DIY Barn Wood Finish

 A few months ago I responded to an ad on Craig's list for barn wood. Supposedly there were tons of it. Imagine my surprise when I showed up and it was in the form of a century old barn, still standing and relatively sturdy. My lack of tools and access to heavy equipment trumped my imagination and I was forced to pass it by.

     I decided that there must be a cheap and easy way to distress new wood in such a way as to look like it came from an old barn. Where did I turn? Pinterest of course.

There I found several tutorials on how to weather wood. Now I'm a bit of a lazy DIY guy and so after reading several tutorials involving paint and sanding I found instructions on how to attain the look I was going for using only steel wool and vinegar.

 The coffee table above shows the wood before treating it with the aging solution. I followed the directions the first time and the in subsequent attempts increased the time the steel wool soaked in the vinegar. 

     The results were fantastic. The longer you leave the steel wool in the vinegar the darker and more aged your wood will look. I've used it on several large pieces and numerous small boxes and crates.

     Below is the finished product. The photo really doesn't do the finish much justice. In person the wood grain really pops and the effect is so convincing I've had people ask where I sourced my wood. When I tell them that the wood was reclaimed from newer pallets and shipping crates they are amazed.

Here is how to do it

You will need: 

1. A mason jar

2. Steel wool

3. Apple cider vinegar

4. A paint brush

First you put a single pat of steel wool into the mason jar.

Then add the apple cider vinegar.

Let the steel wool soak in the vinegar 24-72 hours, depending on how dark you want your project to be. I recommend testing the solution after 24 hours. If it's not dark enough, wait another 24 hours and test again...and so on.

Once your solution is ready, grab your paint brush and get busy. Make sure you're wearing your work clothes, safety goggles and a pair of kitchen gloves 'cause this can get messy.

When you're done you should wind up with a gorgeous barn wood style finish.

Factoid

I've used this method to finish many a project and every time I am pleasantly surprised at how each piece of wood turns out different. The reason? Each piece of wood is imbued with tannins(wikipedia). Depending on the age and species of the wood the vinegar solution will react in different ways.

Thanks for checking out this post. I always have a project going so there will be many more to come. 

- James Wagner