We age the tree ourselves at home. Aging a tree with your own hands. Different technologies with step-by-step photos Wood aging technique

Good day, dear readers and subscribers, Andrey Noak welcomes you! We continue to publish in the video section the most interesting collections of videos from both our and foreign experts on wood processing. Today I will tell you what technology of wood aging 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 castles, this is antique furniture interior. But not everyone knows that aging wood, this is also called the wood brushing operation, can be done at home, while giving it an exotic look just for the owner. Today I made a selection of the easiest ways to artificially age a tree. We have selected three ways of aging that can be seen in the video.

Aged wood in the interior ...

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

• Axe.
• Gas burner or blowtorch.
• Bulgarian with a brass and plastic brush.
• Stain, varnish or other coating.

Wood aging with pre-treatment

The first method consists of the following operations:

• Processing wood with hand tools, giving it irregularities.
• Wood cleaning. This operation is performed to remove soft fibers.
• Covering it with stain.

Wood brushing by deep firing

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

Aging by surface firing

Another way of brushing wood is called wood texturing. Here, the point is to remove soft fibers from the surface of the wood, then apply a stain on them.

Extraordinary ways of wood aging

Experts offer several more extraordinary ways to age a tree:

• Dry the wood in the sun until cracking and cover it with stain.
• Treatment of wood with black tea and then with vinegar.
• Beat 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 their intended purpose is aged wood. Under the natural conditions of its growth, any tree ages very slowly, therefore, a special technique for working with wood, brushing, has been created and specially applied. This process consists in the artificial aging of the necessary lumber.

What is the brushing process

Brushing is the artificial aging (aging) of wood using various devices and special techniques. The whole process of work consists in removing soft top 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 is 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 widest possibilities for changing the texture and color of various types of wood. Special tinting allows you to express the effect of patina, when the main wood is painted in one tone, and the pores of the tree in a completely different one.

Artificial aging is most easily amenable to such trees as: walnut, larch, ash, oak and wenge:

Practically they do not use beech, maple, alder, pear, cherry 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 special processing necessary to protect the material from pests and decay. After painting, the blanks are polished or varnished. Brushed wood is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, it is often used to decorate the interior walls of houses, create various accessories.

The advantages of artificially aged wood include:

• Unusual and the most fashionable appearance of the material.
• Wood resistance to decay and various insects.
• Possibility of independent creation of exclusive things. 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 observed. The ease of manufacturing specially aged wood can be independently evaluated at four points, but only if there is sufficient experience and all the necessary tools when working with wood.

The video shows the process of brushing or aging wood:

Main production steps

The entire brushing cycle consists of sequentially performed operations:

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

Wood aging at home

Wood brushing, if necessary, can be completely done at home on your own. You will need to purchase special metal and abrasive brushes, grinding devices, dyes and varnish. In production, artificial aging is carried out with the help of special grinding machines and other devices that facilitate the entire work process.

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 processing of wood is carried out with brushes. When choosing a manual brush, you need to purchase with the hardest, metal bristles. If necessary, some cut it with a grinder, this allows the metal pile to be made more solid.

To obtain longitudinal recesses, a chisel is sometimes used. And sandpaper with a coarse-grained surface helps to give expressiveness to the pattern. They brush dried wood, so on wet fibers they will rise during the stripping process.

For rough cleaning of the surface of a wooden workpiece, 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 copper. A special nozzle "Piranha" 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 the 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 vary in size.

Aging machines

In manufacturing plants, the entire wood aging process 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 for a few minutes to carry out rough processing of wood, grind it, remove fine fibers. If necessary, special devices for painting and polishing wood are also used in production.

Automation of work helps to achieve ease of 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 include:

• Cleaning 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 Makita 974 sander 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 grinder is designed for smooth and uneven surfaces. Included with this device are nylon and metal brushes.

