooden surface is covered with this mixture.

The aged wood, created on the basis of Belinka blue, has a calm warm tone after final processing. Pinotex gives a more interesting decorative effect, with a deep dark base color. It is used in the creation of aged furniture, as well as in decoration elements.

The third way is brushing and white icing

This way to age a tree is the easiest and fastest. The wooden surface is treated with a metal 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 a tree?"

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

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

3. With a chisel, you need to make shapeless serifs on the edges of the board, as if with an ax.

4. A drill bit with hard nylon bristles can be used to remove soft wood grains. At the same time, you should not be too zealous and put pressure on the tool, pressing 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 there will be a rougher result.

5. You can add the effect of wormholes, but this is not for everybody. 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-lacquer. This coating will be resistant even to atmospheric conditions. You can also use Senezh aquadecor.

7. After the paint dries, the surface must be sanded with fine sandpaper No. 80. As a result, there will be a very beautiful effect when the depressions on the wood remain dark and the protrusions are light, that is, we highlight the volume and structure of the wood.

8. The final stage is the re-opening of the red tree.

Aging wood with fire

You can age a tree with a gas burner.

There are three main ways here:

1. Aging without prior mechanical processing of wood. That is, we simply emphasize the texture of wood by firing it. Then we pass with fine sandpaper and open it with varnish.

2. First, mechanical processing of wood is carried out - we remove soft fibers, and then we carry out firing. This method will give the tree a relief and three-dimensional look, which will certainly look chic.

3. Intensive firing of wood, which will burn out the soft fibers of the wood and subsequent mechanical processing with a hard brush.

Finally, I want to give some advice:

• Aged products from old boards will look more beautiful and effective. If you do not have such material, ask your neighbors or acquaintances, often such material can be obtained completely free of charge, and it will be much easier to work with it.
• Different types of wood will age and paint differently when using the same materials. This must be taken into account when collecting wooden structures.
• Now in stores you can buy a ready-made aged board without performing the above operations.

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.

Got carried away with 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.

Many design styles (French, Tuscan, vintage, shabby chic and others) are characterized by the presence of antique woodwork among their elements. Paint wear, the texture of old wood give a special charm to the interiors. In their work, designers actively use antique furniture, wall panels, floors, stairs, beams, columns and other small decor. However, antiques are not cheap, which greatly inflates the cost of projects, and wooden elements from the past are not strong and durable. To solve these problems, artificial aging of the tree has appeared, and you can even do it yourself.

Aging methods

There are several ways to age a wooden surface. The choice of the desired aging method is influenced by the type of wood, the design style, the availability of the necessary tools and materials, professional skills and experience. The following types of artificial aging of natural wood are most common:

• chemical way;
• heat treatment;
• wood aging by dry brushing.

chemical method

In order to process wooden products by this method, it is necessary to have special chemical reagents, professional tools, certain qualifications and knowledge. Caustic substances (acids, alkalis or copper sulphate) are applied to the surface of the parts, after which the wood changes color, and the soft fibers are destroyed. The process itself is hazardous to health and requires increased security measures. It is almost impossible to implement such artificial aging with your own hands and at home.

Heat treatment method

The essence of this technological process is to burn less dense layers of wood by means of an open fire. It consists of several stages:

• annealing soft fibers to obtain the desired wood texture;
• surface cleaning with abrasive materials;
• applying varnish.

To implement this method with your own hands, you can use a very affordable tool - an ordinary blowtorch.

brushing

The name of this technique comes from the English word "brush", which means a brush. Brushing is based on the structural features of wood, consisting of hard and soft fibers, and the process itself consists in combing soft fibers out of wood with a metal brush and giving the surface the texture of old wood. Do-it-yourself brushing can be divided into a number of successive stages:

• mechanical processing of wood along the fibers;
• cleaning from chips and pile;
• glossing;
• staining or patination;
• varnish coating.

Despite the fact that the tool for brushing seems extremely simple, the process itself is quite laborious. When using this method of applying a touch of antiquity to wooden products, it should be remembered that hardwoods, as well as pine, yew and larch, cannot be brushed.

Artificial aging of wood by dry brushing

This process is also easy to do with your own hands, it is applicable to cabinets, tables, shelves, armchairs and other types of home furniture. It consists of several stages, and not all of them are required.

1. Creating the effect of many years of operation.

At this stage, scratches, potholes, chips and dents are applied to the surface of the furniture. To do this, you need a carpentry tool and a little imagination. Since the damage caused is irreversible, this stage of tree aging can be skipped.

1. Coloring.

For this, two variants of paint of similar shades are used. First, one is applied, and after drying - the second.

1. Surface treatment with abrasive materials or sanding.

Using fine sandpaper or sand, the top layer of paint is erased. This is done unevenly, in some places only up to the first layer, and in some places up to wood. It is important to achieve the effect of natural wear, so special attention should be paid to the edges and protruding parts. After sanding with a vacuum cleaner, chips and wood dust are removed.

1. Applying paint with a dry brush.

At this stage, it is important to choose the right tool for applying paint. A stiff, flat brush works best. The choice of paint should also be approached responsibly. It should be contrasting with previously used shades. For a light base, the best option would be dark shades of brown or burgundy paint. The technology of applying paint to the surface in this method of wood aging is the most complex. The paint is applied with your own hands with an almost dry brush, the strokes should look like a trace of numerous bristles. Crossing strokes is not allowed.

1. Rubbing the top layer.

For this, a cloth napkin is used, which smears the newly applied strokes.

1. Coating the surface with varnish.

It is best to use a clear varnish, which should be applied in one or two coats.

There are several more ways to force the aging of wood with your own hands, but they are not so effective and do not always achieve the desired goal.

