Aged Wood Table (and a tutorial)

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Once it was this...

...along with 2 chairs at a tag sale, I think it's safe to say it  begged me to take it home!

I painted the legs a dark teal and then sanded the ugly top until my arms nearly fell off.

I can rock some 80's hair and seriously love me some 80's music, 

but I CANNOT do 80's orange oak.   

(so I did this...)

 

To get the look

of aged wood:

things you'll need:

sanded/bare wood

tea (about 6 bags)

glass jar with lid

steel wool

vinegar (2 to 3 cups)

disposable bowl or paint tray

old paintbrush

Minwax Polycrylic for finish

1) Sand or strip the wood so that it's completely bare and free of paint, stain, or sealer.

2) Make the "wash" that will age the wood.  Use a glass jar with a lid (I used and old pasta sauce jar).  Add a steel wool pad and cover it completely with vinegar.  Let this mixture sit in a jar and bubble for 2 days.

 

3) Next, stain your wood with tea.  I used 6 teabags for this and had some left over, it doesn't take much for a tabletop this size.

Here's what it looked like after I'd done about half with the tea stain.  I ended up giving it 2 coats of tea.

4) Once the table is dry, pour the vinegar mixture in a disposable bowl and use and old paintbrush to wash your wood with the mixture. *WARNING: SMELLS BAD*  Try to coat it evenly.  As it dries it'll darken and you'll begin to see the beauty of the grain and a lot of variation in the color.  Presto Chango!

The first coat left it dark and really dry/chalky looking.  I did a second coat (outdoors, at the request of my nose) and after a few minutes it looked like this.

3) I sanded lightly with a fine sanding block to get rid of any bubble marks.

4) Once it was completely dry, I sealed the top using a very light coat of Minwax Polycrylic.  Make sure to use the best brush to minimize the brush strokes and to avoid "pulling" of the finish.

The end result is a deep, warm charcoal color that looks different in every light!

 

I decided to repaint the table legs and chairs antique white to let the top really stand out.

Then I added a beautiful transfer courtesy of The Graphics Fairy, and finished with another coat of Polycrylic.

 
Remember the before?

The afters (cloudy day)

(Sunny day)

 

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Tips to getting this look:

- make sure your steel wool is STEEL!

- use a glass jar - I used an old pasta sauce jar and it made about plenty.

- make sure the steel wool is completely covered by the vinegar, unless you're also wanting to add a rust color.

- this is a stain.  It left stains on my hands and floor (not permanent luckily) but be careful.

- don't wipe the wood down with a WET cloth after sanding, or you'll have to rewash it with the mixture. (trust me)

- the mixture is really smelly.  I thought since it was basically an all-natural method I could do it indoors, but it's clearly a chemical reaction not to be messed with. The smell made me gag (not kidding)!

- various vinegars and various wood types will produce different colored results. (I've been experimenting! More aged wood projects to come.)

 

I'd love to see the end result if you're trying this!  Send me your pictures and I'll update this post with them!

My table was featured here!!!  Yay!!


Linking this tutorial here:

One Project Closer