Last week I shared my Jordan dresser knock-off with you, and I promised to show you how I got the textured, raised grain look on the drawer fronts. If you like the texture of old weathered wood, but don’t have any of the real stuff laying around. no worries. I made my drawer faces from off the shelf 1 x 8’s. A few simple steps make a big difference.
You can find dozens of tutorials on Pinterest for a “weathered” or “driftwood” finish for wood (heck, I have one too). The problem is, they have the color right, but there is more to old wood than a grey-ish tone. Adding texture definitely amps up the “old” factor.
This tutorial assumes you’re working with raw wood. If you are working on an existing piece of furniture, I would suggest stripping off any previous finish first.
Grab a spray bottle and fill it with warm water. Good ole’ tap water will do. Nothing special. Spray down the board till the whole surface is saturated.
Let it rest for a few minutes; just the moisture from the water will start to raise the grain. Next, grab a rack of nails. These are the nails you use in a pneumatic nail gun. The gauge doesn’t matter too much, but you want full size nails, not brads. Start on one end of the board, lean the rack at a steep angle, and drag heavily, following the grain. If there are knots or swirls, trace along them. Make several heavy passes.
Don’t have a rack of nails? No biggie. Pound some nails halfway through a scrap board and use that.
Next, using a *stiff wire brush
And that’s is! Allow the board to dry completely, then finish however you’d like. Whatever color you go with, you’ll have a great, raised grain texture.
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I love the final result–and you really do make it look so easy! 🙂
That really is beautiful! I have a couple of pieces I would love to refurbish. This would be great!
Love the results however that arm workout would do me in – think I would call on hubby for that, lol.. Cathy
Very cool! Pinned!
Genius! I've been looking for a technique to address the texture aspect of aged wood and you're the first person who "gets it"– it's not just color! Aged wood gets a scruffy, bristly look from the swelling and fraying of the grain that coloring alone just doesn't capture. Thanks!