Want an old-world style table without waiting 50 years? I have a technique that transforms your brand new wood into wood that looks centuries old! The table that I’m making sells for $2k at Anthropologie. We are making it for under $100. It’s so cool…you can literally put on one coat of the solution and just watch it transform over a few hours into wood that looks 50 years old!

An-TEA-que Stain

You Will Need:

• Steel wool (fine grade)
• Balsamic vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Fresh/clean wood surface (this works best with natural un-stained wood, but if you had a project that you wanted to use this method on, you would need to sand down the wood to it’s bare material.)
• 10 black tea bags

How To:

1. Three (3) days before you start your project, you will want to make your solution. In a large mason jar, take some steel wool and tear into pieces, then fill the jar with balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar (I used half of each). Screw the lid onto the mason jar. Let your mixture sit for at least 3 days.  (If you have more time, you can just pop a whole piece of steel wool into your solution – it will have the same effect. Separating the wool into tiny pieces merely speeds up the degradation process.) Many people use white vinegar, but since I wanted to assure a darker finish, I used Balsamic vinegar (it also smells better). Here are the breakdowns of what different vinegar will do to wood:

• Balsamic vinegar gives a darker colored finish with a brownish-green hue
• Apple cider vinegar gives a slate grey finish
• White vinegar gives a lighter finish

2. Boil water and add several strong black tea and let steep for at least an hour.  I used 10 tea bags and let them steep for a few days.

Why use tea?

Many types of wood have a high tannin concentration, but pine (which is typically the easiest and cheapest) has a really low tannin concentration. I am using pine for this project. We can increase the tannin levels in the wood by adding tea. Tea contains tannins and when applied to the wood, the wood absorbs the tannins. This will aid in the reaction to the vinegar solution.

Tannins

Tannins are dark pigments that give red wine, cedar wood, and tea their characteristic reddish to brown colors. It is a substance that gives pigment to organic substances.

Why this vinegar solution with steel wool?

The wool and the vinegar combined make an acidic mixture that will give the wood a weathered look. When this mixture is added to the wood, it creates a chemical reaction with the tannins. Different types of wood have different levels of tannins.

This technique is awesome! And I didn’t have to wait 50 years for that old world look!

You can do this technique to any wood surface…a dining table, a coffee table, an armoire, a desk, etc….you just need to sand down your wood surface so that it able to absorb the solution. In case you would like to make the table from scratch like I did…then follow the directions below.

Dining Table

If you would like a hard copy of the instructions, grab this PDF: [wpdm_package id=’2653′]

You Will Need:

LUMBER:

NOTE: IT IS EASIER TO TRANSPORT 8FT LUMBER IF YOU ARE CUTTING AT HOME, SO I HAVE PROVIDED OPTIONS FOR BOTH 8FT FOR EASY TRANSPORT AND 10FT/12FT FOR THOSE WHO CAN TRANSPORT LARGER PIECES, OR ARE HAVING THE LUMBER CUT AT THE HARDWARE STORE. PURCHASING LONGER PIECES WILL SAVE MONEY.

OTHER:

(1) One box of 2 ½” Wood Screws

Wood Glue (Optional)

Kreg Jig (Optional)

How To:

1. Cut all your wood to size and label them according to FIGURE 1 below.
2. Assemble your base starting with E on top of F.  Hold these pieces together while you pre-drill three entry points.  You can secure even stronger by using wood glue.  Using 2 ½” wood screws to attach these pieces together.
3. Mark on your wood where you put the three screws so that you do not overlap the screws on the next step.
4. Take D and place on top of your E and F pieces.  You can glue D into place.  Pre-drill in three places.  Use 2 ½” screws to screw into place.  Repeat this step three more times for each of the bases.
5. Use a Kreg jig (optional) to pre-drill holes in all of the following pieces: 8 C’s, 2 B’s, 2 H’s and in the A’s according to the diagram.
6. Assemble the D’s to each of the bases.
7. Attach the C’s to the bases.
8. Attach the top bases to the bottom bases.
9. Attach the H’s to connect the bases to each other.
10. For the top of the table, you will need to lay out the 4 planks on a flat surface next to each other.  Mark each piece A1, A2, A3 and A4.
11. Use the Kreg jig to cut holes that will join the boards together, leaving none on the outside of the table.
12. Use 2 ½” screws to attach all of the boards together.
13. On the bottom of the two table bases, add your 4 G’s that will act as your feet.  You can screw these in or use a nail gun to secure them into place.
14. Turn the entire structure upside down and screw in the bases to the table.

Missed the episode? Check it out on Home & Family! You can also check out more fun “How To” projects on my Paige Hemmis Pinterest Page.

XOXO,

Paige

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