intentionally aging wood?

[WQ59B]

Having to re-fab the wood floors in my Ford truck. They were both rotten & when I got it, had actual ant damage, IIRC. Anyway, the truck is NOT getting restored, just having all it's mechanicals gone thru, and replacing what's necc. for safe operation. The floorboards are obviously on that list.

Using the same oak plywood, after they're fabb'd, I'd like to make them appear 'less fresh'. I'm going to scuff them some, but my question is, is there something besides a really dark stain (would perhaps look too uniform) I can use to make the new boards 'disappear'? Is used motor oil a possibility? Any suggestions?

Here's an original piece and the repro :

 

[marineengineer]

Ive tried to use motor oil after an oil change it didnt work that well id try something more like tar thinned down maybe. Ive used a chain to apply random scrapes and gouges by swinging it at wood and a propane torch to darken parts up a bit .... I definately want to see what you use though

 

[Zeke]

Vinegar. Look it up.

 

[ADSR]

hit it with a propane torch to make the grain pop out.

 

[kazlx]

You can also use a wire wheel to remove the softer portions before you stain it.

 

[WQ59B]

I like the couple of vinegar/steel wool vids I saw; going to try that out.

I'm more going for coloration rather than physical deterioration (that part is easy enough)- but I'll work some of that in too. Will update after testing.

 

[UIUC-Mech-E]

For oak you can fume it with strong ammonia (I think ace sells the good stuff) and it will darken it with pretty much the same chemical changes as natural aging. It's a trick that furniture makers have been using since the craftsman movement began.


(Insert catchy saying here)

 

[b974k]

wipe it with dark paint

 

[gayler]

For oak you can fume it with strong ammonia (I think ace sells the good stuff) and it will darken it with pretty much the same chemical changes as natural aging. It's a trick that furniture makers have been using since the craftsman movement began.


(Insert catchy saying here)

+1!

 

[alinc100]

For oak you can fume it with strong ammonia (I think ace sells the good stuff) and it will darken it with pretty much the same chemical changes as natural aging. It's a trick that furniture makers have been using since the craftsman movement began.


(Insert catchy saying here)

This is true if you are using WHITE Oak. The tannins in the WHITE oak react with the fumes from the ammonia and give a nice ashy, gray color.When wiped with varnish it turns a lovely brown color.

If one were to use the vinegar/steel wool treatment on Walnut it turns it jet black due to the tannins in the Walnut reacting with the acids,we refer to it as ebonizing.

Click each picture for a larger version:









Everything above was WHITE oak and Walnut accents.
I believe the OP's plywood is Red Oak and could stain,shellac,even use water soluble dyes to achieve the desired color.And apply a good varnish like a spar marine varnish or Waterlox to seal the wood.

 

[UIUC-Mech-E]

This is true if you are using WHITE Oak. The tannins in the WHITE oak react with the fumes from the ammonia and give a nice ashy, gray

Good catch, most red oak species don't have the same tannin levels so yes they would be less likely to take on that pleasant aged brown and more likely to have a greenish cast.


(Insert catchy saying here)

 

[truckman5000]

burn it. Take a torch and lightly touche the surface of the wood. This would be free to do.

 

[WQ59B]

I tried the vinegar solution as I found described online, but it did not change or darken even after 5 days sitting.
So I went with straight stains and 'noodled' a bit with a couple different colors, layering it up in spots & so forth, and I think it came out at least not looking like freshly-stained wood. Also added 'worm holes' here & there. If I were to do anything different, I would've added some torched effects, but I'm satisfied.

I tried not to obsess on this (my goal with the whole truck), and when placed inside the truck, they completely 'disappear' in the patina'd atmosphere in there. Calling this stage done.

 

[48RON54]

Nice work

 

[7th Kahuna]

Nice work, I was going to say 'strong coffee' or wet coffee grounds, but it looks like you got it handled.

 

[78scotts]

Vinigar in rusty nails... I use it from time to time. Mostly on pine. I put it in an old windex bottle and spray it on then wipe it around.

 

[jabberwoki]

If you want to have the wood look worn sandblast the pieces this gives a very natural aged look. Use a test piece to gauge pressure then stain at will.

 

[Woody610nb]

Is the grain on the long pieces suppose to run in different directions?

 

[WQ59B]

Woody- In hindsight, I would have preferred all grain going in the same direction, but it doesn't bother me enough to recut the piece. Not so sure FoMoCo would have insured the grains always ran the same way.

As far as doing any considerable mechanical 'faux-wear'ing (like sandblasting/wire wheeling), one would have to watch the thinness of the oak veneer, which was pretty pathetically thin. I'm not clearing over these, so the foot wear should accelerate the aged look quicker than if I did.