Antiquing Wood Using Coffee

I love staining natural wood to get the exact look I'm after. If you've been a follower of my projects, you know I have a love for antiques and am inspired by them.
This project is also inspired by antiques. If you are after that aged patina, then I hope you'll give this method a try. It's easy and free of chemicals.
Material List
- Wooden Clothespins
- Instant Coffee
- Water
- Glass Casserole Dishes
- Disposable Gloves
- Optional - Old Mason jar and jute twine for decorating
Lay your clothes pins in a glass dish. I used 2- 8x8 dishes.
Don't crowd your clothespins.
Start by making your "stain" mixture by boiling water.
The amount of water used will depend on how many clothespins you want to "stain".
I had 50 clothespins to stain so I used 3 cups of water.
Add 2 TBSP of instant coffee to the 3 cups of water. This is where I started for my mixture.
The MORE coffee you add to the water the darker your "stain" will be. To achieve a lighter look use less coffee.
Only add enough of your coffee/water mixture to cover your clothespins half-way. Roll the clothespins in the coffee to get the whole pin wet.
To add an aged antique look, sprinkle instant coffee over your pins. This will stain the clothespins very dark in those spots.
Let your pins soak for as long as you like to achieve the color you're after.
I let mine soak for 2 hours. You could also soak overnight if you want a really dark clothespin.
I also soaked some clothespins without the added instant coffee on top.
Once you like the color and patina of your clothespins take them out of the coffee/water mixture and lay them on wax paper to dry.
*WEAR GLOVES WHEN TOUCHING THE PINS, SO YOU DON'T STAIN YOUR HANDS*
While my clothespins were drying I decided to add some more instant coffee. This step is optional.
Leave them out to dry. I put my clothespins in the sun to dry faster.
Once they are dry you can start decorating with them.
I put some in an old glass Mason jar and then used some jute twine to tie up bundles.
So, if you're looking for a stain method that is chemical free give coffee a try!
Frequently asked questions
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