Artificial aging of wood: types and methods of processing. Artificial aging of objects

Artificially aged wood is a unique finishing material. Practical, inexpensive, fully retaining its strength characteristics, but at the same time possessing original beauty and antique charm. The scope of application of such wood is wide: interior design, furniture manufacturing, finishing of facades, gazebos, stairs, even fences are made from it. The most important thing is that wood processing does not require special knowledge or experience, and anyone can do it. Let's take a closer look at how to age wood on your own, and what you need for this.

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

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

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

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

The chemical method involves treating the top layer of wood with various compounds that change the color of the fibers. Suitable for this ammonia and products containing alkali, such as stove or drain cleaner. This method can only be used for species containing tannins, that is, deciduous. Chemical treatment of coniferous wood will not give the desired effect.

The thermal method involves burning wood with a gas torch or blowtorch. The type of tree does not matter. They do not burn it too much, just so that the texture of the fibers appears more clearly, and then remove the carbon deposits with a metal brush. Next, cover the surface with stain or varnish to give the wood more decorative look. In general, the process is not complicated, but it requires caution and compliance with safety precautions.

Brushing technology

Tools and materials for processing

During the work you will need:

• hand plane;
• chisel or small hatchet;
• steel brush;
• Angle grinder with brush attachments;
• sandpaper, coarse and fine;
• paint brushes;
• dense sponge;
• tinting antiseptic for wood (for example, Pinotex);
• white azure;
• soft bristle brush.

Prices for cordless drill/driver

Cordless drill/driver

Rough cleaning should be done with a steel bristled nozzle, but for finishing would be better suited nylon and copper. There is a special attachment called “Piranha”. It is a polymer-abrasive brush that can effectively remove soft fibers from the surface and leave hard ones. The grinder can be replaced with a drill; such attachments are also available for it. As a last resort, you can get by hand tools, but it's long and tedious.

Piranha brush

The wood should be dense, strong, not damp. Resinous boards should also not be taken, as the resin makes processing difficult. The presence of knots is welcome, as they make the design more pronounced and decorative. If you have no experience in such work, take a small piece of unplaned board or timber, up to half a meter long.

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

Step 1. The workpiece is laid on a flat surface and processed with a hand plane. Electric tool It is better not to use it, as it leaves small transverse stripes, which reduces the naturalness of the design.

Step 2. Using a chisel or the corner of an ax, you need to make random, shallow and shapeless chips across the entire surface to give the material a rougher appearance.

Step 3. Now you need to remove the soft fibers with a wire brush. The brush should only be moved along the grain, pressing the tool firmly against the board.

Advice. To reduce dust formation, it is recommended to slightly moisten the surface of the workpiece with water. But before sanding and impregnation, the wood must be dried.

Step 4. When the relief begins to appear, the manual brush is replaced with an angle grinder with a metal brush, and work continues. The nozzle should be positioned perpendicular to the surface being treated, movements should be made strictly along the fibers. If you don’t need too rough a texture, immediately take a Piranha brush or a nylon-bristle attachment and do not press too hard on the tool while working. Go around the perimeter of wormholes and knots in the tree to emphasize the contours.

Step 5. Use a soft brush to sweep away the resulting dust, and then begin sanding. You can sand the wood manually or using a grinder, the main thing is to remove protruding fibers and sharp protrusions. Finally, clean the workpiece from dust again.

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

Step 7 After applying the composition to the workpiece, give it a few minutes to absorb, and then carefully wipe off the top layer with a sponge. There is no need to rub hard, just smoothly move it 2-3 times along the fibers. After this, all the recesses will remain darker than the protruding edges, and the relief will appear more clearly.

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

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

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

Applying white paint

To make dark wood rather than bleached wood, instead of white glaze, the surface is thickly covered with stain or Pinotex, and the layer is made uneven. Next, use a brush or sandpaper, depending on the finish you want. Sanding produces light, blurry abrasions, but after brushing, rough grooves remain and the wood looks more brutal.