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

Working principle of sl-6352 wood aging brush machine:

Do-it-yourself wood brushing

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 stiffness is selected empirically. It is necessary that the brush removes soft surface fibers well, but at the same time does not violate the structure of hard fibers. The movement of the brush fixed to the grinder or grinder is carried out in the direction of the fibers. The rotation speed is also pre-selected on the sample, for each wood the speed can vary 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 wood preparation becomes much more complicated and lengthens.
• After use with a metal brush, use with abrasive bristles. With this nozzle or brush, all scraps of fibers and roughness are removed. At this stage, with the help of a chisel, you can additionally add various recesses and grooves. They can be given the appearance of natural cracks in the tree.
• In the future, final polishing is necessary, it is usually carried out using a brush with sisal bristles. You can use sandpaper by hand. At this stage, it is necessary to achieve perfect polishing of the entire surface.
• The part acquires a special decorative look if it is tinted, painted, gilded at the last stages. Mordant is often used. Impregnation with stain and its rapid 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 coloring of golden or silver paint. When applying the dye, the particles of the coloring pigment are clogged into microcracks, which ensures the appearance of glare in sunny weather. You can use different dyes for coloring, but they must be designed for working with wood. After painting, it is recommended to polish the surface again, this will save the product from roughness.
• At the last stage, you need to apply several layers of varnish. Before applying a layer of varnish, the previous one must dry well and it must also be polished.

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

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

Patination

Another fairly simple way to age wood, which you can use on your own, is patination.

This method is easier to perform than brushing:

• First, the desired wooden surface is protected, sanded and carefully covered with a primer layer.
• A base coat of the desired paint is applied to the dried surface. The first layer should dry out qualitatively, usually this happens during 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 effect of aging is achieved.
• To fix the effect of aging, a layer of varnish is applied over the paint. It can be glossy or matte.

With the help of patination and wood bending, you can change the look of boring wooden products beyond recognition, while the ease of work, appearance and low price of all fixtures are rated at five points.

Applying patina to a wooden door:

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You can personalize your interior in a variety of ways. Most often, this is done by focusing on certain little things, for example, the use of unusual textures or colors. One of the technologies in demand for the formation of the original texture is do-it-yourself wood aging. The technique allows you to give the surface a unique pattern, while the basis is natural material.

1. The need for a procedure
2. The use of wood species
3. Application of the mechanical method
4. Applying a coloring layer
5. Using chemical brushing

The need for a procedure

Those who want to make 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 operation, the fibers of the wooden elements are structured. In nature, a tree reaches such a visual state over a longer period, but using modern tools, this time interval can be significantly narrowed.

Brushing wood in antique interior design

Under natural conditions, an aged tree loses its strength, and under artificial impact, the reverse process occurs, 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 age a tree with your own hands for any need: from small photo frames or boxes to making furniture or parquet.

Reading with this article: Door trim

The 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 a tree is applied to the following species:

• larch;
• nut;
• ash.

The internal structure of the tree should have a visible fibrous pattern. It will become the basis for the formation of the invoice. Deprived of this property, wood species with extremely hard fibers are not commonly 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 a tree with your own hands.

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

VIDEO: We turn pine into wenge

Application of the mechanical method

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

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

Rough wood brushing

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

Grinding the prepared surface

During artificial aging of wood, drills or grinders are used to reduce the amount of manual labor and increase productivity. The process uses brushes with aluminum, steel, copper and artificial polymer bristles.

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

Processing should not form unwanted "pits" in the blanks, so you need to enter the tool evenly, without much pressure, if the idea does not require the formation of a target rough relief.

The light during work must be of high quality and provide a vision of the natural pattern. In this regard, the lamp beams 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 finish surface roughness without raised villi. If, before aging a tree at home, you use a polymer processing tool, you will achieve an effect with a less pronounced relief.

The next step in the form of sanding will cut off the raised wood pile from the fibers. Sandpaper or abrasive brushes successfully cope with the task. You can control the degree of roughness manually.

VIDEO: Do-it-yourself artificial aging of wood. Carpentry Tricks

Applying a coloring layer

The prepared relief with the help of mechanical means is processed by staining. This will significantly enhance the result and hide fresh peeling by mechanical means. Thanks to the play of colors, it will be possible to obtain the desired presentable effect.

Staining wood to show texture

It is customary to stain similar antique wood products with stain, and then wash it off. This will allow the material to enter almost instantly into the soft structure of the tissues, while the hard one will not have time to absorb the applied color. The natural beauty of the material will fully manifest itself outside.

