With your own hands

The exaggeration of your own age is not such an incredible fact when it comes to furniture. And it is not at all necessary to purchase an expensive antiques for the stylish interior (possibly requiring restoration), while you can aging furniture with your own hands. There are three main methods of artificial aging of a tree: chemical, thermal and mechanical. In the first case, chemicals are obviously used. This is, first of all, ammonia, “eating” in a tree, tannins and giving it a grayish tint. But it is worth remembering that ammonia is brought to the sense of those who have lost consciousness, so is it worth it to consciously risk? During the heat treatment of wooden objects, open fire is used, which is also unsafe in ordinary household conditions. Thus, the most affordable is mechanical processing. Before proceeding directly to the processing, the surface of the furniture must be prepared: remove the handles, decorative elements, if necessary and the ability to remove the door from the loops. The old cracked paint or varnish is cleaned with sandpaper (skins), if the tree was treated with a stain before painting, then the layer of old varnish is not completely removed. Krakelyur – a method of aging a tree, in which it is used and a layer of paint, gives the effect of a faded surface. A dark and rich color is taken as the basis, and a paint of lighter tones is used to give scuffs: the color of the ivory, coffee with milk, ghee, soft pastel shades of white. The easiest way to use ordinary white paint with the addition of one tint in different concentrations with this method. The paint of darker shades is applied to the purified, exhausted and dried surface. By the way, it is not at all necessary to use only one color, color combinations can vary depending on the planned interior style, individual taste and needs. After the first layer dries, it is necessary to paint the furniture with light paint and also give time to dry out. And after that you can proceed to the most interesting – the “manifestation” of many years of the life of furniture. The upper layer of paint is easily removed with small sandpaper, and the lower, darker layer appears from under it. So the scuffs and stains are formed inherent in the really old furniture. It is more easy to use and no less interesting in the results of a craquelure varnish, turning a fresh layer of paint into an old one, covered with cracks, resembling the soil of anhydrous desert. Such varnish is applied before the finish staining, and the base layer will be visible through the cracks. A more radical way to aging furniture with your own hands is to use breasting. This method involves the removal of the upper soft layers of wood, thus showing a tree pattern, most clearly captured in hard layers. In this case, processing is carried out using metal brushes with which the tree is rubbed. To avoid excessive roughness and protect from splinter, after brushes the wooden surface is treated with a small skin. The effect of woods eaten by bugs and worms that can be achieved using a chisel or thin drill is very interesting. The use of a stain for artificial aging of a tree is akin to the usual coloring with the difference that the stains do not wait complete drying, washing it off the surface with a damp sponge. It is important for this method of aging furniture so that the stain is on water -based. They try to leave the corners and recesses in the tree darker, while the middle of the planks is washed off more carefully, leaving the lightest shade of the stain. To make furniture with your own hands at normal home, you can use several of the above methods, which will only improve the result of work. But it is very important not to forget about the decor elements, including the loops and handles for the door cabinets. Brilliant, saying about their novelty, even the smallest details can negate many hours of work, so do not melieve on the way to great goals!