Wood is a beautiful material from which a variety of interior items are made. It can be decorated in many ways. One of the popular techniques is the aging of wood. This is a rather difficult process that requires certain knowledge from the master.
Expert advice will help you figure out how to do this processing yourself. Wood aging can be done in several ways. After considering all the techniques, it will be possible to choose the best option.
Why should wood be aged?
Wood aging is carried out for various reasons. This technology allows you to give the material the required decorative qualities. With the help of this finish, you can decorate certain styles of the interior. To save money on the purchase of antique, exquisite and very expensive decor elements, the technology of artificial aging of natural material is used.
The choice of such a finish may also be caused by the individual preferences of the owners of the house. If they want to decorate the interior of their home just like thatproducts, artificial aging of wood will provide a wide field for creativity. It will be easy to give the material the desired appearance using the methods presented below.
There are several approaches that help to give the wood the necessary decorative qualities. For them, certain materials and tools are used. Also, the master will need a sufficient amount of free time. Haste in this case may lead to an unsatisfactory result.
Mechanical aging of wood
There are various methods for aging wood. They allow you to give the array a certain appearance. One of the most popular approaches is mechanical aging. It is also called brushing or texturing. The wooden surface is treated with a special brush. This allows you to stylize the material, giving it an antique look.
Brushing a tree involves removing the "pulp" from the structure. This gives relief to the workpiece. It is this process that occurs with a wood massif for a long time. It dries out under the influence of various environmental factors.
Experienced craftsmen claim that this is one of the easiest ways to process wood. However, it is not always possible to apply this approach in practice. It depends on the characteristics of the wood species. Also, when processing mechanically, it is possible to obtain a relief surface. In some cases, it is better to decorate the interior with other types of processedwood.
Features of mechanical aging
Wood brushing may not be applicable to all types of natural material. This method is suitable for processing almost all coniferous varieties, especially pine. Brushing is also used for larch, walnut, ash and oak. These are the most popular types of wood that are currently used in construction and interior decoration.
Mechanical aging is not carried out for fruit varieties of natural material. Also, this technology is not used for processing beech, maple, teak, a number of exotic types of wood. They are rarely used in finishing work. This is why the mechanical method is so popular.
To carry out the treatment, you will need to prepare a special brush. It has a metal "pile". The procedure requires a sufficient amount of free time. You can't hurry. Otherwise, you can spoil the appearance of the array. In this way, you can age small blanks. For an extensive amount of work, it is necessary to use a grinder, drill or a special machine.
Hand brushed
Do-it-yourself wood aging requires a certain concentration from the master. The material must be dry. Otherwise, it will not be possible to provide the required decorative surface. Bugs will appear. Dry wood is brushed along the fibers. To make the pile stiffer, it can be trimmed.
As a result of such manipulations, it is possible to remove the softest fibers from the outer structure of the array. After that, the grinding process is carried out. To do this, use a brush with finer bristles or sandpaper with coarse grit.
After this processing, you can color the array. For this, stain is most often used. This allows you to create the desired shade. Other dyes may be used. The appearance of the finish will depend on the correctness of this stage. This is followed by polishing and varnishing. This allows you to protect the natural material from decay. The surface is varnished several times.
Machining
To process a large amount of material, you need to use special equipment. It can be a grinder or an electric drill. A special wire nozzle is put on the angle grinder. Work must be done carefully so as not to damage the material.
Also, a wood aging machine can be used. Such equipment is most often used in enterprises. When using it, it is possible to achieve a high speed and quality of aging of wood massifs. Roughing is done in just a few minutes. At this time, small soft fibers are removed.
Woodworking machines are purchased only if it is necessary to process large volumes of materials. The most popular varieties are the Festool Rustofix RAS 180 unit. The Makita 974 grinder is also used for independent wood processing, inwhich comes with an abrasive brush.
Chemical aging
Artificial aging of wood can be done using a different technology. In the process of processing, the array is cleaned with coarse sandpaper. Then proceed to its chemical aging. If hardwood is to be treated, an ammonia solution can be used. You can also use ammonia. It contributes to the darkening of the array.
You can just clean up the surface slightly to more clearly highlight the growth rings. After that, stain and varnish are used. There is also another method. Another possible option for chemical aging is the use of a water-based stain. When the desired shade is obtained, the composition is washed off with a sponge and water. This emphasizes the contours of the rings, making the edges darker.
Another option is patting. This is the most complex and highly decorative processing. In this case, it opens the pores on the background of a more even surface. For this, special chemicals are used. They can be purchased from specialized stores.
Heat treatment
Thermal technology of wood aging is another way to give the array an antique look. The procedure is carried out in several stages. First, the entire surface of the material is fired. It is also possible to perform processing only on certain areas. It also gives a decorative finish. Best used forthese purposes gas burner. Before starting work, you need to practice on an unnecessary piece of wood.
Firing will remove all soft fibers. After this, knots, annual rings of wood appear more clearly. The next step is mechanical processing. Carbon deposits must be removed with a brush with a metal "nap". This will also increase the relief of the picture.
Further, if desired, you can impregnate the material with stain. The composition will give the desired shade to the wood. After the material dries, it is varnished. It may be colorless or tinted.
Dry brush method
Another relatively uncomplicated approach is drybrushing the wood. To carry it out, you need to use your imagination. First, scratches, potholes, chips are created on the material. You can skip this step, as this processing is irreversible.
First, one layer of paint is applied to the surface, and then the second. Then they should dry well. Next, using fine sandpaper, the top layer of paint is erased. This must be done unevenly. In some places, the abrasions should reach the first layer of paint, and in others - to the wood. Particular attention should be paid to protruding parts and the edge.
Next, paint is applied with a dry brush. You need to pick up a flat hard brush. The paint should be contrasting. If the base is light, the top layer should be dark. The paint should look like bristle marks. Strokes cannot be crossed. Then lubricate with a clothfresh smears. Then apply a transparent varnish. It is applied in 2 layers.
Wood restoration
Another type of wood aging is its restoration. This must be done if the appearance of the decor is lost. First you need to clean the surface. Next, the wood is covered with acrylic paint in 2 layers. Then the protruding surfaces are rubbed with paraffin. They are painted in the desired shade. Further, after drying, the places treated with paraffin are cleaned off. Finishing is carried out with varnish.
Having considered the features of wood aging, you can create the necessary decor yourself.