It will be possible to 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 the depressions and pores, which will ensure a successful result.

You can protect the cavities and grooves formed during the machining process with a transparent putty. This technique is useful in the manufacture of countertops, shelves or other practical surfaces. During their operation, fine dirt will not be clogged into relief zones.

Since the tree must be artificially aged carefully and with the possibility of its use, 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. Paint or coal dust must be rubbed into them, providing a unique individual pattern.

Decorating brushed wood with craquelure varnish

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

Read this article: How to make and decorate arches in an apartment

Using chemical brushing

In the process of chemical action on the fibers, it is possible to achieve similar results that are obtained from mechanical processing. For this, active solutions are used that can affect the structure of the soft fiber. Corroding the desired areas, an original pattern is formed on the surface of a 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 pickling, preparations are used that contain particles that are poisonous to humans, therefore, in order to prevent poisoning of the body with chemical vapors, it is recommended to work in open space.

The chemical solutions that are used in fiber softening contain a high percentage of alkali. You can take for this purpose a drug that cleans the oven. 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 coincide with those that were carried out during machining.

Work with chemicals should be carried out in compliance with personal protective equipment: gloves, goggles, a 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 table top with your own hands

Interior and household items decorated with artificially aged wood:

Staircase made of ordinary pine

Table and chairs - made of larch

Kitchen. Facade - larch, shelves - pine

Modern design developments for interior design 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 the effect of aging, which is achieved by artificial methods.

What is brushing?

The word "brushing" is translated from English as "brush". Do-it-yourself tree brushing is done with a hard 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 in which rings appear 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 of such details will also look expensive. Natural conditions help the tree grow old, but it takes quite a long time. At home, by reducing the time, you can get the final result by subjecting the wood to mechanical processing and coating with special compounds. In this article, the home master will receive not only advice, but also the answer to the question of how to age a tree with your own hands using special methods.

A few tips:

1. 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 willing to give away unwanted boards for free.
2. It should be remembered that the purchase of old boards facilitates the work process, it is not difficult to age them.
3. Wood different breeds ages differently regardless of the fact that the same coating materials are used. The fastening of products with different aging effects must be provided in advance in the finished wooden structure.
4. A finished aged board today can be easily purchased at a store or on the market, sometimes there is no need to do the work.

Necessary materials

Work on the aging of the tree is carried out using:

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

Wood processing can be carried out in five ways.

Wood aging workshops

1. Aging by removing fibers from the surface, followed by painting.

For aging a tree with your own hands is used brush with metal bristles. It removes some fibers, due to which a unique pattern is created, which will later be emphasized by painting.

First the tree is needed sand, then process with a circular brush in an automated way. You can use a brush with a metal bristle and carry out the processing manually. In any case, the lines are drawn along the fibers.

When the sawdust is removed, a completely new look of the board is revealed, which needs to be emphasized with paint to age the wood.

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

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

In another case, the effect can be emphasized by applying another thin layer. azure, which is also removed with a sponge to make the bleached linen popular in this style. Lacquer or transparent paint is applied to the dried tree in one layer.

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

2. Creating the effect of aging with a brush.

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

The effect of aging becomes a white surface with a relief pattern.

3. Creating an antique pattern on a tree, which is covered with several layers of paint.

With this do-it-yourself wood aging, you can give it an ancient look when the thing looks like it has been worn from time to time. To begin with, the material is subjected to 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 on the tree that can emphasize the ancient relief. After a layer is applied to the surface Pinotex having a thick consistency. Due to its density, it will be laid unevenly.

After the thick layer has dried, the surface must be finely brushed or sanded again. Damage should be kept small so that the effects of time appear to be minimal. Now the product is covered with white azure " Belinka", which has a liquid consistency. The coating must be applied in a thin layer, not necessarily evenly.

When the top layer dries, 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 the real color that an aged tree has.

Now, in order to make a thing more natural, its shade must be slightly muffled. 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. Treatment by fire.

A gas burner is used. The result can be achieved in three ways:

• 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 tree looks rich.