Prices for different types of stains

How to make patination

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

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

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

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

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

Step 4. When the patina begins to set, you need to take a dry cloth and wipe down individual areas. After the paint has dried, the wood is coated with clear varnish.

Types of patina for wood

Thermal aging

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

Prices for various types of gas burners and blowtorches

Gas burners and blowtorches

Step 1. The workpiece is placed on a non-flammable surface or placed vertically, after which it is fired with a burner. The material is processed as evenly as possible, the top layer should be charred approximately 2-3 mm in thickness.

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

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

Step 4. Since the color of the wood changed during firing, dark and light areas appeared, there is no need for painting. Now all that remains is to coat the material with colorless varnish or protective impregnation.

The use of chemically aggressive substances requires special care and precision in work. Protective gloves must be used and the room must be well ventilated. The workpiece is pre-treated with coarse sandpaper and wiped from dust. Then apply alkaline agents or ammonia with a brush and leave for several hours. To slow down drying, you can cover everything on top with film. Under the influence of ammonia and alkalis, the surface acquires a gray tint, characteristic of old weathered wood.

When the color of the workpiece has completely changed, it is rinsed with water and then wiped with a vinegar solution (a tablespoon per glass of water) to remove the remaining alkali. If ammonia was used, a vinegar solution is not needed. After drying, the wood is brushed, sanded and applied protective covering. There is no need to paint such material, because then there is no point in chemical processing, and it is easier to do everything mechanically.

External use of aged wood

This decorative material is perfect for decorating facades in rustic style. First of all, this is the German half-timbered style: original finish walls involves the use of wooden beams of rough texture, giving the building a characteristic appearance.

Country-style finishing also allows for the use of aged wood: the cladding itself, shutters, and entrance doors, as well as decorative elements.

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

Video - How to age wood

Video - Patination of wood

Video - Aging wood by firing

Video - Chemical method of aging wood

is a long and painstaking process consisting of mechanical processing of wood and working with paint and varnish materials. This finishing method is associated with leon42, a participant in the “Home and Dacha” forum, with naturalness, antiquity, and folk culture.

According to leon42, buying furniture and brushing it with a metal brush does not make it old, but simply scratches it or, at best, creates a textured surface. Furniture bought in a store - made of slats and “skinny” - is not suitable for texturing; it looks rather sad and defective.

leon42 believes that furniture for brushing should be rough and massive, capable of conveying the natural beauty of wood.

It is precisely the superficial approach to aging wood, according to a forum member, that forms in many people the opinion of products processed using this technology as “furniture of fire victims.” Meanwhile, the combination of aged wood with metal, stone or ceramics in the interior is always a fashionable and stylish technique that allows all the inhabitants of the house to touch eternity and feel like they are in the Middle Ages.

Under natural conditions, wind and moisture, sun and temperature changes “work” on the aging of wood. How to do something that takes many decades to do in a few days?

Preparation of material

For brushing, it is better to use soft and medium-hard wood with a pronounced texture, for example, spruce, pine or larch. In these types of wood, soft fibers are formed, as a rule, in the spring-summer period, when intensive growth of growth rings occurs, and they are more “loose”.

Wood with a uniform and unexpressed texture, such as beech and maple, is not suitable for aging.

Before working with wood, you should prepare its surface. Eliminate all defects and dirt, be it traces of sweat, grease or other stains that may appear during the application of the tinting composition. Treat any products (small architectural forms, furniture, etc.) after disassembling them: you will spend less time and can reach everywhere with a brush.

Brushing

Brushing (English brush - “brush”), or texturing wood, is giving it a relief characteristic of old wood. On initial stage Soft fibers are removed from solid wood. There are several processing options: light aging - a barely noticeable roughness is created on the surface, or deep and rough, when the depth of the unevenness reaches 2-3 mm (for decorative elements, sometimes for rough furniture).

Can any detail, say, ceiling beam, pre-process with an ax: make notches, trim the edges without fear of spoiling - no one but you knows what the result should be. In this case, you will receive a product with a deep micro-relief of the surface and irregularities on it up to 20 mm deep.

