Homemade Wood Stain (Aging Wood Naturally)
This Homemade Wood Stain contains just three ingredients and creates the perfect aged wood look!
Whether you are looking for a way to stain wood using natural ingredients, or avoiding an extra trip to the hardware store you will find this homemade wood stain recipe so useful!
My favorite thing about this stain is that it mimics the look of barn wood. This is an easy, inexpensive way to provide yourself with aged wood that gives your project a rustic look of barn wood that blends with all interiors. This is a simple project that doesn’t take much time or money, and your kids can help with the application of tea and steel vinegar.
Ingredients for Homemade Wood Stain
- Two mason jars or containers
- Vinegar
- Black Tea
- 0000 Steel Wool
- Paint brush
- Rag
How do you make your own barn wood?
You can easily achieve this farmhouse look with a few simple steps. Begin by brewing up a strong glass of black tea and pour it into a mason jar, let it set 24 hours.
Next, Pinch off 4 or 5 small pieces of 0000 steel wool and place them in a separate mason jar. Pour 8 oz of white vinegar over the steel wool. Allow the mixture to sit at least 24 hours.
When ready to stain your wood brush a liberal amount of the black tea on the wood using your paint brush. Allow the wood time to dry well. After the wood has dried from the application of tea, apply a generous coat of white vinegar and steel wool mixture. I wiped each board down to lessen the scale of aging.
Lastly, give the boards time to dry to see the full impact of the stain. Repeat the process as many times as necessary to achieve your desired look.
Tips and Tricks to Age Wood Naturally
- This small amount of steel wool might require multiple coats to achieve the desired results. I find it always better to err on the side of caution and begin with a lighter stain than a darker stain.
- You will notice in the video after I apply the vinegar mixture I wipe the stain off, the longer you allow it to sit before wiping the deeper the color will be.
- If you wish to create a barn wood look and texture to your wood you can also rough it up before staining. Authentic barn wood has imperfections and you can create a similar look by sanding corners, or beating the wood up with a hammer.
Other DIY Projects
I used this process to stain the wood for my DIY Coffee Table Tray project. This is not only a useful thing to have around the house, but it makes a great gift idea! Some of my other DIY projects include:
Homemade Wood Stain (Aging Wood Naturally)
Equipment
- Paint brush
- Rag
Materials
- 2 Mason Jars or containers
- 8 ounces brewed Black Tea
- 8 ounces White Vinegar
- 4 or 5 small pieces 0000 Steel Wool
Instructions
- Begin by brewing up a strong glass of black tea and pour it into a mason jar, let it set 24 hours.
- Next, Pinch off 4 or 5 small pieces of 0000 steel wool and place them in a separate mason jar. Pour 8 oz of white vinegar over the steel wool. Allow the mixture to sit at least 24 hours.
- When ready to stain your wood, brush a liberal amount of the black tea on the wood using your paint brush. Allow the wood time to dry well. After the wood has dried from the application of tea, apply a generous coat of white vinegar and steel wool mixture. I wiped each board down to lessen the scale of aging.
- Lastly, give the boards time to dry to see the full impact of the stain. Repeat the process as many times as necessary to achieve your desired look.
Notes
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