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

5. Creation of a three-dimensional product with gross damage, varnished.

The wood brushing tutorial shows what you need to do step by step in order to properly age the wood:

1. First you need to make the right choice wood. She can't be young or tarry. It is better to use material with a clear structure.
2. Manual processing is used plane, and not electric, which is not able to emphasize the natural effect.
3. On the board manually with chisels serifs are made that do not have the correct shape. Notches must be made on the edges so that it looks like the product was chopped with an ax.
4. In automatic mode with drills and hard fibers of the nozzle soft fibers are removed from the wood. Movement during work should be light. If you use a regular brush, then the processing will be rougher.
5. Stupid nail allows you to add wormholes to the decor. It can be used to make shallow holes.
6. The surface is cleaned with a brush from debris, it is applied Pinotex Ultra. This paint-lacquer is resistant to environmental influences.
7. After drying, the surface is treated fine sandpaper, the processing of which will emphasize dark depressions and light ledges, giving the product volume. The pronounced wood structure now looks very beautiful.
8. In conclusion, the tree is covered again varnish.

Photo of brushed wood

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

Antique wooden products with a faded surface, textured notches and openwork grooves left by carpenter bugs are distinguished by special luxury and charm. Of course, the natural aging process of wood takes many years. However, if desired, the tree can be aged artificially. There are several techniques by which you can give your new wooden things a spectacular antique look.

Chemical treatment is ideal for artificially aging hardwood:

1. To begin with, wooden blanks are thoroughly cleaned of stains and dirt.
2. To make the natural pattern of wood more textured and voluminous, the boards are alternately treated with coarse and fine-grained sandpaper.
3. Next, the polished wood is wiped with a rag or sponge soaked in ammonia or other alkaline solution. As a result of such simple processing, the workpieces acquire a noble darkening.
4. Finishing varnishing with a transparent glaze will give the prepared wooden products a rich iridescent gloss.

To effectively and quickly "age" coniferous wood, heat treatment with an open fire is required:

1. Cleaned from stains and dust, wooden parts are fired with a blowtorch or gas burner until a slight soot appears.
2. Next, the charred wood is manually processed with a metal / wire brush, after which it is cleaned with a fine emery cloth.
3. To emphasize the beauty and texture of wood, products are covered with a stain of a neutral shade. To apply the solution, a soft, clean sponge is used, cavities and other hard-to-reach areas are painted over with a brush.
4. The final stage of processing blanks is the application of decorative antique wax. The paste is rubbed into the wood in a circular motion using a woolen cloth.

Machining (brushing) is the process of removing soft layers of wood using various brushes mounted on a drill or angle grinder. The brushing procedure consists of three stages:

• preparation of wood and rough selection of soft fibers;
• grinding and polishing workpieces;
• toning and varnishing of prepared parts.

An important nuance! For mechanical processing, it is recommended to use softwood with a pronounced patterned texture - pine, spruce, fir, larch, linden, ash or walnut.

At the first stage of brushing, wooden parts are processed manually: with a wide chisel or a sharp angle of an ax, the edges of the boards are carefully hewn and chaotic notches and potholes of various depths (up to 1.5 cm) are applied. Next, an electric tool and brush nozzles are used - they are the ones that allow you to remove soft wood fiber without damaging the growth rings. A polymer brush mounted on a drill or grinder will help achieve delicate aging, a metal brush-brush is chosen for a more “brutal” effect. When using brush heads, it is important to follow certain rules:

• Before starting work, be sure to put on protective equipment: a high-quality respirator, plastic goggles and thick gloves will protect you from wood dust and flying particles of metal bristles.
• It is desirable to organize the workplace in such a way that the light rays are directed perpendicular to the wood fibers.
• In the process of work, avoid strong pressure on the surface to be treated, the pressure on the tool should be moderate.
• Before direct brushing, new brush heads must be “run in”, otherwise the wooden blanks will be covered with a small fleecy “terry cloth”.
• The movements of the brush should be directed along the hard wood grains; cross-cutting can spoil the natural beauty of growth rings.

At the second stage of brushing, ribbed wooden blanks are processed with an abrasive brush and fine-grained sandpaper. During the sanding process, it is important to remove all protruding fibers and burrs. To polish textured boards, use a sisal brush, metal wool or an abrasive sponge. Dust from the workpieces is carefully cleaned with a flat brush and a vacuum cleaner.

