What are wood-aging skids

One of my passions related to wood is its artificial ageing using finishing materials and techniques for the preparation of white wood. But I guess this is no longer a surprise to anyone. Wood ages most easily using ageing skids. But what are these skids? What is their nature and how can they be used for the most credible look?

Aging patinas are staining solutions that reproduce the effects of the passage of time on furniture or other wooden objects. Normally, with the passage of time, impurities are deposited on the surface of the finish and the colour of the varnish darkens slightly, yellowing due to UV radiation. If you compare old furniture with new furniture, you can see scratches, dents, places where dust and dirt tend to settle. The colour of the old furniture is no longer bright, vivid. It becomes duller, and that too because of dirt and UV radiation.

When you want to obtain an object from antiqued wood ageing skids are used. It is recommended to apply them over grund. If applied directly to the wood there is a risk that they will penetrate deep into the wood and cannot be removed, thus altering the effect.

Unlike berries, not all of the applied quantity remains on the object. After application polishes or it is wiped away, mostly removing itself. There is a technique for removing the excess. The patina should remain in the dents, scratches and marks made to the blank preparation. If the wood has pores, the patina will mark it, it will get into the pores. It should also remain on the whole surface but in very small amounts, so as to suggest dirt deposited over time.

The skids can be solvent-based or water-based. They can be applied with a brush, sponge or spray gun and the excess is removed by sanding with sandpaper or steel wool or wipe with a cloth. Sometimes a very small amount of patina needs to be applied. In this case the use of special guns is recommended. Always apply a coat of varnish over the patina to protect the effect.

The skids are available in various colours: dark walnut, reddish walnut, white, grey, green, blue, red, orange, gold, silver, bronze, etc. It is important that these colours give the furniture a natural and believable look. Also, the patina colour should be in harmony with the rest of the finish, nothing should look forced, exaggerated.

You can use multiple colours on the same object. It is easiest to remove when each patina is applied on top of another coat of primer (the patinas are separated by coats of primer). The method also gives depth, the effect being successive layers of dirt deposited over time. However, they can also be applied to the same coat of primer, but the effect is slightly different.

To use the ageing skids as correctly as possible and to obtain the most natural products requires experience or a specific talent. It is quite difficult to get credible items the first time. It is best learned by "stealing" the application, wiping and sanding technique from someone with experience.

Aging skates produce a very strong visual effect. Using them correctly on a well-chosen piece of furniture can turn back the clock decades, even hundreds of years.