Making New Wood Look Old With All Natural Products

3 Materials
$2.00
Easy
You don't have any old weathered wood laying around, what to do? Buy or use any new board of wood and make them look old by using all natural products. No painting is involved!
I wanted to add some hooks to our farmhouse-styled bathroom and I wanted these hooks to go onto an older looking board, one that looked a bit rustic.
The first thing I did, is to brew up some very strong TEA. After a day of sitting around, I removed the teabags and brushed my wood with the tea. Some woods already have tannin in them and some don't. You need tannin to make this work and black tea bags have tannin. During this same time, I bought steel wool, put it into a glass jar and added apple cider vinegar. Let this set for a couple of days. This will give you time to put the tea on your board and let it thoroughly dry.
You'll know when it's ready because the mixture will totally change in that jar. Strain the mixture through a cloth into a clean container. Brush this onto your wood and you will see your wood changing within minutes. After it's thoroughly dried, I sealed it the Minwax Wipe On Poly and then we added the hooks.
You'll find further details and the exact products I used by clicking the link below. I also have a direct link for the above hooks that I used.
Suggested materials:
  • Lipton tea bags   (grocery store)
  • Steel Wool   (Home Depot)
  • Apple Cider Vinegar   (grocery store)
Theredpaintedcottage
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • M. M.. M. M.. on Aug 20, 2016
    Will this fade if in direct sunlight?
  • Mary Coakley Mary Coakley on Aug 20, 2016
    What is Minwax wipe on Poly please? Can furniture wax be used instead.
  • Beth Beth on Aug 21, 2016
    Really nice look and great idea! Can I ask where you found those hook? They're just what I need for a project I have in mind.
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  • Lucy~Caitlyn Lucy~Caitlyn on Aug 21, 2016
    Suzette, it's great for staining paper to for Pirate treasure maps, or parchment. Coffee works in same way and if small amount of grounds left until dried and brushed off really enhances aging look. As does gently browning by moving candle/cigarette lighter underneath.
  • Joan Joan on Aug 25, 2016
    Brilliant
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