Artificial aging of the tree. Artificial aging of objects. Techniques and methods Do-it-yourself tree aging

Hello dear readers and subscribers, Andrey Noak welcomes you! We continue to publish in the video section the most interesting video selections of both our and foreign experts on wood processing. Today I will tell you what kind of wood aging technology can be, its types and methods.

Recently, there has been a fashion for semi-antique things. This fashion can be seen almost everywhere where there is luxury and wealth, these are retro cars at exorbitant prices, these are luxurious locks, this is the antique furniture interior. But not everyone knows that to age wood, this is also called the operation of brushing wood, it is possible at home, while giving it an exotic look just for the owner. Today I have compiled a selection of the easiest ways to artificially aging a tree. We have compiled three methods of aging that can be seen in the video.

Aged wood in the interior ...

For artificial aging of wood, the following tools are needed:

Ax.
Gas burner or blowtorch.
Grinder with brass and plastic brush.
Stain, varnish or other coating.

Pretreated wood aging

The first method consists of the following operations:

Wood processing hand tools, giving it roughness.
Wood stripping. This operation is performed to remove soft fibers.
Covering it with stain.

Deep firing of wood

The second way to brush wood is to burn it with a gas torch or blowtorch. The firing depth should be a few millimeters.

Aging by surface firing

Another way to brush wood is called wood grain. The point here is to remove soft fibers from the surface of the wood, then apply stain on them.

Unconventional ways of wood aging

Experts offer several more extraordinary ways to age a tree:

Dry the wood in the sun until it cracks and cover it with wood stain.
Wood treatment with black tea and then vinegar.
Knock off the top layer of wood with a metal object, and then cover it with varnish, stain or other coating.

Good luck and see you again, Andrey Noak was with you!

Today one of the fashionable materials used in the decoration of any premises for the purpose is aged wood. Under the natural conditions of its growth, any tree grows old very slowly, therefore, a special technique for working with wood - brushing - has been created and specially used. This process consists in artificial aging of the required lumber.

What is the brushing process

Brushing - artificial aging (aging) of wood using various devices and special techniques. The whole process of work consists in removing the soft upper wood fibers with a hard, metal brush.

As a result of this work, a solid surface remains, on which the pattern and structure of annual rings are clearly expressed. In the future, a special shade is selected, which helps to further reflect the desired effect of wood aging.

The use of brushing opens up the broadest possibilities for changing the texture and color of the most different breeds wood. The special tinting allows to express the patina effect, when the main wood is painted in one tone, and the pores of the wood in a completely different one.

Trees such as walnut, larch, ash, oak and wenge are most susceptible to artificial aging:

Beech, maple, alder, pear, cherry are practically not used for brushing. Using the brushing technique, you can end up with a tree with a completely unusual color. Of the dyes, black, purple, orange, red, white, green colors are used.

In the process of artificial aging, the desired tree is also subjected to a special treatment necessary to protect the material from pests and decay. After painting, the workpieces are polished or varnished. Brushed wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture; with its use, the interior walls of houses are often decorated, and various accessories are created.

The advantages of artificially aged wood include:

Unusual and most fashionable appearance of the material.
Resistance of the tree to decay and the effects of various insects.
The ability to independently create exclusive items. The appearance of such products can be estimated at a solid five points, they not only favorably emphasize the exclusivity of any interiors, but also look quite expensive and luxurious.
Decorative finishing of simple tree species allows you to create an artificial imitation of exotic wood species, while the cost of the product will always be significantly lower.

The brushing process requires the use of special tools, and the entire technology of working with wood must be followed. The ease of making specially aged wood can be independently estimated at four points, but only if you have sufficient experience and that's it. necessary fixtures when working with wood.

The video shows the process of brushing or aging wood:

Main production stages

The entire brushing cycle consists of sequentially performed operations:

At the initial stage, the upper surface of the wood is treated with brushes with metal bristles. As a result of this process, it is necessary to remove the softest, outermost fibers of the tree.
Next, grinding is carried out. This is achieved by using a polymer, abrasive brush or sandpaper with coarse grains.
After the preparatory steps, stain or other necessary dyes are used. It is the correct use of dyes that allows you to achieve the desired antiquity effect.
After the treated wood has dried, the surface is polished and multi-layer varnished.

Wood aging at home

Wood brushing, if necessary, can be done entirely at home by yourself. You will need to purchase special metal and abrasive brushes, grinding devices, dyes and varnish. In factories, artificial aging is carried out using special grinding machines and other devices that facilitate the entire process of work.

Automation of the entire brushing cycle allows you to reduce the price of the resulting products. The cost of an artificially aged tree in production can be estimated at five points, since at home this process is somewhat delayed and requires some effort.

In the photo, what you may need to work with wood

Tools used for brushing

Brushes

Primary wood processing is carried out with brushes. When choosing a hand brush, you must purchase one with the hardest, metal bristles. If necessary, some cut it with a grinder, this allows the metal pile to become harder.

To obtain longitudinal grooves, a chisel is sometimes used. And to give expressiveness to the picture, sandpaper with a coarse-grained surface helps. Dried wood is brushed, so on wet fibers they will rise during stripping.

For rough cleaning of the surface of a wooden blank, a grinder is often used. At the same time, at the beginning of processing, nozzles with a metal pile are used, and at the end with a copper one. A special Piranha nozzle is also produced; it is an abrasive polymer brush.

This nozzle allows you to remove soft fibers and leave hard ones, which greatly facilitates the preparatory stage of brushing. In addition to a grinder, a drill can also be used to remove soft fibers. Brushes are bought depending on the tools used - for a grinder and a drill, they differ in size.

Aging machines

In manufacturing plants, the entire aging process of wood will take a short period of time if special machines are used. The complete set of such automatic machines is represented by several devices at once.

They allow you to carry out rough processing of wood in a few minutes, grind it, remove fine fibers. If necessary, the production uses and special devices for painting and polishing wood.

Automation of work helps to achieve simplicity in the manufacture of aged wood, while the practicality of the material can be rated at five points.

For independent work with wood, it makes sense to purchase special machines only if a large amount of work with wood is expected. There are many models on the market that are produced specifically for brushing wooden blanks.

The most popular of them are:

Stripping router FESTOOL RUSTOFIX RAS 180. It comes with a steel brush for the first stage of wood processing. Also included is a brush for intermediate sanding and a sisal brush for polishing.
The machine for grinding Makita 974 is suitable for brushing. It comes with a nylon abrasive brush. When using this machine, certain difficulties arise when processing corners.
The Felisatti AGF 110 / 1010E sander is designed for smooth and uneven surfaces. This device is supplied with nylon and metal brushes.

