# Aging Wood to a Silver Gray?



## DarkWolf

I'm looking for that nice silver gray like poplar gets when weathered, applied on pine T1-11 plywood. I'd like a no fuss stain that I don't have to re-apply every so many years and can just seal it from time to time.

What methods do you all think would look best?

I'm trying vinegar and steel wool with a splash of muratic acid added in to see how that works out. Any other household chem methods to accelerate aging?

This is what I want to duplicate.










And this is what I want it duplicated on..










So what do you think I'd be best doing? The cheaper, the better.. It is just a chicken coop after all.


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## a1Jim

Hey Scott
I suggest grey solid body stain matched to you fence


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## LesB

I use Olympic's water base Latex stain in the solid color for my out building, including the chicken coop.
I'm not sure they have the grey color you are looking for but it goes on easy (with no primer) and I have never had it peel or check. It needs to be re-coated about every 5 years. I just power wash the dirt off the wood and then spray it on with an airless paint sprayer. It couldn't be easier. New wood may take two coats.


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## Jojo

There is a natural way if you are willing to try and experiment a little.

A few years back I had to rebuild a complete deck and porch in a 170 year old log cabin in Washington state with a very limited budget and some other limitations. I was faced with exactly the same problem and I boldly decided to see what would happen when staining the wood with the material that looked the most similar to the cabin's aged wood: ashes!

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To my own surprise, it was perfect.

I used the domestic trash that was already being burnt in place and mixed it with some water, thus making a muddy paste that I applied by hand and then let it dry. Once thoroughly dry, I brushed it off and applied some clear (mate) protection I can't remember now. I have to tell you, even I wouldn't believe it, it looked exactly the same as the cabin and was protected by the clear coat.

To this date, I never had any complaint about the wood getting spoiled by the finish.

Obviously, this is not something I'd try on any project but, for that specific application it was perfect. One thing to note though is that the color gets way lighter when it dries. It's just a matter of trial and error.

Now, if you try this and screw things up, don't call me! )


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## DarkWolf

Jojo, interesting idea there… I may give that a try.. And I may give it a try mixed in with the steel wool solution..

The solid body stain [which is basically just watered down paint] is an idea, but I still prefer something that actually ages the wood so that reapplication is not needed and it looks more true.

At any rate, I need to finish the coop this weekend as my rooster [who stays inside at night along with the others] is getting his voice.. Sounds like a blasted turkey though… Gobble gobble gobble.


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## oldworld124

Try using baking soda. I have used it for many years to age fences. Mix it with water in a fairly concentrated solution and just spray it on. Try it on a sample. It will get the graying process started quickly. Differnet woods react slower than others.


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## DarkWolf

Thanks for the tip, John..


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## SCOTSMAN

can't you just wait on nature taking it's course nothing will beat the effect.If you like the grey stuff personally I do everything to avoid it ,just my choice I like things to stay new.I am a little odd that way LOL Alistair


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## damianpenney

I wonder if that OxyClean stuff would do it, I mean the two components to aging are oxidation which the oxy-clean (or potassium dichromate) would take care of and UV exposure, so a sunlamp and a bottle of oxyclean and you should be set to go (and then some ashes for the dirt component for good measure!)


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## DarkWolf

Alistair, not sure how well the T1-11 will hold up. It's just the 1/4" ply kind.. Nothing special.. If it was seriously good sheeting I wouldn't worry so much. Just want to make sure it lasts while looking the way I want it to.

RE: OxyClean… I have noooooooooooooooo clue… Thought it just "cleaned"... If I had some on me, I'd try it to see how it works, but sadly I do not.


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## DarkWolf

Well.. I tried the vinegar and steel wool with the light splash of muratic acid thrown in.. No joy there.. Though it was a lovely brown, for sure. Will watch and see how it ages.

I've got a few other methods to try once I get back into town from my trip. If anyone else has any ideas, would love to hear it.

Up next: 1) White Vinegar alone.. 2) Apple Cider Vinegar alone.. 3) White Vinegar + Ashes.. 4) A rusted nail + Vinegar..

Mo clue what will happen… Think I'll grab a few scraps of poplar to try it on that as well, just to see if it matches what happens to the T1-11.


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## DMIHOMECENTER

Scott,

A1Jim gave you some very good advise. We had to do this recently (match new to old) and had good results with a color matched pigmented stain. Sherwin Williams for this job.

A pic of our work that is very close to your color goal. This was prior to final coat on door and perimeter.