On a note! For greater naturalness, the product can be decorated with "wormholes". To do this, with the help of a blunt core or an awl, shallow holes are randomly punched in the wood.

At the third stage of brushing, the wood is tinted. To give the blanks a natural, aged look, they are painted with stain or acrylic paint in dark shades. First, the selected paint and varnish is abundantly applied to the wooden surface, then its excess is immediately removed with a rag or rubber spatula. Thanks to this tinting technique, potholes and depressions acquire a rich dark hue, while the protrusions, the so-called "ridges", remain lighter. After complete drying, the products are coated with a transparent protective impregnation or acrylic varnish.

To simulate the aging of wood, you will have to stock up on remarkable patience. Such work does not tolerate fuss and haste. However, the result is worth it - an artificially aged tree looks incomparably beautiful, spectacular and soundly.

Due to the fact that wood has been used for the construction and decoration of housing almost from the very beginning of time, today there are many different, at first glance, even strange and illogical methods of wood processing. Different treatment methods have different goals: in one case, you need to protect the wood from decay, in the other, to make it more fireproof, just change the color or give it a more expressive shade.

Important Points

Recently, such a type of processing as wood aging has become increasingly widespread. Artificially aging a tree is quite simple, and this is usually done solely for a decorative purpose, because after aging the wood of the interior or exterior, the house or furniture made from it looks like antique, old and worn by time. In the eyes of connoisseurs and aesthetes, the aging of wood gives buildings and finishes more value.

A sample of furniture using the technique of "aging" wood.

Several more or less simple techniques are known for artificial aging. They can be made independently, having a basic set of tools and substances for wood finishing.

Materials and tools that come in handy to age a tree with your own hands: a brush with metal bristles (or circular), sanding skins, antiseptic and solvent, as well as dark and white glaze, sponge or foam rubber.

Painting after removing soft fibers

This is one of the easiest do-it-yourself wood aging methods, which consists in first treating the required surface with a metal brush. Wood has a structure that is treated unevenly, because in winter, spring, summer and autumn, when the corresponding annual rings are formed in the pillars of wood, its plant vessels develop unevenly.

A metal brush thus removes soft fibers, while harder ones remain, since they are more resistant to mechanical stress. This causes a change in the relief surface of the wood, which is emphasized by further painting.

One of the wood aging techniques is called throwing.

Before making the processing of a wooden surface with a metal brush, they first pass through it with a sandpaper. Only after sanding is brushing performed.

Instead of a regular metal brush, you can also take a circular one, which will require a special nozzle from a grinder. It is important to remember that wood brushing is carried out along the fibers, so they are easier to remove.

The formation of wood dust during the processing of wood is inevitable, so it must be removed with a special brush or brush, observing safety so as not to injure the hand and not bring a splinter under the skin.

After that, the wood is coated with two layers of glaze. A translucent dark composition is applied to the surface, and then removed by soaking with a sponge. After that, the surface can be varnished, left in this form, or treated with a light translucent glaze and also wetted with a sponge.
In the second case, a pattern is created in the “a la Provence” style, which is often used for ceilings and floor beams, for example, in basements or attics, thus creating an atmosphere of antiquity.

Multi-layer processing

In order to give the wood an even more antique look in the interior and at the same time look like it has already been worn out enough, multi-layer painting is best suited for aging.

Even before the wood is painted, they try to make the surface as embossed as possible, damaging it with various tools, for example, self-tapping screws, hammers, and saws. This creates the effect of high wear of wood.

Already with a relief, the wood surface is covered with a layer of ground paint until it dries completely. When it dries, a sufficiently thick layer of dye is applied on top, which can be used as tinting paint or antiseptic color compounds, which gives the wood even more protection.

It is better to use more liquid compositions for applying paint, which spread well and provide an even layer. After the paint has dried, the second stage of mechanical aging is carried out with the help of tools.

At the second stage, the damage must be applied carefully so that they are small. This damage layer is also covered with a white translucent glaze, which, unlike the primer, can be unevenly layered to create the desired embossed effect.