When choosing a grinder, it is necessary to take into account the convenience of its use and the possibility of purchasing brushes suitable in design for these devices.

Working principle of wood aging brush machine sl-6352:

DIY wood staining

With a strong desire, artificially aged wood can be made independently:

The selected workpiece needs to be slightly moistened, this will eliminate the release of wood dust during operation. First, the workpiece is processed with a hard metal brush. Its rigidity is selected empirically. It is necessary that the brush is good at removing soft surface fibers, but at the same time does not disturb the structure of hard fibers. The movement of the machine or grinder fixed on the grinder is carried out in the direction of the fibers. The rotation speed is also pre-selected on a sample; for each wood, the speed can differ significantly. When working manually, there are no problems with the selection of the speed of rotation of the brush, but at the same time the process of preparing wood is significantly complicated and lengthened.
After use with a wire brush, use with abrasive bristles. With this attachment or brush, all loose fibers and roughness are removed. At this stage, with the help of a chisel, you can additionally add various grooves and grooves. They can be made to look like natural cracks in wood.
In the future, final polishing is required, it is usually carried out with a sisal bristled brush. You can use sandpaper by hand. At this stage it is necessary to achieve perfect polishing of the entire surface.
Special decorative view the detail acquires, if at the last stages it is tinted, painted, gilded. Stain is often used. Impregnation with stain and its quick removal allows you to paint over areas with the softest fibers, while hard ones practically do not stain.
The original look of the tree is given by the color of golden or silver paint. Particles of a coloring pigment are clogged into microcracks when the dye is applied, which ensures the appearance of glare in sunny weather. You can use different dyes for painting, but they must necessarily be designed for working with wood. After painting, it is recommended to polish the surface again, this will relieve the product from roughness.
In the last step, you need to apply several layers of varnish. Before applying a layer of varnish, the previous one must dry well and must also be polished.

With sufficient experience, the process of brushing wood and using special devices is not particularly difficult. At the same time, you can make the most exclusive products, from wall shelves to cabinets and kitchen sets.

How you can age wood yourself, the video will tell:

Patination

Another fairly simple way to age wood that you can use yourself is patina.

This method is easier to execute than brushing:

First, the desired wooden surface is protected, sanded and carefully covered with a layer of primer.
A base coat of the desired paint is applied to the dried surface. The first layer should dry out qualitatively, this usually happens throughout the day.
After drying it is cleaned and a new layer is applied. In the second stage, bronze or gold can be applied over the paint, and this can be done in separate areas. This is how the aging effect is achieved.
To fix the aging effect, a layer of varnish is applied over the paint. It can be glossy or matte.

With the help of patinating and bending wood, it is possible to change the look of boring wooden products beyond recognition, while the simplicity of work, appearance and low price for all devices is estimated at five points.

Applying patina to a wooden door:

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You can add personality to the interior in various ways. Most often, this is done by emphasizing certain little things, for example, using unusual textures or colors. One of the technologies in demand for the formation of an original texture is the aging of wood with your own hands. The technique allows you to give the surface a unique pattern, while the basis is a natural material.

The need for a procedure
Use of wood species
Mechanical application
Application of the coloring layer
Using chemical brushing

The need for a procedure

Those who want to make semi-antique furniture with their own hands should learn how to give its surface the most realistic appearance. For this, an artificial process is used - brushing (from the English brush - brush). During work, the structuring of the fibers of the wooden elements occurs. In nature, a tree reaches such a visual state over a longer period, but using modern means, this time interval can be significantly narrowed.

Wood brushing in semi-antique interior design

Under natural conditions, aged wood loses its strength, and under artificial influence, the reverse process takes place, depriving the material of weak fibers and providing greater strength.

Such treatment also helps to protect the surface from the effects of bark beetles and other insects. As a result, it will be possible to achieve the necessary colors and stylish appearance. You can make wood with your own hands for any needs: from small photo frames or boxes to making furniture or parquet.

Read with this article: Door trim

Use of wood species

It is important to consider that not every type of wood can be processed in this special way. The final quality is influenced by the structure of the natural material. In most cases, artificial aging of wood is applied to the following types:

larch;
nut;
ash.

The internal structure of the tree must have a visible fibrous pattern. It will become the basis for the formation of texture. Deprived of this property, wood paroxysms with extremely hard fibers are not usually used. These include:

pear;
maple;
cherry;

The task of the performer is to directly influence the soft structure located between the annual rings. In the presence of the most homogeneous environment, it will not be possible to form the aging of the tree with your own hands.

So, for example, by burning it is possible to turn ordinary pine into a rare and valuable species of tropical wood obtained from the Wenge tree.

VIDEO: We turn pine into wenge

Mechanical application

When carrying out a full brushing cycle, the following algorithm of actions is carried out:

primary machining using a metal brush to cut soft particles from the surface of the workpiece

Rough wood brushing

carrying out grinding work with a roughing brush with polymer bristles or using sandpaper with a coarse abrasive;
applying stain or other types of dyes to the treated surface;
polishing or applying several layers of varnish, in the intervals between drying, sanding with "zero" sandpaper is performed

Grinding the prepared surface

During artificial aging of wood, drills or grinders are used to reduce manual labor and increase productivity. The process uses brushes with brushes made of aluminum, steel, copper and synthetic polymers.

Do-it-yourself aging of wood, as shown in the video at the end of the chapter, begins with roughing, when the tool is driven along the location of the fibers at the same speed and uniform pressure over the entire surface.

The machining should not form unwanted "pits" in the workpieces, so you need to insert the tool evenly, without much pressure, if the idea does not require the formation of the target rough relief.

Light during work must be of high quality and provide a vision of the natural pattern. In this regard, the beams of the lamp are directed perpendicular to the length of the fibers. In such a situation, the desired pattern is shaded.

The moisture content of the processed wood is selected in the range of 15-16%. This value will provide the preferred finishing roughness of the surface without raised villi. If you use a polymer tool for processing before aging the tree at home, you will achieve an effect with a less pronounced relief.

A subsequent sanding step will trim away the raised wood fiber pile. Sandpaper or abrasive brushes do the job well. The degree of roughness can be controlled manually.

VIDEO: DIY artificial aging of wood. Carpentry Tricks

Application of the coloring layer

We process the prepared relief with the help of mechanical means by painting. This will significantly enhance the result obtained and hide the fresh roughing by mechanical means. Thanks to the play of colors, it will be possible to obtain the required presentable effect.

Coloring wood for the manifestation of texture

It is customary to paint such semi-antique wood products with a stain, and then wash it off. This will allow the material to enter almost instantly into the soft tissue structure, while the hard tissue will not have time to absorb the applied color. The natural beauty of the material will fully manifest itself outward.

