Make New Wood Look Old and Weathered In 2 Steps and 20 Minutes -My New Technique!

Happy Monday! I know I would usually be doing a model home tour today, but I'm going to put that on hiatus until the New Year. I have lots to share with you until then! :) As promised last week, here's the how-to on getting new wood looking old in minutes. And...no sanding required like my last technique. This gives it a much softer look.

This is going to be a super short picture post because this technique is that easy. :)

First step is to take your wood and 'white wash' it with some white paint and water. I did about a quarter cup of water to a tablespoon of paint. Of course, I made more than that. So, 1 cup of water to 4 tablespoons of paint, etc. I put one coat on, and then waited for it to be semi-dry and did another coat. I then waited about 15 minutes for the whole thing to dry. Drying time might depend on the type of wood you are working with, fyi :)

 Next, take your wood and put a layer of dark stain on it. I used Provincial from MiniWax. I didn't let this sit for very long, maybe just enough time to put down the brush and pick up rag. I then wiped it all off.

That's it! Yep, easy :) So, you might want to experiment with this a bit before you start. I noticed that with my first dresser doing it this way, it turned out a beautiful grey color, with a little brownish hue:

The next time, it turned out that softer brownish/grey color. This was probably due to the amount of white I had on it. So, just experiment :) Put more white on it, or not so much. Let it be completely dry before the stain or a little wet. Leave the stain on a minute, etc. In both cases of doing this, it gave me the perfect weathered looking wood look...which of course, I love :) And you don't have to wait days for steel to sit in vinegar like other methods, or years to age your wood outside. Just minutes. ...with no sanding :) You can check out my other method here:

As always, remember, this will all depend on the type of paint you use, the color of stain and your wood. That's why I always recommend experimenting before you do all the wood for your project, just in case it doesn't turn out quite like you wished :)