How to Quickly Get the Look of Aged Wood: Part 1 of 2

So last week, I shared this weathered, gray dining table.



I decided that I'd share how I achieved this finish if people were interested...and they were, so here is part 1 of 2. I'm doing this in 2 parts because there are actually 2 different looks that can be achieved...and different people might appreciate one over the other. The great part of this is that you may have all of the ingredients you need in your house already! Woot!

I found this table yesterday on the "free" section on Craig. I love that section...but you have to be quick. I may have been cursing yellow lights on the way to this curb...hoping I hadn't lost out on great finds.

The top


I knew this piece would be perfect for the tutorial because I could sand the top to bare wood quickly and easily. This finish works best on RAW WOOD. Think pallets, etc. You can still use it if it's not bare wood, but it takes longer.
Here is the sanded top


When you have your piece ready to go, you'll need the following:
apple cider vinegar
fine steel wool
a container to pour the vinegar in


Place 1 piece of steel wool into the container and pour the vinegar over the steel wool, covering it completely.


Now here's where you need patience...you need to let it sit overnight and preferrably for 24 hours. I know...us DIYers are anything but patient. But unless the chemical reaction happens, you won't get the results you want.

While waiting for my steel wool and vinegar solution, I painted the skirt and legs on this table. It still needs one more coat.

(seriously, how bad are these pictures?!)

This morning, when I checked on my vinegar, it looked nasty. Exactly what I wanted!


I put on my rubber gloves and got to work. I've done this method a few times now and found it works best to actually apply the solution with the steel wool.


Once it's covered, you wait again...for it to dry. Repeat this as many times as it takes to get the results you want! Here's my table now:




In this photo, you can see a piece of the wood that didn't get the treatment vs. the rest that did


Yummy, weathered and dried looking wood!




I read about this process on Pinterest. I will say that this table turned out very differently than the dining table above. But I love it. This was the first step in the process of getting that dining table. Stay tuned...in the next few days, I will do part 2 of the tutorial!

~Allison

Parties Galore!