You can leave particles of gold paint on the surface if you apply a small layer of it with a brush, and then remove the residue from the surface with a hard spatula. The particles will penetrate into depressions and pores to ensure a successful result.

Depressions and grooves formed during machining can be protected with a transparent filler. This technique is useful when making countertops, shelves, or other practical surfaces. During their operation, fine dirt will not clog into the relief zones.

Since the tree must be artificially aged carefully and with the possibility of using it, the finishing operations are:

polishing;
varnishing;
waxing.

It will also be possible to achieve an interesting texture for designers with the help of craquelure varnishing. It forms small cracks and chips on the front side. It is necessary to rub paint or coal dust into them, providing a unique individual pattern.

Decorating brushed wood with craquelure varnish

Choose craquelure from specialist stores and within expiration dates. In most cases, expired varnish does not give a cracking effect.

With this article they read: How to make and decorate arches in an apartment

Using chemical brushing

In the process of chemical action on fibers, you can achieve similar results that are obtained from mechanical processing. For this, active solutions are used that can influence the structure of the soft fiber. By corroding the desired areas, an original pattern is formed on the surface of the wooden blank.

Chemical brushing

The technique does not require the use of brushes and sandpaper during the active phase. For several cycles of applying and washing off the solution, the canvas is transformed.

In etching, drugs are used that contain particles that are toxic to humans, therefore, in order to prevent poisoning of the body with chemical vapors, it is recommended to work in an open space.

The chemical solutions used to soften the fibers contain a high percentage of alkali. You can take a preparation for this purpose, cleaning ovens. After a good rubbing, the layer is washed off, and the cycle is repeated until the desired effect is obtained. After etching, the finishing operations are the same as those carried out during machining.

Working with chemicals should be carried out in compliance with personal protective equipment: gloves, glasses, petal and a protective gown or apron. After the operation, all residues of the substance from the surfaces are washed off under running water.

VIDEO: How to make an antique wood countertop with your own hands

Interior and household items decorated with artificially aged wood:

Ladder made of ordinary pine

Table and chairs - made of larch

Kitchen. Facade - larch, shelves - pine

Modern design developments for interior decoration or the creation of furniture structures made of natural wood have recently proven themselves to be very original proposals. One of the fashion trends is the use of wood with an aging effect, which is achieved by artificial methods.

What is brushing?

The word "brushing" is translated from English as "brush". Do-it-yourself wood brushing is done with a stiff brush, which removes some of the fibers from the surface of the workpiece, and the created relief is emphasized by coatings. The process involves the creation of a surface that exhibits rings and a pronounced structure.

How does a tree age?

Today, ordinary furniture can be given an original style if the wood is artificially aged using special methods. Interiors made from such details will also look expensive. Natural conditions help the tree to age, but it takes quite a long time. At home, reducing the time, you can get the final result by subjecting the wood to mechanical processing and coating special formulations... In this article, the home craftsman will receive not only advice, but also an answer to the question of how to age a tree with your own hands using special methods.

A few tips:

A good effect can be achieved if used for work old boards. The absence of such simple material at home or on the site does not mean that it is not nearby. Most often, neighbors are ready to give away unnecessary boards for free.
It should be remembered that purchasing old boards makes the process of work easier, it is not difficult to age them.
Wood different breeds ages differently regardless of whether the same coating materials are used. The fixing of products with different aging effects must be foreseen in the finished wooden structure.
A ready-made aged board today can be easily purchased in a store or on the market, sometimes there is no need to do the job.

Necessary materials

Wood aging works are performed using:

brushes with metal bristles;
circular brush;
sandpaper;
sawdust brushes;
several brushes;
white spirit (solvent);
dark "Pinotex";
transparent and white azure "Belinka";
large sponge.

Wood processing can be done in five ways.

Wood aging workshops

1. Aging by removing fibers from the surface with subsequent painting.

Do it yourself wood aging metal bristle brush... It removes some of the fibers, due to which a unique pattern is created, which will be further emphasized by painting.

First a tree is needed sand, then process with a circular brush in an automated way. You can use a metal bristle brush and apply it by hand. In any case, the lines are drawn along the grain.

When the sawdust is removed, a completely new appearance of the board is revealed, which must be emphasized with paint for aging wood.

Then the cleaned product is processed twice with a brush or roller, a translucent glaze is applied to it " Belinka».

After a short time, a small layer of coating must be removed with a sponge to reveal relief... If this aging effect satisfies the master, he can apply a clear varnish on top.

Otherwise, the effect can be enhanced by applying another thin layer. azurewhich is also removed with a sponge to create the bleached canvas popular in this style. On dried wood, varnish or clear paint is applied in one layer.

Various elements wooden structures, made according to this technology of wood aging, are perfectly combined in the old style.

2. Creation of an aging effect with a brush.

With the help of a brush, wood is manually processed, which is covered with a white opaque glaze in one layer. When the coating is dry, the product is processed again.

The aging effect is a white surface with a relief pattern.

3. Creation of an antique pattern on the wood, which is covered with several layers of paint.

With this do-it-yourself wood aging, it can be given ancient specieswhen the thing looks like a shabby from time to time. To begin with, the material undergoes minor damage when it can:

beat with a hammer;
pierce in some places;
scratch with a cutting tool;
damage with a screw head or an iron bar;
and other.

All possible manipulations are performed over the tree, which can emphasize the ancient relief. After a layer is applied to the surface Pinotexwhich has a thick consistency. Due to its density, it will be unevenly laid.

After the thick layer has dried, the surface must be refined with a fine brush or sandpaper. Damage should be kept small so that the influence of time appears to be minimal. Now the product is covered with white glaze " Belinka"With a liquid consistency. The coating must be applied in a thin layer, not necessarily evenly.

When the top layer is dry, it must be scraped off, for which a brush is used, which performs longitudinal movements. The resulting relief emphasizes the effect of antiquity, but the color is still far from real colorthat has a weathered wood.

Now, to make the thing more natural, its shade needs to be slightly muted. Azure is mixed with white spirit in a ratio of 1: 1.

The product treated with the mixture has a calm surface in a warm tone, from under which the dark surface of Pinotex is visible. In this way, it is good to create aged wood furniture with your own hands.

4. Processing by fire.

A gas burner is used. There are three ways to achieve the result:

Wood processing is not required, its structure is emphasized by firing. Then the material is processed with fine sandpaper, sawdust is removed, and varnish is applied.

Mechanical processing is carried out and the material is fired. As a result, the surface looks three-dimensional, and the wood looks rich.

