Hey guys! I’m super excited to share this new tutorial with you: How To Stain NEW Wood To Look OLD!

I just LOVE the way naturally aged wood looks… be it barn wood, drift wood, or pallet wood. This is a slightly new technique that I came up with that highlights the natural beauty of wood.

For this method, you will need:

-Stain (I used Dark Walnut in Miniwax for this- don’t worry, it won’t totally soak in and stain that dark)

-White Vinegar (a gallon of this stuff costs like $2 at Walmart, and you will want at least that much if you are using it on a large piece of furniture)

-Gloves

-A rag (I used a prefold)

-Something to stain… like this toddler bed we made for June.

First, you will need to DRENCH your wood with the White Vinegar. This prevents the stain from soaking in all the way and is a vital step to create the “old look” in our wood. Since you should stain in sections, only wet down the area you will be focusing on first , and move to the next step below.

Next, dab some stain onto your rag. Start with a little, as you can always go darker.

Now you can rub like crazy, going along with the grain in your wood. If you get “blobs” or stain marks that are too dark for your taste, don’t worry, you can either:

1. Rub it in (which is what I did, illustrated by the below photo) or

2. Sand it down to make it lighter after the stain has dried.

This whole process takes LOTS of rubbing. If your wood starts drying too soon, just splash more vinegar on it before adding additional stain.

As shown with these legs, staining different connecting pieces of wood different tones, (some darker and some lighter) gives it really great character. Don’t be afraid to go a little dark on your edges. It’s a natural “barn look.”

So what do you all think? Was that an easy tip or what? I can’t wait to see the lovely furniture you all create using this technique!

That’s it for now!