Beautiful aged furniture can bring an atmosphere of sophistication and harmony to your home. Under natural conditions, a tree ages under the influence of various natural factors - wind, rain, sunlight, etc.

But it is not at all necessary to wait a couple of decades for the purchased headset to acquire such a unique look. You can use special technologies for aging wood.

Benefits of aged wood

Aged furniture looks elegant and stylish in any interior.

Aged wood is a beautiful, durable and functional material from which various pieces of furniture are made: tables, chairs, beds, chests of drawers, etc.

The benefits of aged wood are as follows:

• The surface does not require special treatment, if desired, it is enough just to cover it with varnish.
• The effect of aging allows you to give any piece of furniture an antique look.
• Natural wood pattern looks unique and inimitable.
• Aged wood furniture will look harmonious in any interior.
• This material is environmentally friendly and anti-allergenic.
• Aged wood is reliable and durable.
• Finally, furniture made from this material will never go out of fashion.

What kind of wood is best to age?

Suitable for aging soft wood or material of medium hardness. It has a brighter texture. This requirement is met by spruce, larch and pine. The breeds presented are distinguished by the fact that they have soft fibers. In spring and summer, annual rings form on them most quickly, causing the fibers to become “loose”. Woods such as beech and maple are not suitable for aging, because their texture is weakly expressed and almost uniform.

Training

Before aging a tree, its surface must be prepared

Before you start aging wooden furniture with your own hands, you need to conduct a quality preparation of the surfaces that you plan to process. To do this, remove all defects and dirt. These may be traces of fat and other stains. If this is not done, obsolete pollution will appear after applying a tint coating to the tree. Also remove old paint or varnish and dismantle excess fittings that interfere with antique processing.

Ways

When the preparatory stage of the robots is done, proceed to aging. First, decide on the technology that you would like to age the furniture with. There are the following options:

• Coloring;
• Craquelure;
• Surface brushing;
• Stain processing;
• Wood processing with special chemical compositions (olding technology);
• Application of gilding;
• Achieving a lime effect (liming technology).

Let's look at each of these ways of aging a tree in more detail.

Coloring

Wood aged with staining technique

If you want your wooden furniture to look worn, you can use the staining technique. Choose a base tone that will show through the top layer of paint.

For the base, you can use any color, as long as it is more saturated than the auxiliary.

You can also use color mixed with white paint and a water base. For the second layer, it is better to use light shades. This combination of colors will create the effect of burnt paint. After the paint is dry, sand it down with fine grit sandpaper. This will remove excess paint. Sanding is necessary until the effect of worn paint appears. The main layer will come through it. The final stage of processing is varnishing.

Craquelure

You can paint the tree with craquelure technique. Simply put, create the effect of cracks on wooden furniture. You will need a special craquelure varnish. After applying the base color to it, the varnish will crack. The color of the cracks depends on the selected base. To add originality, you can use several colors at once. Craquelure is a good way to quickly give your wooden furniture an antique look.

Surface brushing

Wood aged with brushing technique

Brushing technology is a simple method of aging wooden furniture using a wire brush, fine-grained sandpaper, a chisel and a drill. Before proceeding with the main process, you need to remove the top layer of wood. Brushing can be combined with surface painting. Use sandpaper and a brush to remove the top layer, and use a chisel and a drill to create furrows and wormholes. The brushing technique is most often used to age the floor and boards. After completing the main stage of work, cover the surface with oil, varnish or stain.

When decorating wooden furniture, it is important not to overdo it, because luxurious furniture can be turned into junk.

Good to know: Brushing is great for furniture made from hardwoods such as walnut, ash, oak and larch. This technique is contraindicated for maple, cherry, beech and teak.

Stain processing

Wood aged with wood stain

This technique is used in combination with others. Coating furniture with paintwork material will achieve the effect of staining. First you need to treat the surface, and then wash off part of the stain with a damp sponge. It is important to leave the edges, bends and cracks darker than the main part of the surface in order to emphasize the effect of aging.

If after the first time you were not able to achieve the desired result, just carefully sand the surface. Some areas can be repainted with a brush dipped in stain. To make the color more saturated, after completing the main stage of work, cover the wood surface with a primer or the desired color. At the very end, go over the surface with antique wax using a soft cloth.

Olding technology (treatment with special compounds)

Wood aged using the aging technique

Olding is a very interesting technique for aging wood. With its help, you can recreate the effects of fading, swamp moss, burnout, etc. Special chemical reagents will help to achieve amazing results. This technique is suitable only for hardwoods (oak, hornbeam, etc.).

This is interesting: If softwood is aged, it will simply become unusable after being treated with strong chemicals.

The final step will be the coating of the surface with varnish. It will serve to protect the surface.

Gilding

To qualitatively age furniture and achieve an antique look, you can use gold platinum. Applying gilding is one of the simplest procedures that does not take much time. Just completely paint the furniture in the chosen color and wait for it to dry.

Useful information: Gold paint must be applied in a thin layer. Only then the furniture after painting will look perfect.

Laiming

Wood aged using the laming technique

Liming is the process of aging furniture with the help of lime effect. First, prepare the surface, degrease it. Treat the wood with a special pigment or paint. Paintwork materials will help to achieve any shade and texture. Apply paint along the fibers. So you emphasize the natural structure of the tree, and add the effect of "clogged dust" to the corners. For best results, it is advisable to apply the liming composition with a brush or gauze swab.

Useful information: When choosing a base color, do not forget that after drying it will look a little lighter.

Video. How to artificially age a tree with your own hands at home

Aged wood is one of the fashion design trends of this season. Using any of the techniques described above, you can easily give surfaces such an effect at home. Artificially aged furniture will harmoniously look in the apartment and fill it with comfort.

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 stiff 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.