Lacquer gives an aged surface an even more noble look.

Further, after drying, the top layer of white glaze is completely torn off with a metal brush. This allows you to give the wood a relief look with a fairly contrasting color pattern.
The quality of the aged surface depends on how well the white glaze has been diluted. It is recommended to mix it with white spirit in a ratio of 1 to 1 before aging the tree.

Other Methods

The fastest way to age a tree at home, without much effort, is to age the tree with a brush and one type of glaze. First of all, a metal brush is used again, with which in the longitudinal direction it is necessary to scrape the grooves on the surface.

The recent fashion for vintage products, cars and retro-style clothing has not bypassed the design of wooden products. Antique wood processing allows you to create an interior in new buildings that looks as if the apartment was inherited by the owners from their great-grandfathers. The owners of country houses decorate the facades and interior space with old wood. Artificially aged wood is used to make decorative false beams on the ceiling, stairs, doors and other design elements that give the house a resemblance to a medieval castle or a fairy-tale forest hut.

The high cost of artificially aged wooden objects makes home craftsmen want to make the necessary things with their own hands, achieving both a reduction in the cost of the product and its genuine uniqueness. Doing 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 lumber, which can be purchased at any company that sells building materials and wood.

How to prepare for work?

There are 3 methods of wood aging: chemical, thermal, mechanical.

There are 3 widely used:

• chemical, which is only suitable for hardwood products;
• thermal (firing) - applicable to wood of any breed;
• mechanical (brushing) - suitable for conifers and oak.

To work with wood, the following tools and materials are required:

• axe;
• drill or grinder with nozzles;
• brush with metal bristles;
• hair brush;
• paint brushes;
• stain, acrylic paint, colorless varnish, wax;
• sandpaper.

When purchasing boards or timber from which it is planned to create an artificially aged thing, you can choose specimens that are already damaged by a bug, have chips and potholes, small cracks and knots on the surface. After processing, they will give a special charm to the "old" subject.

Ready-made furniture for aging is selected massive, a little rough or in a rustic style, similar to hand-made piece furniture of the last century. Before decorating in any way, it is best to disassemble a piece of furniture into its component parts. This will allow you to process all surfaces without leaving untreated areas in hard-to-reach places that will catch your eye.

Before you start decorating an item for the first time, you should practice and get your hand on various waste pieces of boards and any wood. The master will act more confidently, with knowledge of many of the nuances that may arise during work. On the same tutorials, it is convenient to select the tone of paints or stains, to evaluate in advance what will be the result.

Many operations (brushing, painting and drying after it, firing) should be done outdoors.

The most affordable materials for purchase are coniferous wood: pine, spruce, larch. They have a pronounced structure and a pattern formed by fibers of different hardness. This makes them suitable for mechanical decoration.

With the help of tools that destroy the upper layers of the tree, you can achieve the effect of aging much faster than if it happened naturally. All abrasions, potholes and cracks can be simulated by 2 methods:

1. On the surface of a board, beam or log with a sharp corner of an ax, apply potholes of different depths and vastness in a chaotic manner. Cut off the corners of the bar a little with an ax, without worrying about accuracy or a flat surface. After that, all surfaces treated in this way must be carefully sanded with a stiff brush with steel bristles. When grinding a large product, it is better to use a drill or grinder with a special nozzle. It is necessary to grind until all the sharp edges that have arisen during cutting with an ax acquire the outlines of natural damage smoothed out by time. It is important to remember that the movements of the brush should always be directed along the fibers. The next step will be sanding to remove protruding fibers and steel brushing with softer bristles than the 1st time. At the same time, part of the soft fibers is removed, forming shallow depressions between the ridges of the harder winter wood fibers. The same brush can additionally highlight knots and cracks.
2. After sanding the light surface of the new product, it is required to give it a resemblance to the old wood that has darkened from time to time: paint it with stain or dark acrylic paint. After drying with a sandpaper with a medium grain, without strong pressure, rub the wood a little, removing the paint from the protruding ridges and hills. In this case, the dark color is preserved in the potholes and between the fibers. For final finishing, the product is covered with acrylic transparent or light yellow varnish, dried until completely dry.

