Making New Siding Look Old

Here s how to age wood and make it look old and gray.

Making new siding look old.

The glaze really accentuates the grain in the wood. But you can get this process in only a few hours. A circular or cup wire brush on a drill can add straight or circular striations respectively. Iron vinegar on fresh cedar lumber.

Then hit it with a chain and rub it with fine grit sandpaper to achieve even more bangs and dents. For a whole new look you can paint it. Give your wood that century old barn look that is weathered and worn with dents and blemishes by beating the wood with a hammer to create nicks and scratch marks. In some cases the oxidization process takes years in others months.

Wire brushing is more effective on soft woods such as pine. Shake or tap the brush on a stick to give your lumber age freckles. The homeowners designers and architect made mostly new construction on this 1830s farmhouse rehab look as if it had been there for nearly a century. 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.

Then a topcoat often blue red or some other bold color is added to the top and is partially removed. Typically the bottom coat is white or another light color you can even use white paint primer. This will dig out the softer wood between the grain and give the surface more texture which really helps make new wood look old. Place a wire brush at an angle on the board and run it with the grain.

Check out my methods here and get started on rusticating your metal objects. For more uniform color brush the glaze over the entire board don t forget the ends of the wood save. 1 mix vinegar and water in a large bucket in a 30 to 70 ratio 30 percent vinegar and 70 percent water. Lastly use a large wire brush to wipe the wood with the grain.

With a quick scrub you can revitalize your siding. Tarnish verdigris and patina are all different ways that make metal and other materials look old. Dip your flat brush into the glaze and drag it over the wood. The designers went with wood siding and all wood windows and doors staying authentic by sticking with the material that was used to build the original.

It works especially well on the end grain. The trick to producing the look of weathered paint on new wood is to use two coats of different colored paints.