Materials

• The basic materials needed for making a project look old and weathered are: 150-grit sanding paper, acrylic paint, stain or antiquing gel and brushes. For the old worn brown look, you can use any wood stain you have left around the house. Or you can buy antiquing gel at your local craft store. A medium oak brown color will give the most authentic weathered look. You do not want the stain or gel so dark that the project loses its charm.
  
  

Preparation

• Making something look old and weathered works on both new and old wood projects. If you are using a new wood project, paint the project with one coat of your preferred acrylic paint color and let the project dry completely. Unlike most wood acrylic painting projects, you will not need to seal the wood. This enables you to sand through the paint easily. Any knot holes or damage in the wood helps to make the project look old and weathered. If you are using a project that is already painted, just skip the painting step and go straight to sanding.
  
  

Techniques

• Once you have the project base coated in acrylic paint, sand all the edges with 150-grit sand paper to remove the paint and let the wood show through. If there are knots or other interesting features on the wood, lightly sand those too. Wipe the wood dust clean with a tack cloth. Use a lint free paper towel to apply the wood stain or antiquing gel to the project. Let the stain sit for approximately 15 minutes and then rub the stain off gently with the towel. The longer the stain or gel sits; the darker your project will be.
  
  

Finishing

• Finishing your project with fly specking adds another dimension to make your project look old and weathered. Thin a small amount of black acrylic paint with water to ink consistency. Use an old dry stencil brush to dip into the thinned acrylic paint. Blot the stencil brush on a paper towel to remove excess paint. Run your thumb over the bristles of the brush (in the direction of your project) to fly speck the entire project, including the bottom and back. Once the project is dry you can finish it with any matte spray protective finish to protect the wood. Always use matte finish to keep the integrity of the old weathered look.