How to Antique Painted Wood

Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
Today I will be showing you a SUPER EASY process of how to antique painted wood.
{Pic courtesy of Jacquilyn Avery Photography}
SUPPLIES:

-Rustoleum -colored spray paint, Gloss clear spray paint
-Rough cut lumber
-low grit sand paper
-acrylic paint
-rags, brushes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pick out your wood. The secret here is to buy the roughest wood you can find. We found some great rough cut lumber at Home Depot.
Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
2. Using the Rustoleum spray paint (or any other color paint) paint the wood the desired color.
 
3. After the paint has dried, seal it with a Polyurethane or clear coat. We like to use Rustoleum’s clear gloss paint, because it does not yellow and is much cheaper than polyurethane. Whatever you use, it needs to be a high gloss. This seals the paint from soaking up the aging paint that you will be applying in the upcoming steps. If you use a satin or matte, it may pick up the aging coat.
 
Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
4. Generously sand the entire board. Concentrate on the high spots as well as all the edges and corners. You want to take a way a lot. The more you take, the older it looks. A low grit sand paper (nothing higher than 60 grit) keeps it looking raw. We used 24 grit and a belt sander, which worked nicely.
 
Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
 
5. Once you have removed the paint where you want, it is time to apply the aging coat. For ours we wanted a grayish brown aged color. We mixed black, brown and off-white acrylic paint together (with much more black than the other colors) We then diluted it with water until it looked like blackish water. It will take some trial and error to find the exact concentration that you want. The more concentrated, the darker the the aging coat will be. I had a scrap piece of wood that I tested mine on. Just remember that as it dries, the color will lighten, so it may seem a little dark at first.
Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
 
6. Quickly apply the mixture with a brush to all the sanded areas. As soon as it is applied, wipe off the paint with a rag. The longer you let the mixture stay on the wood, the darker it will stain it. I did half a board at a time, so as to not let the mixture set too long. We did ours on pine wood. A harder wood like oak or poplar might need to set a little longer. This dyes the raw wood with a gray-brown color and puts a slight darker shade over the painted areas. 
 
 Going for a vintage look? Great tutorial on how to antique painted wood on { lilluna.com }
Doing this easy process will allow you to get that perfect antiqued look without having to use or find the antique wood itself.
For more great DIY projects be sure to check out:
How to paint your piano - it's easier than you think! Tutorial on { lilluna.com }
Beautiful Planked Fireplace Tutorial { lilluna.com } Such a great way to dress up your fireplace!!
DIY How To work with Metal Coating on { lilluna.com } Such a great look!!

For all DIY projects go HERE.

ENJOY!

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Kristyn Merkley

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Comments:

  1. So darling! Great Job! Love the new blog design! Way cute!:)xoxo,Ashley J @ mommybydaycrafterbynight.blogspot.com

  2. visiting from ginger snaps–ok, easily the very BEST, most WONDERFUL lemonade stand i have ever seen…i mean who wouldn't stop to buy lemonade from kiddos sitting at this???:) i love it! the tutorial on the wood is fantastic as well. thank you…newest follower!

  3. So cute!! Would it look weird if a 27 year old sold lemonade in front of her house? 🙂 ~Cookin' Cowgirl

  4. Great post I love the look of antique wood and have needed to get some know how on the process!!!! Love the stand! I want to make one!

  5. I saw this on Night Owl Crafting and just wanted to say I LOVE it!! This could not be cuter!! 🙂

  6. Hi Krisyn! I love the new layout of your blog! And I love this project. I just pinned it and have been seeing it everywhere!I know its a lot to ask of the "big bloggers" but I was just wondering if…..you'd link this up at my Link Party, Once Upon a Weekend on my blog Family Ever After. It's a new party, and I'm trying to get my name out there!Here’s the link if you’re interested:www.familyeverafter.blogspot.comAlso, I would love to be included on your list of Friday parties, if you have time. Thanks a ton! Have an awesome day!!!

  7. Amazing! I think hubby will have to make one of those as a Christmas present for our youngest. Just darling!

  8. My hubby and I made the stand this morning for a charity garage sale my mom puts on. I had the kiddos help me run a lemonade + bake sale and it was a super hit with your stand idea! Thanks so much for posting it!

  9. Thank you SO much for this tutorial! I was wondering—did you have the lumber cut to size or did it already come that way? Thank you so much!

  10. Thank you for the tutorial and pictures. I needed the visual as well as directions. Good job and the lemonade stand turned out great!

  11. thank you for this. i was searching and searching for a lemonade stand made out of pallets cuz i wanted this look! i was wondering how much did the whole project cost? im still leaning on the pallet wood as trying to do this cheapest as possible. my city has lemonade day once a year. having a hard time putting tons of money into something she can only use once a year and she is 6 now. so that makes the stand being used only 5 times tops. but i love the look! thank you again

    1. We did not use pallets and buying everything it cost about $100. I think using the pallet wood would make it a ton cheaper! Good luck!

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