Farmhouse bedrooms are all the rage these days. These bedrooms have a lush, modern vibe that binds the place together and gives an aesthetic whirl to the interior of the house.
More often than not, people prefer to go for a rustic look as it adds authenticity to the place and makes it stand out. If you are one of them, you know it is not an easy task to achieve the perfect weathered wood stain.
Most solutions available in the market are chemical-ridden. They are less likely to stain the wood, the look of which ultimately looks fake.
Therefore, we have come up with a homemade solution that can come in handy for you. In this article, we will learn how to stain the wood on your own without using any chemicals.
Homemade Weathered Wood Stain
Preparing the weathered wood stain at home can be extremely easy. The key ingredients are vinegar and steel wool, which help stain the surface of the wood and give it a nice barn wood look.
Another benefit is you can finish the job without the need for toxic chemicals.
All the products available in the market have tons of chemicals and toxins involved that can be hazardous for human health. In addition to that, they can ruin the texture of the wood and taint its surface forever.
Some products might be able to get a weathered wood stain; however, the results are not satisfying enough, giving a fake, forged look to the piece of wood.
Therefore, you should prepare a homemade weathered wood stain, which is highly effective and guaranteed to produce excellent results.
Supplies Needed for Weathered Wood Stain
- Wood
- Paintbrush
- Vinegar
- Steel wool
- Gloves
- Mason jar
How to Make Weathered Wood Stain
The following are some easy steps involved in the making of weathered wood stain:
- Get a pint-sized mason jar and put a pad of steel wool inside it.
- Fill the jar with distilled white vinegar. Make sure to soak the entire piece of steel wool with vinegar.
- Vinegar and steel wool will start reacting inside the jar. Therefore, you should close the lid and let it sit for a while. Be mindful to loosen the lid of the jar. A tight grip might disrupt the reaction.
- The best practice is to leave the jar unattended for a day. Check it after 15 hours to see the progress. Note that the longer you let it soak, the darker the stain will be. Therefore, it is up to you. If you want to have a lighter tone of stain on the piece of wood, waiting for 15 hours might suffice. However, if you want a darker stain, let it sit for at least 24 hours before using.
- You can prepare the weathered wood stain before going to bed and use it the next day. This way, it will be easier for you to wait. Moreover, you will have the entire day to stain your wood and attain a barn wood look.
- Once the solution is ready to work its magic on the piece of wood, remove the steel wool pad from inside the Mason jar. Make sure to keep the vinegar inside the jar. Don’t spill it in the process.
- Removing the steel wood pad does not mean you will discard it immediately. Keep it somewhere safe until you have checked the color of the stain.
- Take a piece of wood for a trial run and see if the stain is dark enough as per your liking. If so, then you don’t need the steel wool pad. If not, you can soak it in vinegar for some time until you are satisfied with the stain.
- Once you get the get desired results, it is now time to paint the surface of the wood to get the perfect weathered wood stain you wanted.
- Take a paintbrush and dip it into the stain.
- Paint the surface of the wood in one direction to achieve an even look.
- At first, you might think that the stain hasn’t grabbed on well. Give it some time to react to the wood.
- After waiting for 15 to 20 minutes, the stain will settle down, giving the piece of wood a dark, weathered look.
- If you feel like one coat is not enough, paint the surface again, and again if need be. A couple of coats should suffice. However, it is your call!
- The weathered wood stain is ready.
- Instead of disposing of the stain, you can preserve it in a separate jar for later use.
Additional Tips
Distilled white vinegar is not the only ingredient that can help attain a weathered wood stain. You can also use red cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar with a couple of metals to attain the perfect stain.
This way, you will have an amalgamation of different colors, each of which will be different than the other. You can choose any color of your choice and mix and match accordingly. The choice is yours!
Final Word
The interior of the house says a lot about its owner. It depicts the taste and personality of the owner of the house in a way that nothing else can.
Therefore, you should always be mindful of the furniture you are getting, the color of the walls, and the theme of it all.
Renovating your home does not occur every day. Once you have decorated your home, it will be long before you plan to do it again. It is essentially important to keep every aspect, every little detail in mind before pursuing to make a change.
Weathered wood stain is the way to go if you are an ardent fan of a rustic approach. By using the ideas mentioned above, you can make a weathered wood stain and get a barn wood finish within no time.
Looking for more DIY wood ideas? Check out this post on how to refinish your wood floor without sanding.
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