# Distressing Pine



## WoodWorker11 (May 17, 2010)

Hi LJ's,
My wife asked me to try to make her a coffee table like the one linked here. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to distress the pine (I realize I could just use distressed wood, but I don't have any)?


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## WoodWorker11 (May 17, 2010)

I can't believe how much they charge for that table. Looks like a pretty easy build.


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## CampD (Nov 8, 2008)

"Reclaimed wood" is the buzz word for the cost of that piece. Going after the Green market. Yeah your right looks like an fairly easy piece to make.


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

Setting it out in the weather, diluted muriatic acid, tea staining, bashing it with some chain, stabbing it with an awl, etc. are all methods I've seen woodworkers use to distress wood. Luckily, pine is pretty soft and inexpensive, so you should be able to work up some test finishes easily. Good luck


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

pine is easy to distress! setting it outside works pretty well. I also regularly use fire for distressing. Works great with a really light touch (I use one of those long lighters meant for grills)

I've also had good luck making a mud mix, slathering it on and then hosing it off.

It also really helps if you can pick kind of beat up looking pieces to begin with.


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

For me distressed furniture is something I don't do myself as I like it to occur naturally. If your going to distress a table like the picture try to make it look like natural use. Such as edges rubbed bare, or where the edge of a glass was slammed down on the top. Maybe some burn marks from a cigar or cigarette. Teeth marks from a teething toddler along the edge. Scratch marks on the legs from the cat. These can be done with a variety of different items. Try using different things on some scrap to get the feel for the type of distress implied.


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## ocwoodworker (Mar 5, 2010)

CaptinSkully has some good ideas. I actually have tried sandblasting the wood. It removes some of the softwood and leaves the hard wood with a higher profile. Looks old to me!


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## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

Built a new one and send it to me. My kids will make it look really old within a week 
All kidding aside the comments already mentioned will work well. Use a small drill bit and make some worm holes too.


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## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

Oh, another thing. If you have a jointer get an old set of blades and but a bunch of gouges in them. That should get you close to the look of the draw fronts.


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## jspelbring (Oct 3, 2006)

Tell it that it's a weak wood.
Make fun of its grain.

<sorry>

I've had good luck with smacking the wood with a burlap bag full of nuts and bolts.

-


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## johnycartz (May 19, 2010)

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 & keys etc will make it look like It has been bashed w/ chains & keys.
The idea is to make it look old .not "antiqued".
Best to do the complete assembly & " wear " the surfaces , corners & 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 & scraped .
I did sometimes put some dirt on the top surfaces & then bash w/ a chunk of wood & put some knife cuts & 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 & let it dry on then take it down w/ a cabinet scraper.
Almost never used sandpaper, just cabinet scrapers, bronze wool & wood shavings to burnish the wood .
A coat of dark tinted shellac will fill in the seams , gouges & dings & make them show up .
Remove the shellac & then stain & finish .
Not a fan of oil stains like Minwax ,but in a pinch?
See how you do with the tea & coffee first & maybe a water or alcohol soluble powdered stain which can be feathered easily & brought up to final color in stages.
Also not a fan of polyurethanes ,but the water based stuff will protect & 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…
ever brite smile


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## WoodWorker11 (May 17, 2010)

Thanks all for the advice. I am leaving the wood outside for a bit then I will start testing on some of the scrap I left out with it. Great advice!


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