Weathered Wood Finish {World Market Knock-Off}

Tuesday, August 6, 2013




A weathered wood finish is very "in" right now. There are different variations of the same look going around right now, but one of my favorite is the weathered wood finish you see on several pieces from Cost Plus World Market. Below is a great example of how the finish looks on their "Clayton" coffee table.


World Market "Clayton" Coffee Table
I've spend some time playing around with stain and paint, and I think I've come up with a darn good, super cheap, knock-off. You can see it on my DIY Crate, which I recently posted a tutorial on. I particularly like this finish on rough-sawed or textured wood, but it will work on any unfinished wood. Keep in mind, different species of wood oxidize at different rates with different tones. 


To start, you need to make an oxidizing solution. Cut wood will oxidize and turn different colors, naturally (think wood fence pickets), but can take months or even years. An oxidizing solution creates the same process, but instantly. 

The ingredients you need are simple to find. You need a glass jar (I typically use an old pasta sauce jar), one or two clumps of fine steel wool, and distilled white vinegar.


Place the steel wool in the jar, fill with the vinegar, screw on the cap, and put the jar somewhere out of mind to do it's magic, periodically shaking the jar to mix the contents. The longer you let it sit, the more concentrated the solution becomes, the darker your oxidizing result will be. This jar of solution I used has probably been sitting on the shelf about 6 months! Pretty isn't is?



You don't have to let it sit nearly that long to get a good result, but I would suggest a minimum of 48 hrs. Keep in mind, the finer the steel wool, the quicker it will dissolve. So if you are in a rush, try using a finer steel wool. Also, if you are wanting a warmer colored finish, try throwing a few copper pennies in with your steel wool.

Application is easy. You can use either a bristle or foam brush. Simply brush the solution on the entire surface, making sure to saturate the wood. Be careful! The solution is very thin and easily makes a HUGE mess!



Wear gloves. This is what happens when you don't wear gloves. Beautiful, "Oompa Loompa orange" fingers and nails for a couple of days.



Once you have applied one coat of the oxidizing solution to the entire surface, allow to dry thoroughly. Once completely dry, you can move onto the next step. Mix up a wash from 50% warm, light grey paint and 50% water. (My wash was a bit more grey than the picture shows). You can use any kind of  water-based paint for this.



Then, you are going to use a "dry brush" technique. To do this, very lightly load a dry paint brush with the paint wash. Next, lightly drag the bristles across the surface of the wood, trying to catch only the raised grains. Less is more. You can always go back and apply more wash, but you can't remove it.



Work in small sections. After dry brushing the paint wash, immediately  blend with a rag.


Try to vary the amount of paint wash you apply. Naturally, all wood does not oxidize at the same rate, or in the same pattern. For a more realistic result, create darker and lighter areas. If you want a softer look, apply more pressure with the rag when you blend.




Seal with either wax, hemp oil, or a matte Poly, and here is the finished result.



I'm starting to look at my kitchen table top a little differently now...




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26 comments

  1. Yay! So glad to see this tutorial. I've been eyeing some discarded wood pallets in my alley that I might be able to do this on! Thank you!

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  2. Totally awesome! I am going to try it! And of course I am pinning! You go girl!

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  3. Nice Tutorial on the weathering technique Elisha, I love doing this type of finish! Pinned and Following G+

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  4. I love this. I want to learn how to make wood look weathered. It's so much more interesting to look at. Thanks for the tips. Linda

    Pinning

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  5. That is awesome! I love it. I am now searching my house for something to do this treatment on! I love your blog!!! xoxo Have a great weekend!

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  6. This is a great tutorial for a weathered wood look. It looks great on the crate. Thank you for sharing it at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a great weekend!

    Hugs,
    Deborah

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  7. I have been looking for how to do this type of finish for some time. Definitely will have to give it a go!! Looks so good!!
    Shawna

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  8. Great Tutorial!! Thanks for sharing on DIY Sunday Showcase!!

    Shelly @Minettesmaze

    p.s. Im pinning this one!

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  9. Great tutorial! I love using a natural stain! Stop by my Friday's Five Features and link up this post (and others)! http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/2013/08/fridays-five-features-no-3.html

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  10. Wonderful tutorial - always wondered how they got that look-so thanks for sharing.

    So, CELEBRATE! ♥ YOU'VE BEEN FEATURED! on the BeBetsy BRAG ABOUT IT No. 17. http://bebetsy.com.

    Grab a featured button here http://bit.ly/11S2wN1. Our next party starts at midnight tonight so find something cool to BRAG ABOUT and link it up.

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  11. You did such a great job! I'd love if you'd link up to The DIY'ers! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-diyers-and-weekend.html

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  12. That sounds easy enough! And I love the weathered wood look!

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  13. So cool! I need to try this some time. I'm featuring your great tutorial in this week's Power of Paint Party Spotlight. Thanks for linking up.

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  14. I love this!! Thanks for sharing, I'm a new follower from Power of Paint Party!

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  15. thanks so much for sharing this tutorial. LOVE your results!!

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  16. That is so cool! I never knew how that was done. Thanks so much for sharing at Throwback Thursday. Love the finished product and the informative tutorial.

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  17. very nice furniture blog thank you for sharing.....

    http://yankeewoodworker.com/

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  18. Thanks for sharing. You may really need to be careful while using the oxidizing solution to avoid a mess. Good read.

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  19. I just made this solution and it sounds like pressure is building up in the jar. Is that normal? :)

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    1. I'm having that same problem! My husband punched a few holes in the lid to avoid an explosion but it's been 30 hours and nothing seems to be happening. Is this norma?

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    2. Yes, that is normal. Just unscrew the lid periodically to relieve some pressure and shake it occasionally to help break up the steel wool. I find the best color comes after letting it sit at least 48 hours. Good luck!

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  20. My steel wool isn't rusting at all. :\ It's just disintegrating and it's been several days. I haven't had issues with pressure building up though.

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    Replies
    1. Same here. It's been 48 hours and absolutely nothing is happening.

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  21. The next step that you have to do is to use soft non-alkalinity suds to get rid of the old wax, otherwise it is easy to jam the wood pore.
    1/4" plywood

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  22. What type of wood did you start with? A rough sawn something? Species? Do you know of a good source?

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