Weathered wood

[Roxxie]

Does anyone know of a paint that makes log siding look weathered? I do not want to use stain because of fumes which I can not tolerate. Thanks :lol:

I don't mean crackle finish but more like old logs.

[Steve_in_PA]

Roxxie....I have used this 'formula' & got some nice results for weathered or old looking wood.

1/2 cup of white vinegar

Drop in steel wool or old nails

Let it soak overnight

Take out the metal

Add 1/2 cup of water

Brush it on the wood & when you get what you want, wipe with a clean cloth.

Try this on some scrap wood to see if it's what you want.

Steve in PA

[Just One More]

I use the water based stain by FolkArt/Plaid. It comes in #811 and a darker 818. The bottle says for an instant aged look. I use #811 for all my floors and baseboards, etc. A 2 0z. bottle goes a long way. I get it at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. I never use anything but water based products for painting or staining. :lol:

[Rhonda from the Bluegrass]

Roxy, what a great question (one whose answer(s) I may have a need for very soon!). . . and many thanks for both of the replies to our ever-helpful forum members! I find both recommendations very interesting, and plan to try both of them out. By the way, Steve - how in the world did you ever figure that one out??? I know from the work I've seen you do, that I will be impressed with it - you always do magnificent work!

[Roxxie]

Pat, is that stain more a brown or gray?

[havanaholly]

For a lovely silvery aged-wood look I like to put isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol (without additives) into a clean, dry jar and add India ink by the drop until I like the color it turns the wood. If you screw the jar lid down nice & tight it'll keep for a long time.

[Muriel]

You can also water down regular paints and use them to stain the wood. Because it is watered down it lets the wood peek through. You can layer different watered down paints, just make sure you let it dry in between and don't put it on too thick so there isn't too much water on the wood.

[Roxxie]

I can see me using ink.....oh yeah right...the Queen of mess making! I can see it now all over my rug, me and the rest of the house. Probably the cat too! Oh how I wish I had a workshop that I could just mess up! By the way where do you get something like India Ink? I never heard of it.

I wanted a weathered graying look for logs so it didn't look like I just stained it brand spanking new or like the toy lincoln log set. Time to do experiments on scraps of wood. Do logs weather more gray or just darker brown? Time to look at pics on the internet. Thanks for all your great suggestions by the way!

[Caseymini]

Roxxie, I use something similar to Steve's. I just dump whatever will rust in a jar of vinegar and let it sit until it looks about right. Take out the rusty stuff. Try it on a scrap of whatever wood you want to use. It depends on the original color of the wood as to what color is is when you finish. Let the sample dry thoroughly to see how it is going to look.

[grazhina]

I used paint to weather Amos Gooch's cottage. I had originally stained it brown, but later on I decided I wanted to change the color.

http://newenglandminiatures.blogspot.com/2...age-part-2.html

A long time ago I saw something about the alcohol and India ink solution Holly mentioned and meant to try it sometime, but haven't had occasion to yet.

[Just One More]

Pat, is that stain more a brown or gray?

It's more brown. Why not try the gray shingle dye from HBS. That should work. :lol:

[Steve_in_PA]

Rhonda....I got that formula from a friend on the Small World forum. This is a photo of the floor in one of her houses.

Steve in PA

[Roxxie]

Been playing all day with different kinds of aging. The folkart stuff I have doesn't seem to do much that I can do with paint. The crackle I can't see any big deal with that so I will try Steve's recipe.

I like how that floor looks...it might work in a cabin.

[jennywren]

I saw a product at countrystoreminiatures.com called Weatherit. I was thinking of trying some myself. There were also others for instant rust, patina, etc.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

India ink can be found in the art supply section of Michael's or Hobby Lobby. A dropper helps control the ink although I did knock over the mixture when a clamp let go! LOL!

[havanaholly]

I poured the rubbing alcohol into the jar holding both containers over the sink. Then I set the jar of alcohol down on a surface covered with old newspapers and did the ink thing. India ink is a drawing ink, any art supply store should have it wherever they have pen staffs & nibs, Rapidograph pens, etc; and calligraphy supplies. Just because you're messy is no reason not to try. Just protect your surfaces (old newspapers, aprons, etc); I learned from taking mini art classes when I was young that I'm hopelessly messy AND a super-klutz!

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

Hello Holly! Duh! I should have thought of putting newspaper down! Fortunately, it was my old work table, not the dining room table and the mixture affected the finish.

[grynche]

I used the steel wool/vinegar wash on the shingles and skinny sticks on my CD holder/shed. I used it for the upstairs wall in Squid Row, tho you can hardly see it.

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/i...i&img=33564

[Roxxie]

Your aging effects worked well thats for certain. Thanks for sharing that!

[jujurodgers]

oh my gosh i just played with the vinegar steel wool mix and soooo love it! I should have asked here in the group about this LOL found it online, and then another site that shows how to use it to ebonize wood, making it black! I am making a log cabin (from sticks that are old that i have scrounged) and did a floor with popsicle sticks...the pic shows more brown than i think the wood actually came out but here is a pic with the floor and a partial popsicle stick so you can see how it changed the color...i just love it!!!

[cranky]

i have used this method, and have been very pleased with the results. this is much like steves method, however, it has a little different twist to it. first, you make a strong brew of tea. just put hot water in a jar, add a teabag, put a lid on it, and let it sit overnight. then put the steel wool in a jar about half full of vinegar, put the lid on, and let that sit overnight. next day, brush the tea on the wood, and let it dry. when that's dry, brush the steel wool /vinegar solution on the wood. should be done aging within 30 minutes. the reason for the tea, is that it contains tannic acid, which the wood reacts to. i believe it makes a darker gray version of the vinegar only recipe. try it out, it may work better for some woods than others, or may just give you another shade option. lipton, tetley, just about any kind of tea works, but i have heard black tea works the best.

dave

Edited May 20, 2010 by cranky

[havanaholly]

I'm very skittish about the reaction of the steel wool with the vinegar, think I'll stick with my isopropyl alcohol & India ink solution for a while longer.

[Roxxie]

Someone else told me how to do this and it worked great! Looks perfect for nicely aged wood. It probably would work differently with various kinds of woods right? I can't see me working with the ink I would probably make a mess on my carpet!

What problem do you have with the steel wool and vinegar?

[havanaholly]

No mess with the ink, it comes with a dropper in the bottle lid, and you add the ink to the alcohol by the dropperful. You need to make sure your jar of vinegar has holes in the lid, or is covered tightly with cloth (like with a canning ring & jar) to allow the gasses generated by the action of the vinegar on the steel wool; it all depends on the kind of aging you want your wood to have as to which "bug juice" recipe will work best for you. I love the silvery gray patina of the alcohol-ink mixture.

[Roxxie]

Actually that light gray is what I was thinking about. Does it check or just turn it a gray? Did you ever try using crackle with it?