This is tracing paper already from Italian - patina. In a broad sense, patina is the noble traces of aging. The essence of the method: we select the paint to match the furniture, cover it in one layer and let it dry (sand the surface before painting). Then we make the shade lighter - repeat the procedure. Now we take a fine skin or a hard sponge and sculpt the scuffs. It is important that the base is visible through the top layer. It must be seen that the furniture was painted more than once. Adjust the degree of wear to your liking. At the end, cover the product with clear varnish or wax.
Patination is suitable not only for wooden surfaces, but also for metal and plaster, for example. Keep this in mind when choosing paint. They differ just in the type of material on which you will use them. The most popular are acrylic.
Passionate about the process? In addition to furniture, anything can be patinated - from sockets and baseboards to photo frames. And by the way, to start with, it’s better to practice on the latter, and not on the closet.
InMyRoom Tip: sand the first coat lightly to improve its adhesion to the new paint.
When creating an interior, designers are happy to use wood. For some, it allows you to create a certain style concisely and clearly, others can shape the look of the space, paying attention to small details and nuances.
Rural life, which received the French name Provence (literally provincial), has been adopted as a fashionable trend in the design of living space. It can use motifs from France. However, not many people know that there was not that elegance that they talk about so much (only in the southern regions can you find exquisite options, the northern regions have always existed much more modestly and poorer). Much more interesting is the German or Russian rural style. They have much more colors, shades and wood products.
Mandatory attributes of rural style are somewhat rough benches, massive tables, separate stools, cabinets and shelves above them. Ax products were made with a fairly thorough finish. Only time changed the appearance of wooden structures. Due to intensive use, the structure appears brighter, the pattern of fibers is more deeply visible.
For boards that have existed for more than one decade, the presence of a silvery coating is characteristic, as well as blackening of individual zones. Time in its own way paints wood that is not protected from precipitation. There are even those who wish to purchase ornamental material, which for a long period served as an auxiliary structure on the site. Old boards are transported hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of kilometers, in order to be used in the hands of a modern master as a semi-antique structural material.
In fact, it is not necessary to look for an old barn in order to make antique furniture from its boards. There are ways by which you can make boards and bars look like they were used in products by a great-grandfather:
- brushing - this is the name of the method of revealing a deep texture using mechanical action on the surface layer;
- staining makes it possible to simulate the presence of wood under the influence of precipitation for a long time;
- roasting and other heat treatment, which creates the effect of using wood after fire exposure;
- chemical treatment that allows modern furniture to look like it was created a couple of centuries ago.
Most often, not one chosen method of aging is used, but they are combined with each other, achieving an even more noticeable effect of the presence in the room of the 12th ... 19th centuries. It turned out that semi-antique furniture is in demand on the market. Some users say that an ancestor who participated in the Battle of Borodino, or a participant in another historical event, for example, a veteran of the Battle of Kulikovo, sat on this chair back in the nth year. Listeners enthusiastically touch the creation of the master of the Middle Ages, admiring how they managed to preserve the product from the depths of centuries.
Brushing - a method of aging wood
Artificial aging is easily performed on coniferous wood. It is distinguished by the presence of soft fibers in the surface layer. You can show the texture by removing some of the soft fibers using a brush with a hard metal bristle (Fig. 1). By repeatedly moving along the fiber, it is easy to remove the soft component. Only structural rigid fragments will remain.
Rice. 1 Metal brush for brushing wood
One or two boards are easy to handle with a similar brush. If you need to prepare a certain amount of wood, then you will have to use the means of mechanization of labor. An electric drill or an angle grinder (grinder) will help here. A mechanical radial brush is installed on them (Fig. 2). 
Rice. 2 Mechanical brushes: a - for an electric drill; b - for an angle grinder (grinder)
Attention! Mechanical end brushes for electric drills and grinders can only be useful for processing the ends of bars and boards. When working, you need to use protective equipment: gloves, respirators and goggles, preferably a mask.
Before brushing, all lumber should be planed. Many people think this requirement for preparation is superfluous, in fact, the craftsmen have always respected their work, as well as the people for whom they made pieces of furniture. Always used planed boards and bars. Some carpenters were able to use an ax to give blanks such a look that other contemporaries will not be able to do even with the help of modern planers or machine tools.
