Antiquing - Techniques for ageing wood

Antiquing or ageing of wood is my favourite subject in the finishing industry. Antiquing is the generic term used to describe the whole finishing process applied to furniture or wooden objects to make them look old. The advantage of this type of finishing is that even wood with small defects can be used. Stained or twisted grain, knots, cracks, scratches are no longer a problem and can sometimes even be a quality.

Preparing wood for antiqued finishing

Before applying finishing materials the wood must be prepared. This involves making distinct marks on the wood to suggest age. They are made by knocking, scratching, drilling, shearing, chipping or brushing. The marks left by these actions, accentuated by subsequent finishing, age the object in a credible way.

Wood patination

Patinating is the most common method of antiquing and is done with finishing materials called patinas. Patina is a colouring material used to create certain effects including the passage of time over an object. It gives that look of old, slightly dirty, dark colour due to the passage of time, in short the patina of time. The effect is more intense when the patina is applied to the profiled areas.

The patinas come in a variety of colours and can be solvent-based or water-based. They can be applied with a spray gun, cloth or brush and removed by wiping or sanding. A similar effect is achieved using glazes. They can be applied directly to the wood or over the primer. Spray and then wipe off. There are also glazes that can be applied directly by wiping.

For a precious effect use metallic patinas, especially silver, gold or bronze. Their use does not exclude ageing patinas. Metallic patinas are generally applied by spraying, followed by sanding with steel wool. Objects that are entirely gold or silver (as in the case of rococo furniture for example) are not made with patinas but with metallic colours. The patina should not be excessive and should be sanded properly. Otherwise, the varnish will have adhesion problems.

Rustic-looking antique finish

The rustic look is achieved by usingoil or a waxes. They can be applied to any kind of wood and are very good on softwoods. Oiled floors have a very natural look. Both natural and synthetic waxes and oils are available. They can also be solvent-based or water-based.

Their main disadvantage is their low resistance to scratching and mechanical shocks. Oil has the advantage that it penetrates deep into the wood and protects it over time. It can also be used for exterior finishes. Wax finishes have a very natural rustic look and a pleasant silky sheen when polished.

Arte povera

Finishing poor art was born in Italy with the model of ordinary, simple furniture, free from the weight of excessive ornamentation. The wood used is poplar, lime, aniseed or resinous. The woods used to stain the wood are generally classic - walnut, mahogany, oak, cherry - and the varnishes transparent. The look of arte povera furniture is very pleasing, exuding warmth and simplicity.

Distressed or worn finish

Distressed is the most common way to age furniture. The effect is achieved by sanding the paint off the edges, corners or surface of the objects so that it reaches the wood or a layer of colour underneath. The greater the colour difference between the layers, the more obvious the effect. The technique of the effect can be found here. The method is used to obtain objects in the shabby chic.

Cracked, crazed or crackle finish

Cracked finish,also known as crackling or crackle (krakele),is obtained using special materials that are incompatible. The difference in colour between the two layers makes the effect even more interesting. It seems that over time the furniture has been painted and repainted in different colours and the layers have cracked due to age.

If the colour difference between the layers is small, the effect can be highlighted with the help of ageing patinas.

Effect walnut root (marbled) and brush effect

There are two other ways to get an antique effect on wood. Initially a layer of colour is applied to the wood, whatever effect we want to achieve. For marbled effect, the second coat of colour is applied with a sponge or a cotton or paper pad.

In the case of the brush effect the coat is applied with a brush. It can also be applied with a spray gun, after which brush strokes are made with a comb.

Painted finish

We have talked about this type of finish here. 

Protection of antique finish

To achieve an aged effect on furniture we can use one of the above methods or combine them. Finally, the effect is protected with a layer of transparent yellowing-resistant varnish. The gloss of the varnish is also very important and must be adapted to the object. aged. A low gloss is more suitable for simple antique furniture. But a precious object needs the shine of a higher gloss varnish.

There is a lot to say about antique finishing, but I have tried to stick to the basics. As it is a very broad subject, you will find many more other articles with this topic.