Grey Stain For Wood

The “distressed” look has largely replaced authentic antiques in home décor. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the high cost of genuine antiques. Manufacturers caught upon the popularity of antiques and started experimenting with how to make their products look old. What has resulted is an entire genre of furniture and home décor items that come out of the factory mimicking authentic antiques.

There was probably some point in time, as that little bit of history was unfolding, where there were less than sterling repute people who attempted to use those same techniques to sell fake antiques as real ones. At the same time, that would only work against people with little to no knowledge about authentic antiques. They must have made enough sales to make it worthwhile.

Home Decor

Nevertheless, the idea of distressed home décor caught on, even without manufacturers trying to pawn the artificially aged pieces as genuine antiques. Much of it can be purchased for very reasonable prices.

But this doesn’t stop with knick-knacks and other items of home décor. Over the last several years, one of the more popular colors for hardwood floors has been gray stone and the various shades of grey flooring offered.

Like other distressed items, these gray stone floors have been artificially aged barrels made to look older, adding grey overtones to the finish. It’s visually like taking down an old cedar privacy fence and using it for flooring.

Unfinished Pine Wood

Unfinished pine wood exposed to the sun naturally turns light grey, showing its age. This can be seen in the privacy above fences and deadfall trees in the forest. Unless the tree is dark brown from decay, the pine wood will likely be light grey, significantly if it falls where it will receive a lot of sunlight.

This natural graying of woods happens because the ultraviolet rays in sunlight break down the lignin in the cellulose of the tree’s cells. This causes what is known as photo-chemical degradation or classic gray color. It doesn’t matter what type of deep classic gray color or gray out of wood it is or its original color; the result is the same: gray out.

“Weathered oak can accomplish the same thing with new wood through various methods. White oak is one of the best woods that weathered oak uses to do this with gray, as the natural open grain of the wood readily absorbs the color, giving a dramatic finish. However, red oak should be avoided, the best gray wood stains, as the difference in wood color will greatly affect the outcome of the weathered” finish.

Grey Wood Stain

Several different companies produce grey wood stains for use in both interior and exterior applications. All these provide shades of warm tones of grey wood as one stain color option, just as they do for the deep color of the wood tone stains they manufacture. These can be used alone or with other oil-based wood stains.

Grey stains should be applied over clean, sanded wood with no other finish. If the grey paint is used on the next project with medium-toned gray stain colors and a wood-tone stain, then the darker of the two should go on first. That usually means the grey, as using grey wood stain options with lighter-toned gray wood stains makes the lighter tone disappear.

On the other hand, using a dark wood-tone stain along with grey colors helps to give more visual depth and texture to the piece.

In cases where the grey wood stain will be applied to the furniture that is already finished, it is necessary to remove the existing finish. That means sanding off the existing finish with medium to coarse sandpaper and then sanding it again with finer grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface.

It can be tough to sand off the finish from indented wood parts, such as on turned legs or carved grooves. That’s okay, as leaving some finish there will help add to the visual texture and depth of the finished piece.

Applying grey wood stain colors is just like using the gray wood stain colors to any other stain color or wood and stain colors. Before starting, mix the two gray wood stain colors thoroughly, as the pigment can settle out. Also, wipe off all dust from the workpiece so the dust doesn’t get caught in the finish.

The stain can be applied with either a paintbrush or a rag. If a rag is used for oil-based paints or dyes, it must be a none, preferably of a soft material, like cotton T-shirt material, without any printing on it.

If the oil-based paint is going to be brushed on, it should be with either a disposable shame-using brush or one used only for staining. Check to verify that the meeting is clean before applying stain on it.

Apply a generous coat of the same stain color onto the wood, but not so great that it starts dripping off. Allow the first stain color to sit no more than 30 seconds, and then wipe off the excess stain color with paper towels or clean rags, rubbing the wood dry.

It is easier to work in sections on most pieces of furniture, but care must be taken when doing this, as any overlap will create an area where the right stain color is darker. Carefully divide the piece when staining in sections to reduce the possibility of overlapping shaded areas.

Depending on the look desired, a second coating of gray wood stain option may be applied. This will darken up the finish from the original. For the best results, allow the piece to dry thoroughly before using this second coat of gray wood stain options.

All wood stains work by soaking into the wood’s pores, but those pores will be filled with the first coat of gray wood stain options. Allowing the two gray stain colors or wood stain can dry thoroughly opens the pores again, allowing the pigmentation to penetrate the surface of the wood.

Keep in mind that staining wood is essentially an experimental process. Each variation that enters into the process, such as the moisture content of the various types of wood or how long the stain sits on the different kinds of wood, will affect how thoroughly the paint soaks into the other types of timber and the resulting color.

Therefore, it’s always a good idea to experiment on a piece of scrap leftover from the project or a hidden work area to be stained. Keep careful track of everything done in this experiment so that it can be readily and accurately reproduced.

Using Two Stain Colors

While using a grey stain for ally does provide the grey we’re looking for in the wood, giving the wood with weathered gray color the appearance may not provide us with the desired light wood tone. Many furniture pieces are made out of pine or other soft with have a naturally light coloration.

That’s probably especially true of parts that will be distressed, as nobody wants to spend the high price for exotic hardwood when weathered gray wood stains broadly cover up the natural light beauty of that wood.