More "humane" way. Suitable for medium-sized products and furniture, wooden utensils and other small surfaces. Brushing is done by hand, with a brush with metal bristles. In this case, as in the previous case, the soft fibers are removed, leaving the ridges of hard wood. Wood dust is swept away with a hair brush, controlling the process by eye and achieving the desired degree of abrasion of the surfaces. After that, the product is painted and decorated, as indicated above.

Thermal and chemical wood processing

These methods can be called related, since the destruction of the upper layer of the tree occurs almost without mechanical influences. These are more dangerous methods than 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. To do this, the surfaces of the workpiece are fired with a flame of a blowtorch or a special gas burner to a depth of 3 mm. With surface firing, the effect of aging will be negligible, with deeper firing it will be more pronounced. The master at the same time regulates the process depending on his taste and needs.

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

With the chemical method, antique wood decoration occurs in the process of exposure to alkalis or ammonia. To do this, you can use aerosols for cleaning stoves or a sewer cleaner. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the composition of the product before use, it must contain alkali. Particular attention should be paid to precautions when working with it.

Once on the surface of the tree, these chemicals "burn out" some of the soft fibers, while painting the tree gray. After treatment, 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.

When using vinegar, pay special attention to the fact that it should be 9% table vinegar, and not acid.

Dried products are subjected to brushing and staining, if necessary.

Processing wood in the above ways will help the owner to decorate the interior of an antique apartment himself, without investing a lot of money and without spending a lot of time on it. The availability of materials and tools for processing allows both a sophisticated carpenter, a beginner, and even a woman with imagination and skillful hands to engage in this type of creativity.

Recently, the use of aged wood in the decoration of furniture and interiors has come into fashion. Even the simplest cheap wooden furniture will look stylish and expensive after artificial aging. This article will open up some simple and not very expensive ways to make old wood for furniture and other wooden products with your own hands.

Under natural conditions, a tree ages under the influence of the sun, wind, rain and other phenomena. And this process takes place over a long period of time. We will make the process of aging wood artificial, which will significantly reduce time and improve the final result. If the whole work is described briefly, it will consist of two stages: mechanical processing of wood (light damage, removal of soft fibers) and painting with varnishes and paint.

To age a tree, you will need:

• hard metal brush;
• circular brush;
• large and small skins;
• estimate;
• several brushes;
• antiseptic for wood;
• White Spirit;
• dark Pinotex or dark azure Belinka;
• white azure Belinka;
• big sponge.

With a set of these tools and materials, we will be able to age the tree in five different ways. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

The first way to age a tree is to remove soft fibers and paint

You can artificially age a wooden surface with a stiff brush, which removes the soft fibers of the wood and thus creates a relief, the lines of which will be emphasized by the color of the wood.

The wooden surface is pre-sanded, then it is processed along the fibers with a circular (using a special nozzle for a grinder) or a metal hand brush, as a result of which soft wood fibers are removed from the surface.

Sawdust is removed with a special brush with soft bristles, but by no means by hand to avoid splinters.

The tree instantly changes its appearance, acquires a beautiful relief and a contrasting color, which is specially emphasized by staining in two layers.

For staining, Belinka translucent azure is used, which is applied to the cleaned surface with a brush or roller.

The tree will already have a rather attractive appearance.

After a few minutes, a sponge is taken and with its help the layer of glaze is carefully removed, as a result of which the wooden surface acquires a relief. You can leave the surface as it is and cover it with a clear varnish if you like this color of aged wood.

But if you want to add color to the style a la Provence, then another autumn thin layer of Belinka white azure is applied on top of the first layer.

After a few minutes, we carefully remove the fresh azure with a sponge, as a result of which we get a bleached aged tree, with which we create a stylish interior a la Provence. When the glaze is completely dry, the surface can be varnished with the same base as the azure, or another layer of colorless azure can be applied.

This way of aging wood is ideal for beams and other elements of wooden structures, when creating an antique style.

The second way is the relief of antiquity and multi-layer coloring of wood

With the help of this method, the tree is specially given the appearance of an old, antique thing, worn by time. For this, a multi-layered coloring of the tree is used.

