Liquids: White vinegar, stains, and paints are three types of fluids you may want to use for faux-aging wood. Vinegar creates a silvery-gray appearance. Stains darken the wood and highlight mechanically distressed areas. Paints can be applied in two coats, then sanded down for a weathered effect.
Adding dents and nail holes is a great way to make the wood look like it's had another life. It's one of the most common ways to distress wood and can be easily done with a hammer or screwdriver. Pound a few nails in, pull them out, or lay a nail out on the wood and give it a few hits.
Place a wire brush at an angle on the board and run it with the grain. This will dig out the softer wood between the grain and give the surface more texture, which really helps make new wood look old. Wire brushing is more effective on soft woods such as pine. It works especially well on the end grain.
Iron vinegar on cedar - cheap, easy and fast!
Here's how to age wood and make it look old and gray. Iron vinegar on fresh cedar lumber: Soak some steel wool in white vinegar for a few hours or a few days - the longer it steeps, the darker the aged effect will be.
Pour enough white vinegar into the container that it will submerge the steel wool. Put the top on and shake it up good then let it sit for 24 hrs. You can get different levels of aging if you let is sit longer or shorter periods, but for most of my purposes 24 hrs is perfect.
I sanded my wood countertops well, then vacuumed and wiped them down with a damp cloth. I'm using water based wood dye so there's no issue with using a water dampened cloth to clean off all the sanding dust. You can purchase dyes in liquid or powder form.
A classic antique look is easy to achieve using just one Chalk Paint® colour and a touch of Chalk Paint® Wax. So you've just painted a piece of furniture with Chalk Paint® but it's looking a little too 'new' for your tastes.
Antiquing is the technique of glazing a base finish to simulate age or create an interesting color effect. Enamel is the most common base for antiquing, but varnished, shellacked, and lacquered surfaces can also be glazed.
Like cherry, maple will darken over time, though far less dramatically. Maple starts off very light and bright, with a few pink and grey tones. Over time, it will age to a warm golden honey color. Other light brown woods, like ash and white oak will slightly darken to a beige or amber color.
It's time to brush on the catalyst with the vinegar/steel wool/hydrogen peroxide mixture. Again, make sure to coat all parts of the wood. Within a few seconds, you'll see the wood start to darken. The full color develops over the next few hours.
Diluted vinegar can dissolve the finish that protects the wood and leave it looking cloudy, dull, or scratched. (The same goes for wood furniture.) Follow the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations or pick a cleaner that's made specifically for hardwood flooring.
Just like hardwood floors, vinegar can eat away at the wax finish on wood furniture, leaving it looking dull and cloudy. But, you'll frequently read that vinegar is ideal for cleaning all types of wood. If you would like to use vinegar on finished or waxed wood furniture, use it extremely infrequently and at your risk.