How to Achieve the Weathered Wood Look

You can in fact achieve this refined rustic look on your own by distressing and staining new wood. This way you have the look as well as the added lifespan of new wood. Here are some tips from a great little blog called Young House Love on how to distress wood.

• Step 1: Buy new planks from a reputable dealer.

• Step 2: Distress the wood.  First, sand the four edges on the top of each board using a palm sander. Then, hit the wood with a bag of screws. You may want to hit some boards with a hammer as well to create marks and dents.  

 

• Step 4:  Drag the thread of a large screw across some of the planks.

• Step 5: Test boards with inexpensive paint brushes, layering two types of stain. The DIY bloggers of Young House Love chose Ebony and Dark Walnut from Home Depot.

• Step 6: Use your preferred perfect combination on all of the boards. Notice how the distressing shows up more after the stain has been applied. Don’t worry about inconsistencies in color and texture–they add to the authentic look!

• Step 7: Seal the wood with a non-glossy polyurethane or with Safecoat Acrylacq, an eco alternative. By using new wood, you know exactly what you are getting and it will last for generations!

Need lumber with a side of woodworking advice? Head over to the Schutte Lumber Company in Kansas City, Missouri. You can also browse our inventory of timbers, cedar, siding, engineered wood, domestic and exotic hardwoods on the Schutte Lumber website. Call us with your product or woodworking questions at 888-470-4181.

 

Top photo by Jaye Lee Interiors via Houzz
All other images via Young House Love