Previously, the surface of the tree must be specially subjected to all kinds of minor damage: it is beaten with a hammer, pierced with an awl, torn with a saw, sealed with screws or steel rods, everything possible is done to give it the relief of antiquity.

Then the surface is primed with a layer of Pinotex. After it dries, it is covered with a continuous thick layer of tinted paint (antiseptic).

Since Pinotex has a thick consistency, it can be placed unevenly, as it is much thicker than Belinka's azure. It is used in cases where you need to create a thick bottom layer on an aged tree.

Azure Belinka is more liquid, it is easily and evenly distributed over the entire surface of the tree, creating an even surface color.

When the first layer dries, it can be intentionally subjected to minor damage: rubbed with a fine or coarse sandpaper, walked with a metal brush. The main thing is not to overdo it. The time span here should be kept to a minimum. According to experts, the most reliable effect of antiquity is given by painting with Pinotex with an uneven layer.

After a deliberate aging procedure by scratching with sandpaper or a wire brush, a translucent layer of white azure is applied to the surface so that a dark underlayer can be seen through it. It is not necessary to apply paint in an even layer.

After the top layer has dried, the upper layer of white glaze is scraped off with a metal brush with longitudinal movements, as a result of which a relief pattern of aged wood is created. Such a pattern has a very contrasting color, which is very far from the natural color of aged wood. To bring the color to a more perfect tone, it needs to be made a little muted. To do this, the white glaze is diluted by half with white spirit and the wooden surface is covered with this mixture.

The aged wood, created on the basis of Belinka blue, has a calm warm tone after final processing. Pinotex gives a more interesting decorative effect, with a deep dark base color. It is used in the creation of aged furniture, as well as in decoration elements.

The third way is brushing and white icing

This way to age a tree is the easiest and fastest. The wooden surface is treated with a metal brush, then covered with a layer of white glaze.

After the glaze has dried, the surface is again treated with a metal brush. As a result, we have a bleached wooden surface, slightly aged with a relief pattern from a metal brush.

Master class: "How to age a tree?"

Let's look at another way to age a tree with your own hands. The photo above shows the stages of work, and below I will describe them in detail.

1. You need to choose the right tree for aging. You should not choose young wood, because of the small fibers it has no decorative value. Resinous wood will be difficult and long to process. The tree should have a pronounced structure and healthy knots.

3. With a chisel, you need to make shapeless serifs on the edges of the board, as if with an ax.

4. A drill bit with hard nylon bristles can be used to remove soft wood grains. At the same time, you should not be too zealous and put pressure on the tool, pressing should be light so that the efficiency of the work does not decrease. You can also use a metal brush for processing - in this case there will be a rougher result.

5. You can add the effect of wormholes, but this is not for everyone. Using a core or a blunt nail, we make holes 1-2 mm deep.

6. Now you need to clean the surface and open it with Pinotex Uitra paint-lacquer. This coating will be resistant even to atmospheric conditions. You can also use Senezh aquadecor.

7. After the paint dries, the surface must be sanded with fine sandpaper No. 80. As a result, there will be a very beautiful effect when the depressions on the wood remain dark and the protrusions are light, that is, we highlight the volume and structure of the wood.

8. The final stage is the re-opening of the red tree.

Aging wood with fire

You can age a tree with a gas burner.

There are three main ways here:

1. Aging without prior mechanical processing of wood. That is, we simply emphasize the texture of wood by firing it. Then we pass with fine sandpaper and open it with varnish.

2. First, mechanical processing of wood is carried out - we remove soft fibers, and then we carry out firing. This method will give the tree a relief and three-dimensional look, which will certainly look chic.

3. Intensive firing of wood, which will burn out the soft fibers of the wood and subsequent mechanical processing with a hard brush.

Finally, I want to give some advice:

• Aged products from old boards will look more beautiful and effective. If you do not have such material, ask your neighbors or acquaintances, often such material can be obtained completely free of charge, and it will be much easier to work with it.
• Different types of wood will age and paint differently when using the same materials. This must be taken into account when collecting wooden structures.
• Now in stores you can buy a ready-made aged board without performing the above operations.