Textures, Graining and Distressing
One of the most notorious techniques of the antiquer or faker is 'distressing', which basically involves abusing new furniture to give it the dents, scratches and worn look of age.
You can beat furniture with hammers and chains, drill tiny insect holes, burn it with cigarette ends, rub ash and cinders into it, scratch it, bake it, or -perhaps simplest of all - leave it outside for a week or two.
Make sure all the joints are sound before you begin the finishing work.
In all these and the other decorative techniques, do not overdo it.
Pine is particularly suited to texturing effects, be¬cause of the marked difference between its soft spring growth and the harder, darker summer wood.
True 'pickling' uses a lethal caustic mixture which is allowed to eat into the wood, then hosed off - this is not for the beginner! Easier, less dangerous, pickle pine finishes include proprietary weathered pine stains; grey flat paint brushed on and wiped off, leaving a deposit in the pores, then sealed with shellac or varnish and waxed; wiped silvery grey or green glazes on brown or grey thin base coats; oxalic acid or two-part bleaches, neutralized, sanded, sealed with a thin coat of shellac, lightly stained and finished with tinted varnish or shellac.
A solution of 1 part sulphuric acid to 3 parts water, applied to wet new pine, will give the orangey-brown colour of older pine.
Neutralize with ammonia.
Straightforward brushing with a hard wire brush will remove soft wood and emphasize the harder grain pattern, more in pine than any other timber; sandblasting is even more effective, but obviously only for the professionally equipped.
A modern version of the 'sugi' technique from Japan can be achieved by using a blowtorch before the wire brush - carefully wipe the flame over the surface then brush the charred timber out.
Experiment first; have a bucket of water and a damp cloth ready and remember that heat builds up in wood, which could start to smoulder after you have moved on to another area.
Strip off old finishes first! Grain pattern can also be faked with glazes and a comb.
The base coat of flat paint should be lighter, the glaze coat darker; do have a piece of the wood or a photograph for reference.
Combs can be made from board or tin, the teeth cut to the size you want; you can buy rubber graining combs, or cut lumps out of old brushes.
You can beat furniture with hammers and chains, drill tiny insect holes, burn it with cigarette ends, rub ash and cinders into it, scratch it, bake it, or -perhaps simplest of all - leave it outside for a week or two.
Make sure all the joints are sound before you begin the finishing work.
In all these and the other decorative techniques, do not overdo it.
Pine is particularly suited to texturing effects, be¬cause of the marked difference between its soft spring growth and the harder, darker summer wood.
True 'pickling' uses a lethal caustic mixture which is allowed to eat into the wood, then hosed off - this is not for the beginner! Easier, less dangerous, pickle pine finishes include proprietary weathered pine stains; grey flat paint brushed on and wiped off, leaving a deposit in the pores, then sealed with shellac or varnish and waxed; wiped silvery grey or green glazes on brown or grey thin base coats; oxalic acid or two-part bleaches, neutralized, sanded, sealed with a thin coat of shellac, lightly stained and finished with tinted varnish or shellac.
A solution of 1 part sulphuric acid to 3 parts water, applied to wet new pine, will give the orangey-brown colour of older pine.
Neutralize with ammonia.
Straightforward brushing with a hard wire brush will remove soft wood and emphasize the harder grain pattern, more in pine than any other timber; sandblasting is even more effective, but obviously only for the professionally equipped.
A modern version of the 'sugi' technique from Japan can be achieved by using a blowtorch before the wire brush - carefully wipe the flame over the surface then brush the charred timber out.
Experiment first; have a bucket of water and a damp cloth ready and remember that heat builds up in wood, which could start to smoulder after you have moved on to another area.
Strip off old finishes first! Grain pattern can also be faked with glazes and a comb.
The base coat of flat paint should be lighter, the glaze coat darker; do have a piece of the wood or a photograph for reference.
Combs can be made from board or tin, the teeth cut to the size you want; you can buy rubber graining combs, or cut lumps out of old brushes.
