How Experts and Craftspeople Age and Distress their Reproductions

Our tastes and décor ideas should not fit into one mold and style. Some adore the look of a finished antique reproduction with a flawless sheen and in perfect condition. Others love an antique reproduction that tells a story, with scratches and fading paint that looks well-loved and lived in, chock-full of character.

A few collectors love a reproduction with a worn-in look that adds unique character. In this article, we'd love to explore just a few ways craftspeople age and distress antique furniture reproductions to create the visual appeal of a much-loved heirloom piece.

Before diving in, we wish to remind you that should this article inspire you to try distressing your antique reproductions, if you have never done so before—choose a piece that is not precious to you. This ensures that should you make any mistakes or not like the result, you do not damage a piece of furniture that is important to you.

Tool Techniques for Distressing Furniture

No piece of furniture that sees daily use survives without dents and dings. Several ways exist to create flaws in an antique reproduction that mimic years of wear and tear. You can distress wood relatively quickly with tools such as:

• Hammer
• Metal chain
• Nails
• Wood Gouge
• Awl
• Wire Brush drill attachment
• Sandpaper or sandpaper sponge

In most cases, experts and DIYers will remove any varnish, finish, or paint before beginning aging and distressing.

Marking the Piece

With these tools, a craftsperson can add damage, from hitting with a hammer, mallet, or metal chain to creating small divots or using a wood gouge for minor nicks that look like moving or bumping scrapes. Press a fingernail into the wood or a screw to create longer scratches. Many DIYers and artisans will test these methods on scrap wood beforehand to practice creating an irregular, more natural-looking pattern. Additionally, the test method lets you know how much looks right; as with the furniture piece, one can always add more if needed, but it becomes complicated to remove dents once placed.

Aged Texturing

As wood ages, its texture can change. Instead of waiting several decades—many DIYers and professionals turn to a wire brush attachment on a drill. The wire attachment removes softwood areas to let the grain shine through the paint or finish. The wire brush is run back and forth with the wood, going with the grain and repeated until it is lightly textured, then finished with light sanding by fine-grit sandpaper.

Optional: Insect Damage
Many genuine antiques have unfortunately encountered the dreaded woodworm, a larvae stage of wood-boring beetles. These insects often leave small pinholes in the wood in irregular patterns. If this look is something a customer or craftsperson wishes to recreate, they may use a very small awl and press it into the wood. The holes left by the awl will simulate insect damage without the bugs being an issue.

Aging – Vinegar and Tea Distressing
Once an antique reproduction has the right amount of wear and tear, a simple solution of vinegar and black tea is one of the many easy ways to give the wood an aged look. Supplies used to create the aging color are usually:

• White vinegar
• Steel wool
• Glass jars
• Paintbrush
• Black tea
• Hot or room temp water
• Sandpaper
• Paste wax or polyurethane
• Plastic gloves
• Clean, lint-free rags

 

Vinegar Solution and Finish

White vinegar is added to a jar; then, steel wool is shredded to the vinegar in the jar. The vinegar and steel wool sit uncovered for roughly 24 hours. If a darker look is needed, the jar is left to sit for longer—ensuring rust does not form. Steel wool will dissolve in vinegar in about a day.
If the surface has any remaining paint or finish, it is thoroughly removed to ensure the vinegar aging solution adheres to the wood.

Once the vinegar solution has been set, hot water and tea are mixed in another jar. A paintbrush, rag, or a dry brush is used to apply the tea, which is then allowed to dry thoroughly before the vinegar and steel wool solution is painted over the tea. The tannins in the tea react with vinegar and steel wool, creating an age-darkened wood color. Once the artisan is satisfied with the aged wood effect, a protectant such as a paste-finishing wax or polyurethane seals everything.

Chalk Paint and Wet Sanding Distressing

For a heavily distressed look, chalk paint and wet sanding is an easy technique that gives the appearance of a piece of furniture with years of wear-and-tear that has rubbed away paint.

Before using wet sanding and chalk paint, craftspeople either start with a sanded, unfinished antique reproduction or thoroughly sand a piece to remove any previous paint or finish. Once sanded, chalk paint or chalk finish paint is applied with a brush, about two or three coats, without worry about a flawless paint finish.

Next, a wet (but not soaked and dripping) paper towel or a clean, damp, lint-free cloth is wiped along small portions of the furniture. Then, a 320-grit piece of sandpaper or sanding block is gently rubbed on the paint while it is still damp. The wet paint will take on striations and steaking of being worn. Many DIYers will focus on gentle sanding along the pieces' natural edging or any raised elements as those surfaces would naturally be the first place paint would wear naturally.

Once everything is finished and dried, the antique reproduction is thoroughly dusted and can be finished with a protective coating.

There are many reasons why homeowners, customers, and craftspeople seek ways to distress and age their antique reproductions. It is an easy way to project a furniture piece with personality and quirks as unique as the furniture's owner and a great way to create a durable piece that can withstand—and hide—the wear and tear of kids and adults alike.

There is an undeniable enchantment to furniture that has been used and cherished for generations, and that is why so many turn to aging and distressing by hand.