Distressing or antiquing a pine table?

I am building a pine table and matching bench out of 2 inch thick pine it is going in a very old home an the owners want the table to look old, any ideas on how to distress or antique the pine

Distressing or antiquing a pine table?
Had to "fake" the old look for antique stores when I had my shop.


Not that much work...just different.


Bashing the wood with chains %26amp; keys etc will make it look like It has been bashed w/ chains %26amp; keys.


The idea is to make it look old .not "antiqued".


Best to do the complete assembly %26amp; " wear " the surfaces , corners %26amp; edges that would normally be subject to use.


I would rub the sharp edges off with a rough piece of wood


rather than sand them off .


Same goes for lower parts that would have been kicked %26amp; scraped .


I did sometimes put some dirt on the top surfaces %26amp; then bash w/ a chunk of wood %26amp; put some knife cuts %26amp; holes w/ an awl. where they might be expected to be.


I would hand plane the boards just a little to break the factory edges as well as putting some tool marks in the board surfaces by misaligning the iron on a block plane.


Before finishing, just plain mess it up making lunch on it.


Spill coffee, tea, mayonnaise, pizza , bleach or whatever %26amp; let it dry on then take it down w/ a cabinet scraper.


Almost never used sandpaper, just cabinet scrapers, bronze wool %26amp; wood shavings to burnish the wood .


A coat of dark tinted shellac will fill in the seams , gouges %26amp; dings %26amp; make them show up .


Remove the shellac %26amp; then stain %26amp; finish .


Not a fan of oil stains like Minwax ,but in a pinch?


See how you do with the tea %26amp; coffee first %26amp; maybe a water or alcohol soluble powdered stain which can be feathered easily %26amp; brought up to final color in stages.


Also not a fan of polyurethanes ,but the water based stuff will protect %26amp; not look like plastic.


If it won't bring the cops, the shotgun treatment mentioned sounds like fun.


Old trade secrets for free....been out of it a long time , yours now.


Best regards
Reply:You should be able to find tips by doing an internet search. In general, distressing basically means adding dings to an item so typical techniques include whacking it with anything that will leave small impressions. That could be various tools or I've even seen someone use a good sized piece of chain. I'm assuming that you are planning to use stain instead of paint, so look for a shade that fits with the general decor. If it is supposed to be basically natural, then you probably want to find something that will give it a yellowed look (like aged lacquer). Another good resource might be to check with some antique restorers in your area for their tips and techniques. Good luck.
Reply:Set the boards up about 50 yards away, about a 45 degree angel from you, and shoot it with a shotgun with #9 pellets.


Try it with a piece of scrap as you may have to move it closer or further away to get the desired effect.


Don't laugh, as this has been done for years by different furniture makers to simulate antique wood.


Make sure the boards are at such an angle so the pellets do not go into the wood but rather across. Give the impression of "worm wood".
Reply:My dad use to do this with the furnature he built %26amp; he learned it from the old cabinet builder he worked for. Tie screws, nuts, %26amp; washers of different sizes together with string. Space them out a little. Start out dropping them on the table top from howerer high you can reach above it. Check out the damage before you decide to start hitting it. Be sure to space the dents out so it isn't all in one spot. When you are satisfied with how it looks, stain your table, the dents will hold more than the smooth surface, then varnish with Varithane or some other varnish.
Reply:what's really cool is staining an old floor or table Maroon when there are old grey water stains in it.....they turn black and look awesome and obviously really old. So find a way to make old water stains and you'll add something no one else does.
Reply:I would personally turn the table over and rub it through a pile of rocks or gravel. Just rub it back and forth a few time, right on the top. Remember that pine is a pretty soft wood and a little should go a long way.





You can also use paints or stains to make it look older than it is by applying a first layer of paint that is darker, then applying a lighter color of paint and wiping it off with a wet sponge...it will look older and like it has aged.





or apply paint then apply stain over the paint and again wipe it off so that it looks aged.
Reply:Distressing can be done by hitting the wood with a chain, hammers of different types and sizes. You have to use your imagination on this.

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