How To Make Wood Look Weathered

Welcome Back to Day 11 of my 31 Days of Paint series. See the entire series HERE.

Making Wood Weathered

Joe and I made this magnetic message board from an old window frame, a piece of pine scrap wood for a shelf and the bottom board was once part of our basement stairs. I was going to cover empty window opening with fabric but decided on this piece of tin flashing that we had. I got the hooks at Lowes for $2 each. Walmart also carries them.

We just attached the tin with upholstery tacks. {Be careful working with this tin, it is very sharp.}

My shelf board was dirty but too new looking compared to the other finishes.

And the ends where Joe cut it are far too fresh. They need to look old like the rest of the piece.

I searched online for a solution to turn new wood gray. I tried baking soda and hot water tip but all it did was clean the wood and make it look newer. So I went to my paint cabinet for supplies. I usually use this Tung Oil on freshly stained pieces that I want to preserve but don't want to be shiny. It is reads "Low Gloss" on the label. I mixed it with about a teaspoon of black craft paint.

The after picture above is a only 1 coat of the Tung Oil/Paint mixture. I painted it on with a foam brush and wiped it off after a few minutes then reapplied until I got the finish I was looking for. The more coats the darker it gets.

We now have a functional piece that holds hats and keys and doubles as a magnet board. You can also write on tin with a dry erase marker. I love using found objects and turning them into something useful. Maybe that will be my next series...

Tomorrow's Post: Stenciled Chairs

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