Do-it-yourself wood aging is achieved by intensive firing, when some of the fibers are removed. Then the product is mechanically processed with a brush having a hard metal bristle.

5. Creation of a voluminous product with gross damage, varnished.

The wood brushing workshop shows you what needs to be done step by step in order to age the wood properly:

First you need to do right choice wood... It cannot be young or resinous. It is better to use a material with a clear structure.
For processing the workpiece, manual plane, and not electric, which is not able to emphasize the natural effect.
On the board by hand using chisels serifs are made that do not have the correct shape. The notches must be made on the edges so that it looks like the product was chopped with an ax.
In automatic mode using drill and hard fibers of the attachment, soft fibers are removed from the wood. Movements during work should be light. If you use a regular brush, the treatment will be rougher.
Stupid nail allows you to add wormholes to the decor. It can be used to make shallow holes.
The surface is cleaned with a brush from debris, it is applied to Pinotex Ultra... This paint varnish is resistant to environmental influences.
After drying, the surface is processed fine sandpaper, the treatment of which will accentuate dark cavities and light protrusions, giving the product volume. The pronounced wood structure now looks very nice.
Finally, the tree is covered again varnish.

Photo of brushed wood

Examples of photographs depicting the processed material allow you to see the wide decorative possibilities of wood aged by artificial methods. Products from various types of aged wood, opened with varnish, paint, wax, oil after brushing, can acquire all kinds of shades and get a new life.

Beautiful aged furniture can bring sophistication and harmony to your home. Under natural conditions, a tree grows old 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.

The benefits of aged wood

Antique 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, dressers, etc.

The advantages of aged wood are as follows:

The surface does not require special treatment; if desired, it is enough just to varnish it.
The aging effect allows you to give any piece of furniture an antique look.
Natural wood grain looks unique and unrepeatable.
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 style.

What types of wood are best for aging?

For aging, soft wood or medium-hard material is suitable. It has a brighter texture. Spruce, larch and pine meet this requirement. The presented rocks differ in that they have soft fibers. In the spring and summer, annual rings are most rapidly formed on them, which makes the fibers "loose". Breeds such as beech and maple are not suitable for aging, as their texture is weak and almost uniform.

Training

Before aging wood, its surface must be prepared

Before you start aging wooden furniture with your own hands, you need to carry out high-quality preparation of the surfaces that you plan to process. To do this, remove all defects and dirt. These can be traces of grease and other stains. If this is not done, obsolete contamination will appear after the tint is applied to the wood. Also remove old paint or varnish and dismantle excess fittings that interfere with the antique processing.

The ways

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

Coloring;
Craquelure;
Surface brushing;
Stain treatment;
Wood processing with special chemical compounds (old-fashioned technology);
Gilding;
Achieving a lime effect (lime technology).

Let's take a closer look at each of these ways to age a tree.

Coloration

Wood aged using the staining technique

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

For the base, you can use any color, the main thing is that it is more saturated than the auxiliary one.

You can also use a 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 with a high grit sandpaper. This will remove excess paint. Sanding is necessary until the effect of worn paint appears. The main layer will show through it. The final stage of processing is varnishing.

Craquelure

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

Surface brushing

Wood aged with the brushing technique

The brushing technology is a simple method of aging wood furniture using a metal brush, fine-grit sandpaper, a chisel and a drill. Before starting the main process, you need to remove the top layer of the wood. Brushing can be combined with surface painting. Use sandpaper and a brush to remove the top layer, and a chisel and drill bit to create furrows and wormholes. The brushing technique is most commonly used to age floors and planks. 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.

Useful Information: Brushing is perfect for furniture made from hardwoods such as walnut, ash, oak and larch. This technique is contraindicated for maple, cherry, beech and teak.

Stain treatment

Wood aged with staining

This technique is used in conjunction with others. Coating furniture with paint and varnish material will achieve the staining effect. First you need to treat the surface, and then wash off some of the stain with a damp sponge. It is important to leave edges, curves and cracks darker than the main surface to accentuate the aging effect.

If after the first time you are unable to achieve the desired result, simply sand the surface thoroughly. Some areas can be re-painted with a brush dipped in stain. For a more saturated color, after completing the main work step, coat the wood surface with a primer or the right color. Finally, brush over the surface with antique wax using a soft cloth.

Olding technology (processing with special compounds)

Aged wood using the oldizing technique

Olding is a very interesting technique for aging wood. It can be used to recreate the effects of fading, marsh moss, burnout, etc. Specialty chemicals will help you achieve amazing results. This technique is only suitable for hard wood species (oak, hornbeam, etc.).

This is interesting: If you carry out the oldization of softwood, it will simply become unusable after being treated with strong chemicals.

The final stage will be varnishing the surface. It will serve to protect the surface.

Gilding

You can use gold platinum to age your furniture and achieve an antique look. Applying gold plating is one of the simplest procedures that does not take much time. Simply paint the furniture completely in your chosen color and wait until it dries.

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

Laming

Aged wood with the lime technique

Lime is the process of aging furniture using a lime effect. First, prepare the surface, degrease it. Treat the wood with a special pigment or paint. Paints and varnishes will help you achieve any shade and texture. Apply paint along the grain. This will accentuate the natural structure of the wood and add a "clogged dust" effect to the corners. For best results, apply the lime compound with a brush or gauze pad.

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

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

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

When creating an interior, 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 can use motives from France. However, not many people know that there was not that grace, which is so much talked about (only in the southern regions can you find exquisite options, the northern regions have always existed much more modest and poorer). Much more interesting is the German or Russian rural style. They contain much more colors, shades and wood products.

Obligatory attributes of the rural style are somewhat rough benches, massive tables, separate stools, cabinets and shelves above them. The clumsy items were made with rather meticulous finishing. Only time has changed the appearance of wooden structures. Due to intensive use, the structure appears brighter, the fiber pattern is deeper.

Planks that have existed for more than a decade are characterized by the presence of a silvery coating, as well as blackening of individual zones. Time in its own way paints 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, so that in the hands of a modern master they can be used as a semi-antique structural material.

In fact, it is not necessary to look for an old barn in order to make semi-antique furniture from its boards. There are ways with which you can give the boards and bars the look as if they were used in products by a great-grandfather:

brushing - this is the name of a way to reveal deep texture using mechanical action on the surface layer;
coloring makes it possible to simulate the presence of wood under the influence of atmospheric precipitation for a long time;
roasting and other heat treatment, with the help of which the effect of using wood after fire exposure is created;
chemical treatment, allowing to give modern furniture the look that was created a couple of centuries ago.

