How do I make newly painted wood furniture look old?
March 13, 2010
I have sanded, primed and painted an old cabinet/dresser red. I want it to look old and weathered. I want to add a little black to the grain of the wood, what's the best way to do this?
 Herman Miller Fully Adjustable AERON Office Desk CHAIR  US $377.09
|
 7 WOOL COMFORTABLE OFFICE DESK ARM CHAIRS USED US $199.99
|
 LARGE ROSEWOOD OFFICE DESK US $200.00
|
 DANISH MODERN DINING TABLE MID CENTURY FURNITURE US $299.99
|
 OUTDOOR WICKER SECTIONAL SOFA LOUNGE PATIO FURNITURE US $499.95
|
 Barbie Convention Centerpiece Doll and WHITE FURNITURE US $102.50
|
|
Herman Miller Fully Adjustable AERON Office Desk CHAIR US $377.09
|
7 WOOL COMFORTABLE OFFICE DESK ARM CHAIRS USED US $199.99
|
 HENREDON SET of 4 GAME TABLE CHAIRS or OFFICE CHAIRS US $152.50
|
Another way you can accomplish this is to use a black or burnt umber glaze. It will be transparent enough to still see the red through it but will age the paint. Glaze enables you to manipulate it for a longer period of time to achieve the look you desire. You can then steel wool or use a fine grit sandpaper to sand off areas where age would naturally occur like at corners, around hardware or around natural "use" areas. I would seal it with a non-yellowing, UVB/UVA polyurethane, though. It will keep the sanded parts from accumulating dirt and grime over time and will make it much easier to clean.
Pick a dark wood stain, and brush it over the paint, and wipe while you brush, to keep it light.
When dry, sand the edges a bit to give it the worn look, and if you want to take a hammer to the wood, feel free — use some other tools to give it that nicked look.
Fauna has the right idea. We’ve done something similar except we do the sanding first and then apply a mixture of dark stain, paint thinner and varnish. We wipe most of the stain off, leaving some in the cracks and crevices.
One other thing we have do is to let the antiquing dry good and then an "fly specs" by dipping a tooth brush in the stain and flicking little drops of stain onto the surface. This is easy to do but you need to practice on a bit of scrap wood or cardboard to get the technique down.
sand it now that you have painted it. take a chisel and chisel away at the wood
Much of the older ways of finishing is a wax. you can buy wax and add tint as well, the raw and burnt umber colors. This will finish as well as color, also will not look newly finished. If you use a glaze then varnish you can add some crackling (fine cracks) to show the aging process on varnished pieces. Remember if you use a glaze – put heavier in areas that would normally not get cleaned as well.