# How to "age" pressure treated lumber?



## namrufmot (Jan 10, 2016)

Making an antique wheelbarrow out of pressure treated…I'd love it if I could make it look antique and weathered…like it has been sitting outside the barn for years.

Is there an effective way to do this to pt lumber?


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## dyfhid (Jun 4, 2015)

The only thing I can think of is a light sandblasting. Other than that, leave it sitting outside the barn for years?


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## conifur (Apr 1, 2015)

Or a stiff metal brush and out in the weather, basically the wrong choice of wood, I would have used white oak and could have your look with theses treatments and in the weather in 4-6 months depending where you live.


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## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

unsure if works on pressure treated (or pro's / con's of such), but take a search on youtube about the Japanese way of burning wood to give the old antique look.


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

Baking soda and vinegar solution.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Any method you use- blasting, brushing or burning will give off dust that contains the treating chemicals. I personally would make a choice of a different wood.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

Minwax stain #271 Classic Gray will give a grayish/aged look to pine ,Douglas fir .


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## Timberwolf323 (Feb 3, 2016)

Steel wool and vinegar solution will darken the tannin. in the pine. You can apply a solution of black tea beforehand to increase the tannins in the wood. This would best be done when PT moisture content is 12 percent or less.

This combined with the stiff metal brush/ beating your wood with random objects will weather it nicely.


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## XrayJay (Dec 24, 2012)

For what it's worth I tried to gray some pressure treated boards for a fence repair. I do not know if I should have left the solution to activate longer ( I left it the wool and vinegar overnight) but the prs. trt. boards would not gray for me. Of coarse for the cost of steel wool and vinegar you can test it. I ended up thinning some darker Minwax stain I had and appling that. It worked ok but not perfect. The Minwax #271 may be the ticket. Good luck.


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## alittleoff (Nov 27, 2014)

Knock all the edges off the new wood will help make it look older. Use the minwax stain or you can try the steel wool and vinegar. Let the mixture set over night before using it. I've tried it a few times, sometimes it works and sometimes it dosent. I put it on oak one time and it turned dark black. On pine it's usually gray. Test it be for on some scrap. It takes 3 or maybe 4 coats of it but sometimes it works great.
Gerald


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