The process is performed in the following sequence:
- The board (bar) is fixed on the desktop (workbench). It is convenient to use a comb or a fixing wedge here;
- Turn on the power tool and brush along the fiber, moving towards the stop.
- When working, they try not to press hard from above, the brush itself will choose what it can remove from the surface.
After three or four passes, examine the result. There is no need to overdo it here. Having received a depth of only 0.4 ... 0.6 mm, you should stop. The process has been started. After a couple of days, the grooves themselves will deepen, as there has been a destruction in the structure of the wood. The visible effect can only be enhanced by subsequent treatment with varnishes or oils.
Antique wood painting
Probably everyone has seen that old boards have a grayish coating, giving them the appearance of light silvering. With the help of paints, you can give a similar color to any wooden product. Acrylic paints are used for this (Fig. 3). But they are white. Therefore, tinting paste is added to them (Fig. 4). By changing the concentration of color, you can achieve different shades of gray.
Rice. 4 Coloring paste for coloring wood
In practice, furniture makers also use more complex methods of coloring to give the tree an old look. There is a method called patination. The effect of this treatment is not to apply a continuous coating, but only a bronze film coating. With this treatment, shiny bronze fragments appear. On fig. 5 shows one of the ways to patinate wood. In addition to applying a bronze (gold) hue, additives were used that create the effect of antiquity. Craquelures are macro-irregularities specially created on the surface. 
Rice. 5 Patinated facade fragment
To give the products the look of an old tree, it is not necessary to paint the products completely and cover them with opaque paint. In practice, varnishes are used, which, after being applied to the surface, are covered with a fine mesh.
By combining transparent and opaque finishes, you can achieve the effect of aging wood to such an extent that it will seem that this furniture came from a distant past (Fig. 6). Here there is patination of individual fragments, there is also varnishing, which gave the look of antiques.
Rice. 6 Antique bedside table
Antique wood burning
Heat treatment opens up enormous possibilities. With its help, the tree is applied:
- its unique pattern, because any cut is created by nature, which never repeats itself in anything;
- during firing, the shades change, the appearance of coal particles gives more expressiveness to the wood;
- using old boards from which the old paint was removed by the fire method, they achieve real aging of the product for several decades.
Firing is carried out using the tools presented in the table.
Antique wood processing
Chemical preparations: alkalis and acids, give the new wood an aged look. For acid treatment, sulfuric acid for batteries is used (Fig. 8). When exposed to the product, even on hard grades, deep stripes of texture appear. This method is used for oak, walnut, ash. You have to use concentrated acid with a density of 1.42 g/cm 3 . An acid of lower density works through the texture more slowly.
Upon completion of the treatment, it is necessary to neutralize the action of the acid, therefore, a solution of caustic soda is used or spilled with a solution of baking soda. Then you need a long exposure to water. 
Rice. 8 Sulfuric acid
An excellent effect for a tree is given by processing in a solution of copper sulphate. For such an operation, plastic sewer pipes are used. The bottom hole is closed with a cork, and then boards or bars are placed inside. Then a solution of ten percent strength of copper sulphate is poured. The duration of exposure depends on the type of wood. To get the look of a driftwood, you have to withstand up to a week. Even soft varieties: pine, spruce, acquire high hardness and resistance to decay. The wood darkens, becomes brown. Looks impressive on finished products.
On fig. 9 shows furniture elements made by modern semi-antique craftsmen. During processing, all the described methods were used. Products look quite interesting. 
Rice. 9 Modern antique furniture
Video: Facade patination. Master class from an Italian
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.
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.
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.
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
- 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
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 required presentable effect.
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.
Choose craquelure in specialized stores and within expiration dates. In most cases, expired varnish does not give a cracking effect.