Don’t forget about the “traces” of the vital activity of bugs and worms. imitate them before finishing using a drill or drill. You can also apply simple elements carvings: braids, dragons, etc. – you will get “Scandinavian style”.

Sanding: tools and brushes

On large enterprises they use machines and automatic lines, where everything is provided - from the feed speed of the workpiece to a powerful dust removal system. For an ordinary summer resident, such equipment is an expensive and, in general, unnecessary pleasure. If you will be doing this kind of work often, it is better to purchase a brush machine. The most common and widely available is Makita. The most economical and simple option is a grinder or drill, preferably with the ability to adjust the speed.

The entire brushing process can be divided into three stages:

1. Rough selection of soft fibers
2. Grinding
3. Polishing

Accordingly, each of them needs its own brush. At the first stage ( brushing) use metal (brushing). If you are making structures for the street - a gazebo, canopy, fence, etc., then most likely this will be your only brush.

When processed with a metal brush, scratches may remain on the annual rings themselves, which are difficult to get rid of during further processing.

When working with brush, you must adhere to the following rules:

• move the brush along the fibers, otherwise you will damage the annual rings and spoil the wood grain;
• the speed of movement of the brush and the pressure should be approximately the same, otherwise pits will form;
• the light source should be placed on the side at an acute angle, directing the light beam across the fibers - this way you can better see the surface being treated;
• do not press hard on the surface, do not overload the motor, otherwise this may cause premature equipment failure;
• the rpm speed should not be higher than 3000, preferably 2000–2500: the brush can quickly fly apart;
• be sure to wear glasses and do not neglect protective gloves: pieces of wire from the brush can fly several meters away, injuring others;
• take care of respiratory protection and dust removal: during this work, even your eyelashes become covered with “mealy mascara”, let alone your lungs;
• the new brush needs to be “run in”, otherwise it will strongly “whack” the workpiece, after a while it will begin to treat the surface cleaner;
• work only in one direction (rotation), do not turn on reverse - this will “kill” the metal brush;
• The humidity of the wood being treated should not exceed 15%, otherwise instead of a textured surface you will get a shaggy-hairy surface.

When processing stable and hard wood (larch, oak), be sure to use dust removal systems: the dust from these types of wood is considered carcinogenic and can cause lung cancer.

If you want to get rid of lint and get a better finish, you will need another brush - plastic (nylon), or more correctly - a grinding disc made of polymer-abrasive material. The most common grain size is 120.

An abrasive brush is a universal one, characterized by a more delicate surface treatment. If you use this brush, you can do without a metal brush, especially if the element being processed needs delicate treatment or if you want to avoid the specific scratches left by brushes.

The principle of working with an abrasive brush is the same as with a metal one. It is better to reduce the speed to 1500 to extend the life of the brush. The dust when working with a plastic brush is finer and stickier, so don’t forget about a respirator.

Surface treatment specifics:

• do not sand the edges and corners of the workpieces, especially if you do not plan to varnish them later: they will cling and chip;
• do not make deep relief on seats, tabletops and other horizontal surfaces - they will make it difficult to clean the surface: spilled drink stains, crumbs, etc. will get clogged between the fibers;
• In order to prevent clogging of dust and snags of the rag during cleaning, such surfaces must be sanded with an abrasive brush and fine-grained sandpaper.

The final stage of brushing is polishing or fine grinding: performed with sesal or other synthetic brushes. You can use fine-grained sandpaper, abrasive sponges, and steel wool to remove dust from finished surface with a wide brush and vacuum cleaner.

Finishing operations

At the final stage, they do tinting (changing the color of the wood by several tones), patination (emphasizing the texture of the wood with special compounds that penetrate the pores opened during brushing), craquelure (the effect of cracking and drying out), and varnishing.

After brushing, the board will look like new, but with textured surface. To give her old look, it is coated with various compositions, dark colors look more natural.

It is the correct play with the color of brushed wood that gives it an aged look. Areas with soft wood (pores or cavities) are unevenly painted in a darker color, while areas with hard wood (ridges) are painted lighter. IN Lately Popular options are those with light troughs and darker ridges.

