Tutorial for Aging Wood and making Beach Art

I absolutely love to decorate our home with art that is special! Basically if it is hanging on our wall it is either...
1-picture of our family or friends
2-made by one of us
3-means something special to one of us

I have been super confused as to what to hang over our white couch in our living room for years! I have so many holes on the wall from switching frames in and out......so I needed something very large to cover the holes....and make us smile when we walk in our front door and see it.

I decided on making a Bike because we absolutely LOVE family bike rides.....taking the bikes to the beach and riding along the water......and just spending time outside. IT WAS PERFECT FOR OUR FAMILY!!!!!!
After my kids saw the bike....they both requested pieces for their rooms. :)

TADA!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS HUGE! 4 ft x5ft!!!!!
The only problem is figuring out how to hang this on the wall....and I will keep you posted on how we tackle that job.

Close up on the weathered wood, and the bike.

TUTORIAL ON MAKING THE WOOD LOOK WEATHERED.....AND FINISHING WITH BEACH ART

STEP 1: Figure out how large you want the final piece to be. They will cut the wood for you right at Home Depot so just purchase the amount of boards you need for the project and they will measure them just right for you! BONUS!


STEP 2: This part is SUPER smelly and I suggest doing it outside or in your garage with the door open. I did a lot of research on how to weather the wood without making it orange or feeling as though I just stained it. This is what I ended up using and LOVING.

Pour Apple Cider Vinegar in a bowl and set one steel wool in it to soak for 30-45 min.
In an additional bowl pour Balsamic Vinegar with the other steel wool and let it soak for 30-45 min.

STEP 3: While the steel wool is soaking, I hit the boards with a hammer, screw driver, poked with a fork, and basically anything that I could use to hit them to add a little character.


STEP 4: Rub each board all over with the apple cider vinegar, don't forget the sides of each board. I waited about 10 min and then rubbed the Balsamic Vinegar over the boards. Make sure to get it into the little knots that you made with the hammer.

LET DRY OVER NIGHT. (OTHERWISE IT IS KIND OF STICKY)

STEP 5: Once the boards are dry we went to town with the sander. I used super heavy paper and just went to town. I sanded the tops of the boards to give them a little scratch as well as all of the edges. You can go as heavy as you would like on this step.

STEP 6: I purchased these bars to hold the boards together. (I seriously have NO idea what they are called) Make sure to buy them large enough so that when you screw them, it does not split the edges.

NOTE: IF HAD HOME DEPOT CUT MORE THAN ONE BOARD, THE COLORS MAY VARY, SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO ALTERNATE BOARDS.

STEP 7: This is my favorite part......PAINTING. I used craft paint for the project, but you can use any paint you would like. I did not do more than one coat with each color because I wanted it to show the wood thru the paint.

We did not use stencils and just free handed the piece. You could use stencil, vinyl, or trace image for this step depending on the affect you are looking for.



STEP 8: WAHOOOO......SIT BACK AND ENJOY YOUR BEAUTIFULLY WEATHERED ART!


I hope you enjoy this tutorial as well as the art you make from it.

xoxo