Most often, more than one selected method of aging is used, but they are combined with each other, achieving an even more noticeable effect of the presence in the room of the XII ... XIX centuries. It turned out that semi-antique furniture is in demand on the market. Some users say that 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, was sitting on this chair in the year n. Listeners with delight touch the creation of the master of the Middle Ages, admiring how much they managed to preserve the product from time immemorial.

Brushing - a method of aging wood

Artificial aging is easily performed on coniferous wood. 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 with a brush with a hard metal bristle (Fig. 1). After repeatedly moving along the fiber, it is easy to remove the soft component. Only structural hard fragments will remain.

Figure: 1 Metal brush for brushing wood

One or two boards are easy to handle with a similar brush. If you need to procure a certain amount of timber, you will have to use the 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).

Figure: 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 goggles, preferably a mask.

All lumber should be planed before brushing. Many people think this requirement for training is superfluous, in fact, craftsmen have always respected their work, as well as the people for whom they made pieces of furniture. We always used planed boards and bars. Some carpenters were able to use an ax to give blanks a look that other contemporaries would not be able to do even with the help of modern planes or machine tools.

The process is performed in the following sequence:

The board (block) is fixed on the working table (workbench). It is convenient to use a comb or a locking wedge here;
Turn on the power tool and brush along the fiber, the direction of movement to the stop.
When working, they try not to press hard from above, the brush itself will choose what it can remove from the surface.

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

Antique wood painting

Probably everyone saw that the old boards have a grayish tinge, giving them the appearance of light silvering. With the help of paints, you can give a similar color to any wooden product. For this, acrylic paints are used (Fig. 3). But they are white. Therefore, tinting paste is added to them (Fig. 4). By changing the concentration of the color, you can achieve different shades gray.

Figure: 4 Coloring paste for shading wood

In practice, furniture makers also use more sophisticated painting methods to give the wood an antique look. There is a method called patination. The effect of this treatment is not a continuous coating, but only a coating of a bronze film. Such processing results in shiny bronze fragments. In fig. 5 shows one of the methods for patinating wood. In addition to applying a bronze (gold) shade, additives are used that create an antiquity effect. Craquelures are macroroughnesses specially created on the surface.

Figure: 5 Patinated fragment of the facade

To make the products look like old wood, it is not necessary to paint the products completely and cover them with an 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). Here there is patination of individual fragments, there is also treatment with varnishes, which gave the look of antiques.

Figure: 6 Antique bedside table

Antique wood burning

Thermal processing opens up tremendous opportunities. With its help, the following is applied to the tree:

your unique drawing, because any cut is created by nature, which never repeats itself in anything;
when firing, the shades change, the appearance of coal particles gives more expressiveness to the wood;
using old boards, from which the old paint was removed by the fire method, they achieve real aging of the product for several decades.

Firing is performed using the tools presented in the table.

Chemical treatment of semi-antique wood

Chemicals, such as alkalis and acids, make the new wood look aged. Sulfuric acid is used for acidizing batteries (Fig. 8). When exposed to a product, even on hard grades, deep streaks of texture appear. This method is used for oak, walnut, ash. It is necessary to use a concentrated acid with a density of 1.42 g / cm 3. A lower density acid works the texture more slowly.

At the end of the treatment, it is necessary to neutralize the action of the acid, therefore, use a solution of caustic soda or spill with a solution baking soda... Then long-term exposure to water is required.

Figure: 8 Sulfuric acid

An excellent effect on wood is given by treatment in solution copper sulfate... For such an operation, plastic sewer pipes are used. The bottom hole is closed with a stopper, and then boards or bars are placed inside. Then a solution of ten percent strength of copper sulfate is poured. The exposure time depends on the type of wood. To get the kind of snag, you have to stand up to a week. Even soft varieties: pine, spruce, acquire high hardness and resistance to decay. The wood darkens, becomes brown. Looks spectacular on finished products.

In fig. 9 shows pieces of furniture made by modern craftsmen semi-antique. All the methods described were used during processing. The products look pretty interesting.

Figure: 9 Modern furniture semi-antique

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

The method of wood brushing is very popular. This method is used to decorate wooden floors or ceiling beams (ceilings), as well as to stylize interior items and furniture. It consists in treating the surface with a coarse metal brush, and then varnishing. During mechanical processing, the soft layers of wood are removed, and only hard layers remain on the surface.

Due to this effect, the surface will acquire a relief appearance. After that, the wood must be varnished, and it is better in two layers, which will emphasize the texture of the wood and give it elegance. Remember that not all wood can be used for brushing. Conifers are best suited for these purposes, as well as oak, walnut and ash.

First stage preparation

If we talk about how to make aged furniture with your own hands, then you need to start with the fact that the first step is to prepare the product for this procedure.

In order to really age the furniture with your own hands, you should start with preliminary preparation of the product for this procedure.

To do this, you should:

remove all handles, as well as other decorative elements from the product to be processed;
then empty all the drawers of the chest of drawers or wardrobe, they should also be fully pulled out;
remove all paint or varnish that is on the subject;
if the surface was stained before applying varnish, then, of course, the entire layer of paintwork cannot be removed, in which case we remove as much varnish as possible.

In order to really age the furniture with your own hands, you should start with preliminary preparation of the product for this procedure, for this, of course, you need to empty all the boxes, otherwise in the end it will be clear that these are not antique products, any master class speaks about this.

It is important to empty all dresser drawers

In addition to all of the above, certain materials should be prepared in advance that are used to carry out the procedure for artificial aging of furniture. It:

water-based paint;
special devices that are used for direct cleaning of furniture;
sandpaper;
brushes to be used in the work;
craquelure varnish.

There are about 10 main methods of artificial aging of furniture. Each of which is based on a specific technology.

Aging furniture with staining

Restoring the appearance of wood

We have to face such a necessity everywhere. If the piece of furniture has served for some time, and defects appear in a separate area or throughout the entire area, the original decor is lost, then this can be removed relatively easily, with your own hands. In principle, this technology is one of the varieties of wood aging.

Operating procedure:

Removal of the applied layers (wood stripping to the base). The skin is used. The grain size is selected based on the complexity of processing.
Bare wood is covered (in 2 layers) with acrylic paint (black).
Any furniture has a peculiar configuration. Consequently, all protrusions (corners, bevels, segments around the handles, etc.) will wear out over time. After determining these areas, they are rubbed with paraffin. It's easy to find a candle in the house.
Painting the wood in the required color.
After the composition dries, the paraffin is washed off (peeled off), and dark paint will appear on the areas treated with it.
Finish.

The author reminds that in the article only the most simple methods of artificial aging of a tree are indicated in the article. There are a lot of them, as well as the instruments and preparations used. But if the meaning of all technological operations is clear, then it is not difficult to develop your own methodology. The specifics of the work and local conditions themselves will tell you what and how it is most appropriate to do.

Recent fashion for vintage products, cars and retro clothing has not spared the design of wooden products. Semi-antique wood processing allows creating an interior in new buildings that looks like the owners inherited the apartment from their great-grandfathers. The owners of country houses decorate the facades and internal space with old wood. Decorative false beams on the ceiling, stairs, doors and other design elements are made of artificially aged wood, making the house look like a medieval castle or a fairytale forest hut.

The high cost of artificially aged wooden objects makes home craftsmen want to do the necessary things with their own hands, immediately achieving both a cheaper product and its true uniqueness. The work of aging a tree is not at all as difficult as it might seem from the outside. You just need to know about the main ways to achieve a beautiful textured surface on ordinary sawn timber, which can be purchased at any company that sells building materials and wood.

Glaze technique

The method of glazing a wooden surface is also widely applicable. This method involves the use of various coloring compositions, ranging from acrylic and oil, and ending with watercolors. The glaze technique is to obtain deep color overflows through layers of different transparency. For artificial aging of wood using this method, it is convenient to use acrylic-based paints, since they are easily diluted or mixed, forming a wide range of colors.

In addition, a solution of an acrylic-based coloring composition dries quickly on the surface and is moisture resistant. The staining process is quite simple: the prepared solution of acrylic paint is applied to the surface, after which it is allowed to dry completely. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated to obtain the desired shade. Glazed layers do not hide the texture of the wood, and the aging effect is achieved due to the overflow of translucent layers of the dye.

Decorating surfaces by the glazing method, among other things, opens up ample opportunities for experimentation, since it allows you to apply translucent layers of the dye composition of various colors, obtaining unique shades.

Thermal and chemical treatment of wood

These methods can be called related, since the destruction of the top layer of the tree occurs almost without mechanical stress. It's over dangerous waysthan the previous ones, so processing should be done in the air and in compliance with safety measures.

The essence of firing lies in the fact that soft fibers are destroyed when exposed to open fire. For this, the surfaces of the workpiece are burned with a blowtorch flame or a special gas burner to a depth of 3 mm. With superficial firing, the aging effect will be negligible, with deeper firing it will be more pronounced. At the same time, the master adjusts the process depending on his taste and needs.

After charring the top layer, a metal brush or a drill bit is put into operation, scraping off the carbon deposits until the desired color and texture is obtained. Such wood can not be dyed, because it will already have dark and light areas. The final processing consists in sanding and varnishing the product.

When chemical method decorating semi-antique wood occurs in the process of exposure to alkalis or ammonia. To do this, you can use sprays for cleaning stoves or a drainage agent. Before use, you must familiarize yourself with the composition of the product, it must contain alkali

Particular attention should be paid to precautions when working with it

Falling on the surface of a tree, these chemical substances Some of the soft fibers are “burned out”, at the same time painting the wood gray. After processing, all surfaces are washed with water and covered with a weak solution of table vinegar or citric acid (1 tsp per 200 ml of water), removing alkali residues.

The dried products are brushed and stained, if necessary.

Wood processing by the listed methods will help the owner himself decorate the interior of the apartment semi-antique, without investing large funds and not spending a lot of time on it. The availability of materials and tools for processing allows to engage in this type of creativity and a sophisticated master carpenter, and a beginner, and even a woman with imagination and skillful hands.

Furniture made of wood aged over the years is able to create in any interior a certain atmosphere of connection between times, continuity, fabulousness and unique comfort. However, it is not at all necessary to wait half a century for a beautiful wooden table or chest of drawers acquired or created by you to acquire such a unique look - there is a special technology for aging wood for this. And today we will tell you about.

Aging a tree is not a quick and painstaking process. It consists of mechanical processing of wood and subsequent work with paints and varnishes. To begin with, furniture (either wooden board, from which you are going to build something) you need to process it with a metal brush - but do not rush to think that this is aging - you just need to scratch it a little and add texture to its surface. For brushing, rough and massive furniture is most suitable, which, in principle, is capable of conveying the real beauty of natural material, and it is not entirely suitable for it, which is made of wooden lamellas and is somewhat "thin" - after texturing it will look a little sad.

According to many experts, it is this superficial approach to the aging of wood that forms in some people the attitude towards furniture treated in this way as if it were furniture after a fire. In addition, the combination in the interior space of the house of aged wooden products and stone elements, ceramic, or artistic forging is a stylish and win-win option, allowing everyone who will be in this room to touch the time, to feel like in another time period in history.

Under natural conditions, aging of wood occurs under the influence of wind, moisture, sunlight, temperature changes. And how to do something that nature takes more than one decade to do, in a couple of days, how to artificially age a tree?

How to age wood Sanding wood

In production conditions, there are special machines for grinding wood, which provide for both the speed of feeding the wood and the removal of wood dust. However, for an ordinary amateur, such equipment is an expensive thing, and not particularly necessary. Of course, if you intend to professionally age wood, it is better to purchase a brush machine, but the most simple option for grinding will be a grinder, or a drill. It is only desirable that they have the ability to adjust the speed.

In principle, the process of brushing wood is represented by three main stages:

Rough selection made of soft fiber wood;
Grinding;
Polishing.

Each of the stages needs a separate brush. The first stage involves the use of a metal brush, also called brushing. However, when working with it, small scratches can also remain on the annual tree rings themselves, which are not so easy to get rid of during subsequent processing. Therefore, you must adhere to some rules:

1	First of all, the brush should only be driven along the wood fibers - otherwise, you can damage the rings themselves and spoil the natural pattern of the tree.
2	The speed at which the wire brush moves and the pressure on it should be approximately the same - otherwise, holes may result.
3	When working, the light source must be marked from the side at an acute angle so that the light beam is directed across the wood fibers - this will allow you to better observe the surface on which you are working.
4	Do not apply too much pressure on the work surface - the motor is overloaded and the risk of premature tool breakage increases.
5	The speed of rotation of the brush should not exceed 3,000, the most optimal option is 2-2.5 thousand revolutions, otherwise it can simply fly in different directions.
6	Work must be carried out in goggles, and do not forget about protecting your hands with gloves, because small pieces of metal bristles from the brush sometimes fly off several meters and can injure. You also need to remember about respiratory protection and dust removal - during such work, even eyelashes are covered with wood dust, imagine what will happen to the lungs.
7	If the brush is new, then it must be "run in" - otherwise, the wood blank will be too much "swirled".
8	You only need to work in one direction - only rotation. It is better not to turn on the reverse at all, because it will literally "destroy" the metal brush.
9	Another important point is that the moisture content of the tree should not be higher than 15%. Otherwise, the result will be not a textured surface, but a "furry" one.

By the way, when working with hard wood, for example, oak or, it is necessary to remove dust, because dust particles of these wood species are considered carcinogenic and can lead to lung cancer.

To obtain a better finish and get rid of excess "pile", you will have to use one more brush - a grinding disc made of polymer-abrasive material. If so to make it clear - plastic (nylon) with the most common grain size equal to 120.

The abrasive brush is versatile. It is characterized by a delicate surface finish. Its use completely eliminates the metal brush, especially if you need to handle the product delicately, or if you intend to avoid scratches that remain after metal brushes.

Thermal aging

In fact, this is a complex wood processing.

Stages of work

First
- firing over the entire surface or in a separate area. This is necessary to remove all the "pulp" and a clearer manifestation of the structure, growth rings, knots, cracks.

Second
- mechanical restoration. Carbon deposits are removed with a metal brush. In addition, it allows you to achieve the most pronounced wood relief.

The third
(optional) - wood staining. Depending on the breed, this can often produce a greater texturing effect. A single coat is sufficient.

Fourth
- applying varnish. If the aged wood looks great, then it is better to use a colorless varnish. Its task is to protect the material from the negative effects of the atmosphere. In some cases, additional toning of wood is made with varnish, but this time with color.

The author used different sources of open fire in practice and in the course of training came to the conclusion that the best option is a gas burner. If you work with a blowtorch, it is difficult to achieve a uniform flame. As a result, with aging, scorch marks appear on the tree, which are rather difficult to level, and sometimes even impossible.
Before proceeding with the surface treatment, you need to "fill your hand". Therefore, at first it is advisable to get at least a minimum of experience by training on waste lumber. There will always be some kind of wood waste on the farm.

How to age a tree Preparing the material

To begin with, before aging a tree, it must first be prepared. First of all, for brushing, it is better to choose soft wood, or medium hard wood, which has a pronounced woody texture. This can be, for example, a spruce, or a pine. These species are distinguished by the fact that their soft fibers are often formed in spring and summer, and during this period the annual rings of a tree grow most rapidly, therefore the fibers are more "loose". Woods with a homogeneous and almost unexpressed texture, such as beech and maple, will not be suitable for aging.

Before starting work, the surface of the tree must be carefully prepared. All dirt and possible defects are removed, it can be a trace of grease, sweat, other stains - the fact is that they can appear when applying a toning solution. Any wooden products must be processed disassembled, regardless of their size - this way you will reduce time costs and reach with a brush in all places, thereby ensuring a uniform aging effect.

How to age wood Finishing aged wood

The final stage of the story about how to artificially age a tree is toning. With its help, the shade of wood changes into several tones. Then patination is done - this is the process of emphasizing the unique woody texture with special solutions that penetrate the wood pores that have opened during brushing. And also craquelure, allowing to achieve the effect of cracking, and varnishing.

After the wood has been discarded, it looks like new but has a textured, embossed surface. To give the tree an aged look, it is covered with various compounds, with dark shades giving the most natural aged look to the tree.

It is the correct color play that gives the aged look to the wood. Those parts of the elements that have soft wood (these are depressions, pores, etc.) can be unevenly painted in darker shades, and the hard part (ridges) in lighter shades. True, today the opposite options are gaining more and more popularity - with ridges of a dark shade and depressions of a light one.

The easiest way to tint wood is to apply a generous amount of dark wood stain on the surface and immediately wipe the treated area with a wide rubber spatula or an ordinary rag. The point is that, in theory, the stain absorbs faster on the softer surface, and slower on the ridges. True, in practice it has already been proven by many experts and amateurs that this is not always the case.

Therefore, you can focus on a slightly more complex technique of aging wood with color. To do this, after the stain has completely dried, the combs are processed with fine sandpaper.

But this method requires the subsequent processing of wood with varnish, or special colorless impregnations, because the top layer of wood loses its protective coating.

Another option is to use paints in two contrasting shades. First, the surface is completely painted with the first color, then the second is applied. While the second one is drying, it is necessary to run over the wood with a wide rubber spatula to remove excess paint and open the combs of the first layer.

So you learned about how to age a tree with your own hands
... Yes, this process is not so simple and easy, but as a result you will get unique, handmade, decorative elements that conceal a piece of your soul, the beauty of time, but at the same time are highly durable.

Specificity of processing various surfaces

It is better not to grind the edges and corners of the workpieces at all, especially if you do not intend to varnish the finished product after processing - they will constantly cling and even break off.

On seats, countertops and other horizontal surfaces, you should not make too deep a relief, because later it will be much more difficult to clean them - spilled drinks, small food crumbs and other "debris" will get stuck between the fibers.

In order to prevent the ingress of dust between the fibers and constant clinging of the rag during cleaning, it must be sanded with an abrasive brush and fine sandpaper.

And the last stage of brushing is polishing or fine sanding. It is performed with a sesal or other synthetic brushes. Also fine sandpaper, abrasive sponges, metal wool are suitable for this. Dust from the treated surface must be removed with a wide soft brush and a vacuum cleaner.

Craquelure technique

A significant effect of aging of the surface is given by the creation of cracks in the coating, or the craquelure technique. In this case, a network of cracks is artificially created in the upper layer of the coloring composition, through which the base or base layer of the coloring matter is visible. The craquelure technique is extremely beautiful and can be of various types: one-step, two-step, multicomponent, etc.

The simplest in execution is a one-step technique for creating artificial cracks in the layer of the coloring composition. For her, you need two different colors of the dye and, of course, a colorless craquelure varnish. As the first layer, you can choose from bronze, gold or silver shades, which will give the surface a sophisticated look

After applying the first coat, it is important that the surface is completely dry. Then, quite abundantly, a transparent craquelure varnish is applied.

Unlike the first layer of the coloring composition, you should not wait for it to dry completely, after 45 minutes you can safely apply the second layer of color. Best used for the second coat of acrylic paints

Moreover, it is important to dilute them with water and achieve a not too thick consistency. However, you should not dilute the coloring composition with water too much, since the cracks will be much larger.

You can speed up the drying process of the coloring composition somewhat by using a regular or building hair dryer. A day after the surface is completely dry and a network of artificial cracks is formed, it is recommended to fix the coating with shellac or acrylic varnish.

The technique of microcracking is quite interesting, that is, the creation of a network of microcracks on the stylized surface, which form a thin web. In general, this technique is very similar to the one described earlier, although there are some peculiarities. For example, as a base, a transparent primer must be applied to the surface, and after it has completely dried, a colorless craquelure varnish is applied. When dry, a network of small cracks is formed on the surface in size from one millimeter. If desired, a layer of patina, paste, or oil paints can be applied to the coating for protection.

