Last Updated on February 19, 2020 by Ecorf
A distressed look on a piece of wood can change the appearance in your home. You would have your visitors wondering about the dealer that supplied you with that supposed artistic piece of furniture that “seen better years.” The truth is that recreating the original look of wood might not be an arduous task, especially when you have an idea of how to go about it. That is why many homeowners are continually exploring other options to make the most out of it.
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How Can I Make New Wood Look Rustic?
So, if it’s possible to recreate new wood to take another outlook, then how can you go about it? Ideally, you have many options at your fingertips, which you can explore to the maximum advantage.
Some of the options you can use are the combination of vinegar and steel wood, and the use of paint and glue. Nevertheless, you can discover how to make new wood look old with baking soda and vinegar. The latter has proven to be more productive, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on the significant upsides of this cheap method of aging wood.
Items You Would Need
You don’t just decide and begin to set about the task of making new wood look rustic. Here are some of the items you would need to get that weatherworn or bleached look on wood:
- Baking soda and water
- Apple cedar vinegar
- A paintbrush (for spreading the solution)
- Sandpaper
- A Lint-free cloth
- A wire brush
Procedure to Make New Wood Look Old with Baking Soda and Vinegar
We’re about to go into the details. So, you need to be as attentive as possible to get all the necessary ideas. So, here we go!
- Prepare the Wood
The first step is to get the wood ready. Note that the success of the job depends on the type of wood you’re working with. Woods that have more copious amounts of tannins, such as pine, cedar, mahogany, red oak, and redwood, are perfect for the job. They do not only have a high quantity of tannins but also bring forth a weathered look in the end.
The first thing to do in the preparation of the wood is to confirm if it hasn’t been repainted continuously, or possesses an old coating. If the topcoat had been previously painted many times, then you would need to use chemical strippers to remove the old layer. If not, then the old coat on the wood needs to be removed by brushing the sandpaper on the surface of the wood.
On the other hand, you can use other options like exposing the wood in the sun for about six (6) hours. The rays of the sun go the extra mile to deepen the aging look you desire. Otherwise, the shortcut to doing that is by applying the soda and water solution on the surface of the wood before spraying the vinegar atop it. Allow the solution to sit on the wood’s surface for about ten (10) minutes before brushing it off with the wire brush.
- Mix and Apply the Solution
The next step is to mix the vinegar, the baking soda, and the water. Note that there may not be a definite rule on the amount of solution you need to make. Nevertheless, the amount of solution depends on the size of the wood surface. Once that has been asserted, you can then proceed to mix the solution.
The mixture of the solution demands that you mix one part of the baking soda and one part of the water. The next step is to spray the wood surface with apple cedar vinegar, and that must be after you have applied the baking soda and the water mixture. You can then for about ten (10) minutes before brushing off the surface of the wood.
The application closely follows the mixture of the solution. You would stir the solution for even distribution. Proceed to apply the mixture on the wood surface. You have to do that with the paintbrush, which is mild on the surface.
- Brush off the Rustic Look
The finishing of the job could be as easy as making a cup of coffee, only if you take the right step like the one detailed in the next paragraph.
The general rule is to go over the surface of the now almost rustic wood with the wire brush. As you may have known or by mere looking at it, the wire brush has enough spikes to pull off stubborn stains. Therefore, you must use it to brush the wood surface. That would bring forth the weathered effect.
Once that has been achieved, you can then take the next step of setting the wood aside for about twelve (12) hours.
- Dry the Wood
The job of making new wood look old with baking soda and vinegar hasn’t finished. There’s a need to wash off any remnants left behind during the wire brushing. For that reason, you can wash the surface of the wood with warm water or simply rinse it with water before patting dry with a dry cloth. The process can also be repeated the next day if there are noticeable leftovers on the surface.
- Finish Off with A Sealant
The job is almost done! The last thing to do is to finish off with a sealant, which would make the wood surface to look aged. Ensure that you don’t use anything shiny because that wouldn’t bring forth the desired effect.
You can explore two variants to that. The first is to wet the wood, applying the gel stain while wiping off a small portion in the course of doing that.
On the other hand, you may want to finish off the job with a gel stain, which would be applied with the paintbrush.
Make New Wood Look Old with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Bringing out the artistic aspects of wood doesn’t need to be a challenge. The combination of baking soda and vinegar can create the rustic look you earnestly desire. So, the next time you have a wood you want to make appealing to the eyes without breaking a bank, you can always use the clues above to make the most out of it.