What is the best way to make a new wooden fence & planking look old?

shiphen

Hello

What is the best way to accelerate the aging of exterior wood to make it look grey?

e.g. I want my wooden fencing and exterior planks to look as old as the neighboring wood.

I have tried "Dettol Mould Remover Spray" which is basically just a strong bleach. That failed to have much impact. I then tried painting on some thick bleach (by Domestos). That failed too.

Looking again this morning my wooden planks are *slightly* more grey. Maybe I need a stronger bleach. Or more water??

Thanks

J

-taff

Just wait for the sun to bleach it.

shiphen

-taff wrote: »

Just wait for the sun to bleach it.

Not helpful. That will take several years. I am only renting and I shall be gone by then. Meanwhile I want my modifications to blend in.

[Deleted User]

Hi,


my pal Google suggests vinegar and steel wool or baking soda, have a look here.

Norman_Castle

Why do you think bleach would make wood grey?

-taff

shiphen wrote: »

Not helpful. That will take several years. I am only renting and I shall be gone by then. Meanwhile I want my modifications to blend in.

I'm not psychic.


This might help
https://gardendrum.com/2013/01/03/keeping-a-grey-weathered-look-on-outdoor-timber/

maisie_cat

The normal tricks to "age" wood are the vinegar and steel wool trick, you need to create an iron oxide solution and spray it on. This makes the wood go the grey colour but I have never tried it on tanalised wood so cannot say what impact it will have. The only other thing I have ever used is potassium permanganateor tea in solution but that is more for creating an aged pine effect.

shiphen

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Why do you think bleach would make wood grey?

The sun's UV rays are well known to "bleach" rugs and paintings. Rain will further leach the coloured components of wood out too no doubt.

In the case of wood, you need to think what that pale "grey" colour actually is(!)

It is that the outside of the wood has lost its colour and the outer layers of wood (cellulose & lignin) reflect light much like layers of small water crystals become white coloured when snow is formed, [thereby making high mountains go white for example].

Likewise, I have some old wooden garden chairs which has been bleached in the sun to form a pale grey. But interestingly, when they become wet the refractive index changes of water next to cellulose reduce this "snow-like" reflection and the chairs become a much darker, more orange/pink colour again.

To achieve grey rather than white, there needs to be some darker colour (e.g. dark brown or black) mixed in. In the case of wood the black component of the grey is probably caused by dirt/lichen/fungus - I really have not idea - but it become more obvious when the wood gets wet and one can see through the layers of bleached/colourless wood (celloluse & lignin) to the blackened wood and the wood that still has an orange/pink colour.

Here is my chair with a partially wet arm



https://ibb.co/cc1gAK
https://ibb.co/b1DTqK

Edit: Can you see my images above? How do I best add images? Must I host them externally?

EDIT02: It seems the bleaching can indeed whiten wood. There is a lot of talk about using steel wool + vinegar to make wood go more grey (i.e. it seems that it adds more black).

shiphen

-taff wrote: »

I'm not psychic.


This might help
https://gardendrum.com/2013/01/03/keeping-a-grey-weathered-look-on-outdoor-timber/

She seems to be recommending a silver-grey coloured varnish Sikkens Cetol HLSe.

I think I'd rather make the wood itself change colour.

Norman_Castle

shiphen wrote: »

The sun's UV rays are well known to "bleach" rugs and paintings. Rain will further leach the coloured components of wood out too no doubt.


EDIT02: It seems the bleaching can indeed whiten wood. There is a lot of talk about using steel wool + vinegar to make wood go more grey (i.e. it seems that it adds more black).

Sun bleaching is a figure of speech. Bleach can remove stains from wood but cannot lighten it. Wood bleach which is not domestic bleach can lighten wood.
https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/get-the-color-out-with-wood-bleach



Steel wool and vinegar changes the colour of wood, it doesn't lighten it.