But applying a dark wood species of stain, such as walnut, to furniture made of different pine wood species might make it impossible to get the desired grey effect on the pine wood. To get that, it’s best to apply the grey wood stain first and then use the darker wood-tone color afterward.

When doing this, it is necessary to hand sand the piece between the two stain colors, distressing it by creating areas where the stained surface of a particular part of the wood has been thinned, lightening the stain color to a grey effect or where the sanding goes all the way through the stained surface of the wood, down to the original material the actual wood grain the piece is made from.

Once sanding is done, clean up all dust, wiping down the wood conditioner workpiece and the workbench with a tacky rag.

The dark red oak wood-tone stain is then applied to the piece in the same way that the original grey paint for wood was used. The only exception is that it is usually a good idea to wipe the wood grain and stain off just one coat more quickly, say after about only five to ten seconds, rather than using two coats and giving it 30 seconds to soak in. This stain will quickly darken the exposed parts, and it is easy to overdo it.

Making Grey Stain at Home

Another possibility to consider is making stains at home. This is quickly done by soaking a small piece of steel wool overnight in white vinegar. The next day, the steel wool should be stained out, preferably through cheesecloth, and the resulting liquid can be mixed 1:1 with water, making a very effective stain.

This stain will show up as carbon gray, silvery grey, classic gray, carbon gray, charcoal gray, grey-brown, or even black, depending on the types of wood it is applied to.

As with any other finish, it’s always a good idea to do a test on scrap wood or a hidden area of the workpiece to see just how the stain will react with the wood, how long it should be given to soak into the wood and just what color will result.

Grey stained wood

“Grey Washing” Wood

The term “whitewashing” is commonly known as applying a paint-like substance that doesn’t cover the underlying substrate but only gives a patina of finish to it. The original whitewash was made of lime or painter’s whiting, a white chalk powder mixed with water.

It has been used longer than paint for architectural finishing and was commonly used in places where color was either unavailable or too costly to operate.

Today, whitewashing is commonly done as part of the distressing wood stain colors on the furniture and home décor I mentioned earlier. Rather than using lime, they’re using watered-down white paint. It provides the desired results while being more durable than traditional whitewash.

For our purposes, I’d like to introduce the idea of grey washing. This is essentially the same as the whitewashing prevalent in making distressed furniture, except it uses grey rather than white paint.

This results in a more realistic fake antique finish, as any white paint that has been on something long enough to be naturally distressed will probably not look white anymore.

At best, it will look light grey from the effects of dirt. The exact shade of grey to be used is up to the person doing the work and the results that they desire.

To grey wash, one must first start by diluting the paint to be used with water. Most people talk about doing this in a ratio of 1:1, but I’ve found that I get better results with one part paint to two parts water.

That gives me a lighter, thinner grey wash, easier to distress, and will show the underlying color through thin spots in the paint.

Of course, a lot will depend on the quality of paint being used; quality paint with a high ability to cover and hide what is beneath it will need to be watered down more than low-cost paint that doesn’t cover well.

When using grey wash along gray stains or with other colors, it is best to apply the gray colors to the wood first, allowing them to dry before applying the grey wash.

Most stains are oil-based, while gray paint and the grey wash will be water-based, so the two will not mix well, allowing the oil from the gray color to affect the ability of the gray paint to cover the surface if it is not fully dry.

Use a fairly dry brush with long strokes when applying the grey wash. The idea isn’t to fully cover the surface as much as to apply a wash. Some bare spots add to the desired result, although there is a point where there can be too much that is left bare.

After allowing the watered-down paint a few minutes to start drying, wipe off the excess grey wash with paper towels or clean rags. The resulting grey stains and finish provide a mottled gray stain and patina, which already shows the beginnings of being distressed.

The grey-washed surface can then be sanded, hit with metal objects, and have a fake wormhole, as with other distressed stains and finishes.

One thing to keep in mind with any grey staining or distressed finish is that the more layers of multiple coats of finished gray stains that are applied to the project, the more realistic an “aging” process that it will provide.

Color can be added over the grey color and washed, with another lighter coat of grey washing over the grey stain again.

Each successive layer of the top skin of the finish gives the impression of the furniture piece having been refinished again sometime in the past.

Applying Finish Over Grey Wood

It’s not a requirement, but applying a clear finish is a good idea whenever a piece is finished. In this case, we’re discussing artificially aged furniture or other projects. Part of the beauty of such projects is the appearance of age, created by multiple layers of finish, none of which fully cover the workpiece.

Leaving the finished piece without any clear finish-over allows for further wear, adding to the authenticity of the appearance of the particular project.

On the other hand, once the desired appearance and beautiful finish are achieved, applying a clear urethane varnish over the grey or distressed wood stain will maintain that finish and help prevent damage.

Placing a cold beverage on the tabletop can cause damage to the gray wood stain and the finish, as condensation forms on the glass, and the water reacts with the finish.

That can be a positive or a negative, depending on the owner’s point of view.

Another place where applying a clear finish essential is on floors and other areas which will receive a lot of wear and tear in new life.

It is easy to wear off all the hard work done in making that wood grey just by walking on it, especially in high-traffic areas. A clear finish, reapplied periodically, will help ensure a long life for the work done in distressing that wood.