How to age a tree Brushing a tree

The term brushing comes from the English word “brush”, which means “brush” in Russian. This technique is also called wood tecturing, that is, with the help of a brush, the texture or relief is given to the wood, which is characteristic of old wooden products.

The primary brushing step is to remove soft fibers from the solid wood. This can be done in several ways - light aging involves creating a barely noticeable roughness on the surface of the wood, or rough (deep) aging, in which irregularities can have a depth of flesh up to 2-3 mm.

Larger details, for example, ceiling beams or wooden pillars, can be completely pre-processed with an ax - you can make notches, cut the edges, and do not be afraid to spoil something - after all, no one except you knows what should be the result. Such processing allows you to give the product a deep microrelief of the surface, the depth of irregularities in which will be up to 2 cm.

Also, when a tree grows old, fate and "traces" that appear over time from the "work" of various bugs are necessary. Before finishing, they can be simulated with a drill or a drill. In addition, you can apply such simple threaded elements as, for example, pigtails - as a result, you will get a Scandinavian-style product.

List of sources

koffkindom.ru
lkmprom.ru
hagga.ru

Despite the variety of glossy facades, interior elements made of semi-antique wood remain in demand. The purchase of such furniture will cost a pretty penny. In the case when you don't want to spend too much, you should not give up the idea of \u200b\u200bhaving an aged chest of drawers or a table. You can try aging the furniture yourself. Let's try to figure out what technology is used to process semi-antique wood with our own hands. After all, natural conditions age the tree for many years. And to get the result quickly, you have to age the tree artificially.

Semi-antique furniture is not found in every home. It should be used where appropriate. The design of the room should be thought out in the appropriate style so that the antique items look worthy.

Usually, the procedure for aging a tree is performed with a specific purpose, namely:

Satisfy the taste of the dwellers.
Save money on antiques. It is much cheaper to buy inexpensive furniture and artificially age it.

Using certain methods of aging wood, you can get exclusive items. Both the entire product and its individual parts are processed. Particular attention should be paid to items such as dressers, sideboards, book shelves, mirror frames. They are often aged because it is difficult to imagine a vintage-style interior without these items.

Aging methods

The process of processing semi-antique wood with your own hands is performed in several ways. The main ones are:

Chemical treatment - used for hardwood.
Firing or heat treatment - a universal option.
Machining or brushing - this method can be used to process oak or pine needles.

Furniture for aging is selected massive, with a rough texture, so that it looks like hand-made objects of past centuries. Before processing, it is better to disassemble the furniture into separate parts. This will make it possible to process even hard-to-reach places.

To facilitate the achievement of the aging effect of the tree, it is better to purchase material that has already been damaged by a bug, with the presence of minor chips, cracks and knots.

If the process of aging a tree with your own hands is performed for the first time, then it is better to practice a little on separate unnecessary bars. The quality of the result depends on how well the solution, stain or varnish is applied. It is recommended to carry out work in the open air so as not to harm your own health.

How to make new boards or furniture look like old products? Now you know that several techniques are used for these purposes. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Mechanical restoration

Age the tree mechanically it is possible in products from such species as pine, spruce, larch. It is these types of wood that have a pronounced texture, the presence of layers of fibers with varying degrees of hardness.

The main task during machining is the formation of various kinds of chips, potholes, cracks in an artificial way. This can be achieved by the following actions:

1. Wooden surfaces are processed with an ax or a special grinder. Potholes of various depths and widths are randomly applied to them. The bar is trimmed, and you should not achieve special accuracy and symmetry.

2. Then proceed to sanding the surface with a metal bristle brush. It will be easier to do this with a grinder and an appropriate attachment. During processing, grinding is carried out along the fibers until the applied potholes and chips take the form of naturally formed defects on the wood.

3. Then proceed to the second stage of grinding. At this stage, we work with a brush with soft bristles and sandpaper. During this treatment, soft fibers are removed, but coarser ones remain. Thus, we get an uneven tree structure. In the same way, knots and cracks can be additionally distinguished.

4. The next step is to work on the color of the wood. It is necessary to bring light new wood as close as possible to the shade of a board that has darkened with old age. Here you can apply a stain or a dark shade of acrylic-based paint.

5. When the applied agent is completely dry, we process the surface with fine-grain emery paper. At the same time, we try to perform all actions carefully. The paint should be removed from hills and ridges, but it remains in potholes.

6. At the final stage, open the treated surface with colorless or light yellow varnish and dry completely.

In the video: a method of mechanical aging of a wooden board.

As for the question of how to age wood on small items, such as small pieces of furniture or wooden dishes, the process is simplified here a little. The surface to be treated is thoroughly cleaned with a brush from wood dust until the desired effect is achieved. Subsequent staining and opening with varnish is identical to the previously described process.

Brushing should only be done by hand using a metal bristle brush until small dents and ridges are reached.

Heat treatment

Wood can be aged by heat treatment. A feature of this aging method is the complete absence of mechanical processes. The disadvantage is a certain danger to human health during work. Therefore, they should be performed in the fresh air, while protecting the skin, eyes and respiratory organs.

Heat treatment or firing is carried out by exposing the wood to direct fire. Either a torch or blowtorch should be used. It is necessary to fire to a depth of about 3 mm.

If the heat treatment is performed superficially, the aging effect will not be as pronounced as with a stronger firing.

After finishing the heat treatment, perform the following actions:

With the help of a metal brush or a grinder with a bristle nozzle, they begin to scrape off the carbon layer to the desired degree of antiquity. There is no need to paint the surface. The soot will highlight the entire structure.
Sanding is carried out with sandpaper.
A final layer of clear varnish is applied to the aged wood.

Chemical method

Wood can be aged by chemical treatment with such means as alkaline compounds or ammonia. You can use household chemicals that contain alkaline ingredients.

The essence of the process lies in the fact that when the product gets on the wood, it burns out its soft tissues. The structure of the tree is distinguished by the presence of hard and soft tissues. By processing semi-antique wood, soft tissue is removed in various ways.

In this case, the surface layer of the wood is burned out with alkali, which simultaneously paints it gray.

The next step is the process of washing off alkaline residues. You can use vinegar or citric acid for this. A solution of citric acid is prepared in the proportion: 1 teaspoon of acid per glass of water. If vinegar is used, it should be a 9% solution. Do not use acetic acid. Further, the treated surfaces are well dried, polished and varnished.

It is quite easy to age a tree using all of the above methods, if you make efforts and efforts. You can give the desired effect to any surface. Can be aged as small household items, furniture or even a wooden floor.