How to age a tree with your own hands in a loft style? Review & Tips + Videos

Learn how to age a tree with your own hands in a loft style at home with your own hands and you can use it anywhere in production: for wooden kitchens, Provence furniture, tables, etc. The result is a wonderful color that will adorn the decor of any home! The use of wood in the design of a modern interior is, perhaps, a win-win option. [contents ]

This wonderful material lends itself well to various types of processing : it can be left in its natural form, painted, varnished, aged, and much more.

To grow the tree: for what purpose?

There is no definite, unambiguous answer to this question.

This procedure is carried out with different purposes, most often it is:

• Individual preferences;
• Wood aged in one of the ways can be used to create stylish and fashionable things in retro, country, vintage, Provence style and others;
• Often, fans of antiques age the tree on their own , not wanting to spend money, or not having funds for genuine antiquity. Any modern wooden object with the help of special modern techniques can significantly "increase" its age.

How to make a tree old: brushing

There are many different ways to process a tree to get the desired result.

Brushing, or texturing, is one of the most widely used.

The word brush is of English origin, and means brush. From him came the name of the technique, which consists in using the mentioned object to remove soft pliable fibers of the material. Quite similar processes occur as a result of natural aging, but in this case they take quite a lot of time. This method is considered to be the closest to the natural changes occurring with the material.

It gives the wood a distinct woody texture.

What kind of tree can be aged: breeds

It is quite possible to give the surface of a wooden material an aged look by brushing on its own, at home. The problem is that not every type of wood is suitable for such processing.

It is not suitable for products and surfaces made of MDF. What if there is no suitable material available? We'll have to use a different method, a chemical one. Coniferous wood is best processed mechanically.

Brushing is a rather laborious procedure.

The main tool for its implementation is an elastic and durable metal brush. You won't be able to quickly change the appearance of the tree with its help, so you can speed up the process.

This will require a grinder or a drill with a special hard wire brush.

Therefore, it is important not only to know how to age the tree, but also to be able to do it safely without risking your own health. All activities are carried out in a special protective suit, eyes must be covered with goggles or a face shield. The airway is closed with a special respirator.

Chemical treatment during aging

Can you age wood by hand without the use of special devices and tools? Coarse-grained sandpaper is required, with which the surface is cleaned. On the prepared material, ammonia (ammonia solution) is applied, from which the tree becomes noticeably darker.

Thanks to this treatment, the wood texture becomes more distinct, while the noble darkening gives the material a touch of exquisite antiquity.

Such processing can have a superficial, rather light character . In this case, a non-coarse polymer brush is used. If the tree is deeply processed, even the annual rings of the wood become noticeable.

The main thing is not to overdo it when performing this operation.

Otherwise, the result of the expended efforts will not be an elegant textured surface, but loose, indefinite wood.

Regardless of the selected processing method, after a rough initial cleaning of the wood, the original aesthetics must be restored. Irregularities and burrs are carefully removed from the surface of the object, then it is sanded with a special abrasive brush. Then the material is additionally lightened and given a gloss, for which thin sandpaper is used.

Aged wood effect: patina

Mechanical processing alone is not enough to achieve the desired aged wood effect.

What to do with the material next? You can cover the product with one of the types of varnish. The material looks very interesting after special processing - patination. It allows you to make the surface of the material even more embossed. Patina is a peculiar, unique gloss acquired by the material over time.

Its self-creation requires no small effort, and is carried out in several separate stages.

What is the patination process?

This is the application of special stains and compounds to the treated surface. In each case, they are selected individually, in accordance with the desired shade and color of the product.

Compositions should be applied in such a way that they end up in the pores of the wood, which open during mechanical processing.

The essence of this method is to make the deep pores of the material appear contrasting and dark against the general background, lighter. To carry out this procedure yourself, you need to choose a paint that matches the color.

They completely paint over the prepared surface, and, without waiting for complete drying, remove part of the top layer with a cloth or sponge. Such wood looks noble and looks like an old one.

A layer of enamel of a certain color is applied to the surface. When it's dry, it's time for the next dyeing. For secondary application, a composition of a different shade and a more liquid consistency is required.

When the treated rock is completely dry, its surface is easily processed with sandpaper. In some places, the initial layer appears, forming elegant abrasions.

Toning and varnishing

The patina process must be completed with tinting. For its implementation, special formulations are required, containing resins and natural oils. As a finish, a double or triple varnish coating of treated wood is used. After drying, the surface is treated with a soft cloth to give a special shine.

This varnishing consolidates all the previous manipulations, gives the product a finished, complete look.

And although the process is quite complicated and time-consuming, everyone can master the art of working with wood.

The main thing here is to carefully study the technology, understand the order of the stages, and strictly follow the instructions.

Secrets of high-quality brushing: how to age a tree

How to correctly conduct the brushing process so that the result is pleasing to the eye? You need to know some of the nuances of the process.

• 

  Main surface coat in white, black, yellow, brown, red, blue, purple or orange. For pores, use blue, yellow, red or white.

• The irregularity of the paint application becomes noticeable when the board is carefully viewed from an angle.
• The hand brushing process looks more aesthetically pleasing and artistic than the automatic brushing process. But it also takes an order of magnitude more time.
• The more various natural flaws (eyes, knots, curls) there are in the thickness of the wood, the more impressive the product made of it looks.

Aged wood: interior use

Wood treated in a special way can not be found in every home.

The fact is that it is not enough to simply age the wood.

Ability to use it competently for interior decoration is of great importance. But the use of the described brushing method makes it possible to produce completely unique products, in fact exclusive.

These can be individual pieces of furniture, or whole sets and headsets.

Chests of drawers, candlesticks, bookshelves, antique cupboards, frames for mirrors and paintings, country furniture and kitchen sets made of such material look especially interesting.

This way of processing wood is perfect for the manufacture of individual wooden elements of the kitchen, doors and partitions.

Various methods of technology aging of wood is not a secret today. Casting is not the only method, there are others.

Between themselves, they differ in the amount of time required for the implementation of the process, as well as in the complexity of the technology. But no matter what method is used to achieve the desired effect, in any case, aged wood is capable of creating a completely unique atmosphere of warmth and comfort in any room, ennobling the interior with the refinement of antiquity.

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