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:
Table and chairs - made of larch
Kitchen. Facade - larch, shelves - pine
Many design styles (French, Tuscan, vintage, shabby chic and others) are characterized by the presence of antique woodwork among their elements. Paint wear, the texture of old wood give a special charm to the interiors. In their work, designers actively use antique furniture, wall panels, floors, stairs, beams, columns and other small decor. However, antiques are not cheap, which greatly inflates the cost of projects, and wooden elements from the past are not strong and durable. To solve these problems, artificial aging of the tree has appeared, and you can even do it yourself.
Aging methods
There are several ways to age a wooden surface. The choice of the desired aging method is influenced by the type of wood, the design style, the availability of the necessary tools and materials, professional skills and experience. The following types of artificial aging of natural wood are most common:
- chemical way;
- heat treatment;
- wood aging by dry brushing.
chemical method
In order to process wooden products by this method, it is necessary to have special chemical reagents, professional tools, certain qualifications and knowledge. Caustic substances (acids, alkalis or copper sulphate) are applied to the surface of the parts, after which the wood changes color, and the soft fibers are destroyed. The process itself is hazardous to health and requires increased security measures. It is almost impossible to implement such artificial aging with your own hands and at home.
Heat treatment method
The essence of this technological process is to burn less dense layers of wood by means of an open fire. It consists of several stages:
- annealing soft fibers to obtain the desired wood texture;
- surface cleaning with abrasive materials;
- applying varnish.
To implement this method with your own hands, you can use a very affordable tool - an ordinary blowtorch.
brushing
The name of this technique comes from the English word "brush", which means a brush. Brushing is based on the structural features of wood, consisting of hard and soft fibers, and the process itself consists in combing soft fibers out of wood with a metal brush and giving the surface the texture of old wood. Do-it-yourself brushing can be divided into a number of successive stages:
- mechanical processing of wood along the fibers;
- cleaning from chips and pile;
- glossing;
- staining or patination;
- varnish coating.
Despite the fact that the tool for brushing seems extremely simple, the process itself is quite laborious. When using this method of applying a touch of antiquity to wooden products, it should be remembered that hardwoods, as well as pine, yew and larch, cannot be brushed.
Artificial aging of wood by dry brushing
This process is also easy to do with your own hands, it is applicable to cabinets, tables, shelves, armchairs and other types of home furniture. It consists of several stages, and not all of them are required.
- Creating the effect of many years of operation.
At this stage, scratches, potholes, chips and dents are applied to the surface of the furniture. To do this, you need a carpentry tool and a little imagination. Since the damage caused is irreversible, this stage of tree aging can be skipped.
- Coloring.
For this, two variants of paint of similar shades are used. First, one is applied, and after drying - the second.
- Surface treatment with abrasive materials or sanding.
Using fine sandpaper or sand, the top layer of paint is erased. This is done unevenly, in some places only up to the first layer, and in some places up to wood. It is important to achieve the effect of natural wear, so special attention should be paid to the edges and protruding parts. After sanding with a vacuum cleaner, chips and wood dust are removed.
- Applying paint with a dry brush.
At this stage, it is important to choose the right tool for applying paint. A stiff, flat brush works best. The choice of paint should also be approached responsibly. It should be contrasting with previously used shades. For a light base, the best option would be dark shades of brown or burgundy paint. The technology of applying paint to the surface in this method of wood aging is the most complex. The paint is applied with your own hands with an almost dry brush, the strokes should look like a trace of numerous bristles. Crossing strokes is not allowed.
- Rubbing the top layer.
For this, a cloth napkin is used, which smears the newly applied strokes.
- Coating the surface with varnish.
It is best to use a clear varnish, which should be applied in one or two coats.
There are several more ways to force the aging of wood with your own hands, but they are not so effective and do not always achieve the desired goal.
Antique wood 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:- To begin with, wooden blanks are thoroughly cleaned of stains and dirt.
- To make the natural pattern of wood more textured and voluminous, the boards are alternately treated with coarse and fine-grained sandpaper.
- 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.
- Finishing varnishing with a transparent glaze will give the prepared wooden products a rich iridescent gloss.
- Cleaned of stains and dust, wooden parts are fired with a blowtorch or gas burner until a slight soot appears.
- Next, the charred wood is manually processed with a metal / wire brush, after which it is cleaned with a fine emery cloth.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
