Today, many people dream of seeing their home unusual, they want it to be different from the traditional furnishings of our usual apartments. Everyone thinks about expensive curtains, handmade carpets, luxurious antique furniture. However, not everyone can afford such an environment - furniture that has signs of aging is very expensive.
But if you decide to make your apartment original and unique, you can age the furniture yourself. It will look original and spectacular, which will allow you to create an interior in the style of Provence, country, etc.
How to age furniture with your own hands: a master class
There are several methods for aging furniture. We will talk about them later. To get started, check out the list of required materials and tools:
- metal brush;
- sandpaper;
- grinder with different nozzles;
- brush for sweeping sawdust and dust;
- roller;
- brush;
- kerosene burner (orblowtorch);
- azure white and dark;
- antiseptic paint;
- ammonia;
- stain;
- craquelure polish;
- shellac primer;
- rags;
- sponge;
- white spirit.
Popular ways
Artificially aged furniture looks noble and beautiful, but making it is much easier, cheaper and faster than buying a truly antique one. It is possible to age furniture with your own hands in the three most common ways:
- Chemical.
- Thermal.
- Mechanical.
The chemical method involves the use of various substances, such as ammonia, craquelure varnishes, stain. The thermal method of aging allows you to achieve the effect by exposure to open fire. The most common is considered to be a mechanical method. In this case, damage is applied to the surface: scratches, cracks, etc. - followed by their treatment with paint, varnish, which enhance the effect.
When applying one of these methods, you can get completely different-looking furniture. At first glance, it is incomparable to each other, although it is a manifestation of the same direction - decoration. Now we will tell you more about how to age furniture. The master class, we hope, will help you master the popular methods of aging. But first, regardless of the method chosen, you must first prepare the surface to be treated - remove the doors, objects from the hingesdecor and fittings, as well as a layer of varnish or old paint.
Chemical method
This method can be done in several ways. Which one is closer to you - choose for yourself. We will offer some of the most popular options.
Using ammonia
First, you need to process the surface with sandpaper. After that, you will see how a clearer structure of the tree appears. This may not be done, but this manipulation will enhance the effect of antiquity. Then ammonia is applied to the wooden surface. It will cause it to darken and develop a slight grayish tint, which is typical for antique wooden objects.
You need to know that this method can only age furniture made from hardwood, as they contain tannins.
Aging with craquelure and paint
The purpose of this method is to create a worn surface. First, you should decide on the main color, and then choose a lighter tone to achieve the effect of a faded surface. For this purpose, you can use bright white paint, and the color of baked milk or ivory. The base color is achieved by white tinting.
First, the main color is applied to the surface to be treated. When the paint dries completely, another layer is applied, but already white. Now wait for the surface to dry completely. After that, you can start surface treatment with fine sandpaper. This will create a faded effect.and the appearance of visible spots of the lower (darker) layer of paint.
Cracks will help you make craquelure varnish. It is applied to the base, and when the surface is covered with a second layer of paint, small cracks appear on it, which are so characteristic of antique furniture. They will have a base color. To make the result more interesting, several dyes can be used for the base.
Use stain
How to age furniture at home in these ways? First, the surface is covered with a stain (water-based), thereby setting the base color. Then selectively begin to wash it off with a wet sponge. The main emphasis is on the middle part of the surface, and the edges, bends, cracks are left darker.
If you want to age the furniture, but the desired result was not achieved by the above manipulations, after the surface has completely dried, sand it. On the bends and depressions, additionally walk with a brush dipped in stain.
In the next step, apply a layer of stain on a different base (for example, alcohol, naphtha or gasoline). Then dry the treated part for twelve hours. Now you can use a brush or foam rubber to fill the wood pores with shellac primer. And finally, a special wax is rubbed into the treated surface, and then everything is polished with a soft cloth.
Thermal method
In this case, the wooden surface is fired with a blowtorch untilknots and texture pattern will not become clearly visible. This is the first stage of aging. Then carbon deposits are removed from the surface and a more embossed structure is achieved with a metal brush.
To make the wood pattern even more expressive, you can cover the product with one layer of stain and a layer of varnish. This method requires care and precision, as careless use of a blowtorch can permanently damage furniture.
You can thermally age furniture using a kerosene burner (instead of a blowtorch). In this case, the surface can be treated with a metal brush both before and after heat treatment. In the process of work, do not hold the fire in some areas longer than in others. It is best to do this work outdoors - in the yard or on the balcony.
Mechanical method
This is the most common way to age furniture. It is also the safest, and therefore most suitable for home use. Performed in three ways.
In the first case, the surface should be treated with a metal brush, then coated with white azure. Dry the surface well. Azure is a translucent coating. The natural structure of the tree peeps through it. When the coating is completely dry, it must be brushed again. As a result, you will get a bleached wooden surface with slight scuffs.
The next option is a fewmore difficult than the first: the soft fibers of the wood are removed with a brush, creating a heterogeneous structure, and then painted to enhance the effect. First, the surface is treated with sandpaper, then with a metal brush, which can be replaced with a grinder with the necessary nozzle. Now you can clear the plane of sawdust so that they do not interfere. At the end of this procedure, the surface acquires contrast and relief. To emphasize and enhance the beauty, it should be painted with azure in two layers. The coating is applied with a brush or roller.
After applying the azure, after two or three minutes, the excess is removed with a sponge, observing the relief. Once the surface has acquired the desired appearance, it is left to dry completely. Then a thin layer of varnish is applied.
How to artificially age furniture for Provence style? Apply a thin layer of white azure under the varnish. When the surface is dry, apply the final coat - transparent azure. This furniture option looks great if light colors prevail in the interior of the room.