DG


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## verdesardog

The reason I would recomend stain is as you statet the walls are only1/4 ply, why deteriorate it sooner than needed. Stain it which will provide some protection from UV,,,,,


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## peteg

For ordinary timber boards I would use (have used) Oxalic acid, it willturn your nem timber to look old & weathered, it is also good for rejuvinating bare "dirty" timber thats maybe gone a bit blackish or splotchy.
I got some years ago from a local Pharmacisit in powder form na dmixed 10 to one with water (by weight)
Not sure about ply though? 
Another quick way is to do a slurry mix of swimming pool Chlorine, brush in well with an old floor broom, wet it occasionally with a spray (say acouple of times 15 mins apart then hose off, the Chlorine basically bleaches the timber & leaves it greyish


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## Nelly

Hi -

I found this post while looking for help on treating pine to make it look silvered. I have a room full of knotty pine T&G that was wearing a high gloss from the 40's. I wasn't feeling the love for the brown orange either, so I took my random orbital and sanded it all down. I did a test section with a oil stain from a well respected local store but it wasn't really the look I wanted. I gave the baking soda treatment a try and voila! It's perfect.

QUESTION: Can I put a topcoat on for protection? I don't want any sheen and I don't want the pine to yellow either. Is there something I can apply that would work over the baking soda?

Thanks so much.

Nelly


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## woodworkersguide

I recently used the "Lifetime Wood Treatment" product from Valhalco and in addition to claiming to be "an eco-friendly, non-toxic wood treatment that lasts a lifetime" it also turns the wood silver.

From their literature:

"LifeTime Wood Treatment is made up of naturally occurring plant and mineral substances, combined in a special, 60 year old recipe handed down through generations of a family of craftsmen."

"LifeTime Wood Treatment gives wood an attractive silver patina with variations depending on the type of wood."

"If a new piece of wood is treated and installed along side older treated wood (ie. fence board/panel) the new wood will soon blend perfectly with the old."

The garden boxes that I treated a couple of weeks ago have already turned a light grey and continue to change color.

So far I'm impressed with the product; no odor, easily applied, etc. Guess you'll have to wait 25 years before I can give you an update on it's preservation qualities.  However, I do see that Parks Canada uses it.

Anyway, to find out more and where you can get it check out http://www.valhalco.com/

btw, I'm not associated with the company in anyway. Just a happy customer.


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## SnowyRiver

I would use bleaching oil. Cabot makes it and it will cause the wood to get a weathered look. It also has some gray pigment in it. My neighbor used it on his house and it looks 200 years old.


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## Nelly

Thanks for the tips. The baking soda is giving me the look I want. I get all the variations of old wood color. I want to keep the color as is and put a top coat on for protection without changing the coloring. In a perfect world this top coat would add zero sheen. That way I can pretend I'm in an old barn, except I won't have the smell, unless I don't check my boots after I take care of the chickens.

Ideas for a top coat?


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## CaptDave

Nelly, I'm a historical reenactor and living historian and often build things out of wood in support of this effort. I've found that Tung Oil will provide excellent protection from the weather and not be obvious of it's presence. We often think that something built 150 years ago would look very weathered but if we're recreating this item to replicate a historical scene it would look as new as if it were made today. An outdoor item might need to be weathered as if it has existed for the last ten years for example. I'm going to try the baking soda idea for my latest effort, a small portable chicken coop (for two chickens).


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## Dal300

Instead of an acid, try Ammonia and steel wool. Do it in an open area.


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## mveach

steel wool and plain water work well on oak. It causes a reaction in the wood and gives it a blue gray color that is a match to the 50+ year old weathered look.


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## canadianchips

Have kids. STRESS
It worked wonders in turning MY HAIR GREY
Not sure if STRESSING wood will work.


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## Honkeydog

I Heard from someone that you could use Bandini fertilizer to age wood for that silver look-I'm guessing that the basic chemical compound in Bandini is what does it. Though maybe someone knows what that chemical is? Or maybe the guy that said it was just laying a line of fertilizer on me?


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## iqbal19

Try using Eco-Safe wood Treatment available from Amazon. Made by Tall Earth, this stain instantly ages all types of wood and works faster on high tannin content woods like cedar, oak etc and a little slower on fir spruce etc. I used it two years ago on my garden beds made from Fir. Fir is a very light colored wood, however, in about ten days it turned into an olive brown aged look that matches the old deck and fencing in our back yard. The treatment is voc free and also protects from moss fungus and rot. Although Fir is a soft wood and not recommended for outdoor weather exposed projects, the beds have stood up beautifully and look new!
Also, I would recommend mixing in the Eco safe wood guard, which protects the wood from wood boring pests and fungus for the life of the wood.
Hope this info is useful.


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## dhazelton

You should give the base of that building a coat of Thompson's Waterseal or something similar a couple times a year as well. That siding unpainted wouldn't last long where I live.


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## Picklehead

> I would use bleaching oil. Cabot makes it and it will cause the wood to get a weathered look. It also has some gray pigment in it. My neighbor used it on his house and it looks 200 years old.
> 
> - SnowyRiver


+1. Great stuff.


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## b3528294

The aging effect will occur when tannins in the wood react with iron; this process is speed up because the vinegar helps get the iron from the steel wool into suspension and hence into the wood. The muratic acid will *counteract* this process; you can use muratic acid to 'bleach' wood that's been stained in this way. 
You'll probably have more success wiith the vinegar and steel wool alone; more if you paint the wood with tea first to provide some tannins.


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