The easiest way is to apply a generous amount of dark stain and immediately wipe the area with a rag or wide rubber spatula. In theory, the stain should absorb quickly into the soft surface, but more slowly on the ridges. However, in practice this often does not work out, so leon42 I settled on a more complex method: after complete drying, the ridges are sanded with fine-grained sandpaper. This method requires further treatment with varnish or colorless impregnations, so the exposed top layer remains without a protective coating.

Another option is to use paint of two contrasting colors: the surface is completely painted over with the first color, then the second is applied. While the latter is drying, run a wide rubber spatula, removing excess paint and exposing the ridges of the first layer.

Proper texturing is a simple but messy, time-consuming and unhealthy process.

As a result of difficult and hard work, you will receive decorative elements that carry the beauty of antiquity and at the same time have high durability. Every detail made with love with my own hands, will be unique.

Based on materials from a participant in the "House and Dacha" forum

Editor: Olga Travina

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.

Mandatory attributes of the rural style 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 exposed to 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 so that in the hands of a modern master they can be used as construction material antique

In fact, you don’t have to look for an 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 impact on the surface layer;
• staining makes it possible to simulate the presence of wood under the influence of precipitation for 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 easy to do on wood coniferous species. It is distinguished by the presence of soft fibers in the 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. With the help of 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 color concentration, you can achieve different shades gray color.

Rice. 4 Tinting paste for imparting shades to wood

In practice, furniture makers use more complex ways staining to give the 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 methods for patination of 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 an aged appearance. For acid treatment, sulfuric acid for batteries is used (Fig. 8). When exposed to the product even durum varieties 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 a copper sulfate solution gives an excellent effect for wood. For such an operation, plastic sewer pipes. The bottom 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 antique furniture

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

Aging wood is becoming increasingly popular among antique furniture lovers. Russian manufacturers have 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 female hands can turn wooden boards into an ancient masterpiece at home. 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, 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 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 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 covered 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 unsuccessful 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 cladding;
• 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, wrought iron garden furniture

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 by the 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 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. 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. 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 electric drill or a grinder with a nozzle 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 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 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 burner. 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 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. Besides, this 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 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.

Wood is a universal material, it is suitable for construction and repair, as well as for creating decorative crafts, jewelry and interior items. Modern technologies allow you to choose various options processing that allows you to create a variety of artistic compositions. Recently, there has been an increasing desire for retro style, both in the decoration of walls and ceilings, and in finished wooden objects.

Real antiques are very expensive and are not suitable for every budget. However, there is a way out - to age the wood artificially. By appearance There will be no differences from the old days, and much less money will be spent. Next, we will talk about the main methods that will allow you to easily and quickly solve this problem.

Treatment with chemical solutions

With this option, deciduous trees are perfectly processed. Among chemical substances ammonia can be used acetic acid, stain, as well as ready-made special solutions.

The process consists of several stages:

1. The wood is thoroughly cleaned of dust, dirt, and foreign deposits.
2. After this, it is sanded with sandpaper to create the desired composition.
3. Then there is a chemical treatment, as a result of which the wood darkens.
4. The final stage is varnishing, which will help create protection from moisture and microbes.

Burning

A good method for coniferous trees. It is carried out using the influence of fire.

Includes several steps:

1. Fire treatment, which in this case replaces conventional cleaning.
2. Next, the burnt surface is cleaned using metal brush, and then sanded with fine sandpaper.
3. To emphasize the natural beauty and desired shade, you can apply a little stain if necessary.
4. After this, wax is applied.

Firing, brushing and oiling pine boards in this video:

Brushing

With its help, soft wood species - linden, pine, walnut and others - are well processed.

1. At the initial stage, artificial damage is caused to the tree using a chisel, ax or hammer.
2. The next step is treatment with a metal brush and a regular brush to remove excess fibers.
3. Next comes sanding.
4. The wood is ready to apply paint based on acrylic or stain; immediately after this, the painted layer is wiped with a cloth to preserve the natural pattern.
5. After drying, it is treated with varnish.

Step-by-step video instructions: