getting that distressed look

To give character, I use a couple different methods - using a chain
definitely works - just be kind of gentle...here's some options:
use an old icepick to give "wormholes"
lay a screw on it & then hit the screw w/a hammer - leaves a cool impression
using the butt end of screwdrivers to make indents that are not too harsh
paint it, sand off the high spots & random edges down to bare wood then
stain it & polyurethane or whatever to finish it off...
use old wood to start with...
There's lots of ways to get it done...

"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?

I own a wood crafting shop in Michigan and do some antique reproductions. I
find that using a light stain, say colonial maple, then adding wear marks
and sanding lightly through the stain on obvious wear areas, then
re-staining with a darker stain like dark walnut and rubbing most of it off
really ages it.

Also, use a hand plane in places to unlevel the wood some before you stain
and leave some tool marks. Sand with 80 grit, many old farm pieces didn't
have a lot of sanding. When using chain be careful it doesn't bounce back
and hit you! You can age it outdoors for a few weeks also.


"Mark Hopkins" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Throw it down some stairs or let it fall off the back of the truck on the
> freeway... <grin>
>
> "Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> > "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> > time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> > up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> > experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> > chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?
>
>

Doug wrote:
>
> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?


A friend made a very nice trestle table in maple - wedged M&T
joints and all. Spent a lot of time getting a beautiful, durable
finish on it and presented it to his wife for her birthday. She'd
been wanting this table for years. She was pleased but a little
reserved in her response.

When he got home from work that night his wife greated him
at the door, all smiles. "Come and see what I did all day! Now
the table tells a story - its history is there for all to see!"

"I had to go out and get a cigar, but here are the burn marks
where great uncle George set his cigar down and burned the
table. Great aunt Bertha never forgave him for that and some
say she drove him to an early grave because of it. And here's
where your great great grandfather carved his initial in the
top with a fork. I got a cinder block and dragged it all over
the top and then used some of the used motor oil you've got
in the shop to bring out the texture. I hope you don't mind
but I used one of your hard light colored boards to bang and
scrape and rub all the corners and edges - chairs did that
in this table's story. And here's where you're dad put a
hot cast iron skillet of bacon on the table instead of using
a trivet to protect the table top. That white ring in the
top's finish is where you're uncle left his scotch on the
rocks and the sweat from the glass got under the finish.
These little dimples in the surface over here are from
your great aunt when she was a kid. On her fourth birthday
she got so excited waiting for her slice of cake that she
pound the heel of the fork handle on the table while
expressing her glee. ..."

Needless to say, they are no longer married - and of
course she got the table in the property settlement.
He wanted it so he could burn it while yelling curse
words but ...

The moral of the story - you built it, let her add the
"character" and make up the stories for each ding,
dent, scratch, scrape, burn and water ring. You'll
be amazed at what happens when the creative juices
begin flowing. You can provide the technical
assistance but get here to make up the stories and
create the "history". You can make another table
for a lot less than the price of a divorce ...

charlie b

Have you ever tried using a glazing stain, Liam? Much of
the furniture that I own (brand-name stuff like Schnadig)
appears to have had glazes applied to turnings and moldings
to get a deeper color in recesses which in turn gives the
piece an old world look. I haven't used a glaze in ages and
now that I'm into building furniture, I'm thinking a glaze
might improve the overall look of my next project, BUT I
won't be using any turnings; just moldings.

Are you using solvent based pigment stains or water based dyes?

David

Liam wrote:
> I own a wood crafting shop in Michigan and do some antique reproductions. I
> find that using a light stain, say colonial maple, then adding wear marks
> and sanding lightly through the stain on obvious wear areas, then
> re-staining with a darker stain like dark walnut and rubbing most of it off
> really ages it.
>
> Also, use a hand plane in places to unlevel the wood some before you stain
> and leave some tool marks. Sand with 80 grit, many old farm pieces didn't
> have a lot of sanding. When using chain be careful it doesn't bounce back
> and hit you! You can age it outdoors for a few weeks also.
>
>
> "Mark Hopkins" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>Throw it down some stairs or let it fall off the back of the truck on the
>>freeway... <grin>
>>
>>"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
>>>"distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
>>>time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
>>>up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
>>>experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
>>>chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?
>>
>>
>
>

Juergen Hannappel <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Doug) writes:
>
> > I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> > "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
>
> Just wait.

HA!!! That's great! Thanks for the laugh. I'm happy to report that
my wife is in great shape at the moment, and the hard part isn't a
problem.

spend some time trying to work with my wife.
*****************************************************
It's not the milk and honey we hate. It's having it
rammed down our throats.

Sat, Jul 31, 2004, 10:00am (EDT-3) [email protected] (Doug) wants to
know:
<snip> Does anybody have any experience getting that look. <snip>

Oh yes, usually any time I've been around my kids for too long.



JOAT
The highway of fear is the road to defeat.
- Bazooka Joe
JERUSALEM RIDGE http://www.banjer.com/midi/jerridge.mid

[email protected] (Doug) wrote in news:7c3983b6.0407310900.69a061f3
@posting.google.com:

> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?

Coat hanger wire and a hammer. The chain is good, but be careful of the
ceiling and any critters that might get in the way. Getting a dog who needs
a nail trim to run across it does a good job - better if the dog is chasing
the cat - DAMHIKT.

LD

"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other

techniques?

I did some of that see @
http://home.mchsi.com/~larrylhote/projectspage1/shakerbenchesbig.jpg

A few more details are on my site. See projects page 1. If you need more
help ( my e-mail isn't munged) contact me.

Larry
--
Lawrence L'Hote
Columbia, MO
http://home.mchsi.com/~larrylhote

Throw it down some stairs or let it fall off the back of the truck on the
freeway... <grin>

"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?

"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?

I'm sure the other suggestions are effective, but when I was growing up, my
neighbor used to take a large ring of old keys and beat the surface.

todd

"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Does anybody have any
> experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?

Easy to do. Invite two of my grandkids for dinner. You will have all the
distress you can handle.
Ed

hi I built some fake beams for a friend of mine and to make them look old we
beat them with with am old chain saw chain ( use gloves and watch it does
not bounc back on you) we also put some burn marks on them with a plumbers
torch and used a hand plane to give to give them a hand cut look add some
stain to your liking sand then add some more stain. The beams looked like
they had been there for 200years or more when we were done. good luck and
be careful.


jimmy
>
>>
> Liam wrote:
> > I own a wood crafting shop in Michigan and do some antique
reproductions. I
> > find that using a light stain, say colonial maple, then adding wear
marks
> > and sanding lightly through the stain on obvious wear areas, then
> > re-staining with a darker stain like dark walnut and rubbing most of it
off
> > really ages it.
> >
> > Also, use a hand plane in places to unlevel the wood some before you
stain
> > and leave some tool marks. Sand with 80 grit, many old farm pieces
didn't
> > have a lot of sanding. When using chain be careful it doesn't bounce
back
> > and hit you! You can age it outdoors for a few weeks also.
> >
> >
ing.google.com...
> >>
> >>>I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> >>>"distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard
> >>>time bringing myself to do all the work necessary for a quality glue
> >>>up, and then "damaging it", but we'll see. Does anybody have any
> >>>experience getting that look. Someone told me to beat it with a
> >>>chain! Sounds like fun, sort of. Are there other techniques?
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>

[email protected] (Doug) writes:

> I'm planning to build a country kitchen table. My wife really wants a
> "distressed look", i.e a weathered, old table look. I'm having a hard

Just wait.

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
mailto:[email protected] Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23