Natural Wood Stain
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Remember last week when I made this cutting board?
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(If you missed it, you can read about HERE)
And I said I aged it with a stain made from vinegar and steel wool?
Were you wondering about that stain?
Oh, good!
‘Cause today I’m giving you all the details.
And you’re gonna love how easy this is!
So here’s how to make natural wood stain:
MATERIALS
Super fine steel wool (I used 0000)
White vinegar
Jar with a lid
2. ADD THEM TOGETHER
Put the steel wool in the jar and pour vinegar over it. Fill the jar about 1/2 full. All of the steel wool does not need to be covered with vinegar.
3. WAIT
Put the lid on the jar and let it sit.
I let this batch sit overnight and this is how it turned out —
I put it on this…
and got this…
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(Of course, I did a little cutting and sanding to the board first!)
The vinegar eats away at the steel and oxidizes it. So in a few hours you’ll have a gray or brown liquid with some of the steel dissolved and laying on the bottom. Just gently shake it up and you’ll have your ‘stain’.
This solution doesn’t actually ‘stain’ the wood. The way it works is it causes a chemical reaction with the tannins in the wood and makes it look worn and aged.
And you know I love the worn and aged look around here! (except on my face…)
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The longer you let the mixture sit, the darker and redder it gets.
I let this batch sit for 6 days and it came out really dark
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And different species of wood will react differently so be sure to test a sample before you put it on your finished piece.
(The good news is — it does sand off with some vigorous sanding with coarse sandpaper and you can start over if you don’t like your first result.)
The great thing about this stain is that it’s non-toxic so you can use it on pieces that come in contact with food.
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So I can actually use these boards for cutting
serving…
charcuterie…
all the things!
SHOP THE LOOK
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Ps. 100:5