Q&A for How to Age Wood With Vinegar and Steel Wool

It may, but you can remedy the problem by sealing the vinegar stained item with either shellac or polyurethane.

Yes, it will make any knot or grain run darker.

As opposed to paints, most stains work by slightly penetrating the wood. You might get some effect on top of paint, but it likely won't be as dark, and may rub off easily, depending on the underlying paint.

It might, especially if it gets damp. This is basically a solution of rust, so you should seal it with wax, as suggested or some other clear coat (poly, shellac, etc.) if bleeding onto other items is a concern.

Dilute the vinegar with half water and bring it to a boil in a stainless steel pan with the steel wool. The best way to bring it to a boil is in a BBQ, not in the house. Stir while boiling. Let it sit for 24 hours, and when it cools, pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the solution on test wood and let it dry. You may need to respray several times to get the desired color.

There might be an anti-corrosion coating on the steel wool or your vinegar not being high enough of an acid on the pH scale.

Yes, it will bring out a sable type finish that is really stunning.

As long as the vinegar has an acidic content it should be fine. The acidic content speeds up the oxygenation of the iron in the steel, which gives it the rust color.

Yes, pressure-treated wood can be stained. However, the stain doesn't penetrate as deep as it normally would.

The stain is definitely safe for cutting boards, but you will want to use mineral oil or some sort of butcher block conditioner over it. Even after applying the oil, the wood will rub off some dark residue when scrubbed with a dry white cloth.

Do not seal the mason jar with the steel wool still in the vinegar. The reaction between the two creates hydrogen gas, which could build up enough pressure to shatter the vessel it's in. After the steel wool is removed and the solution is filtered, the stain would probably last nearly indefinitely. But be sure to crack the seal after a day or so to make sure that gas isn't still building up.

I used this treatment on my kitchen counter tops and coated it with beeswax to finish it.

Yes, it is. You can test the stain on a scrap piece of the same type of wood. If it is the color that you like, strain the mixture to remove the steel wool that is still there. If you want it darker, leave it for a few more days and test it again.

Yes. It will work on any wood. But the end color varies by wood type, so trial and error is worth the time and effort.

No, I wouldn't recommend using this on your wood floors.

I would say yes, you just want the oxidation reaction between the steel wool and the acid. It seems like it doesn’t matter what acid. Just make sure it is comparable in acidity to white vinegar.

The vinegar and steel wool react to the tannins in the wood. Unfortunately, wood glue and wood putty do not react in the same way (the color will change, but it will likely be noticeably lighter than the rest of the wood). One option is to touch-stain the areas in question with a dark stain to at least make the spots less noticeable.

You did nothing wrong. The important thing is not the color of the mixture, but what happens to the wood when you apply the mixture to it. A clear mixture is perfectly normal, as is the brown color of your deck when you stain it. If you want a lighter stain, dilute the mixture with water, don't let the steel wool stay in the vinegar for so long, apply a black tea stain first, OR apply a whitewash glaze (dilute white paint with water). Any of these will work. Note: Different woods react differently because they differ in tannin content, so experiment on scrap wood before applying to furniture, beams, or decking.

Absolutely! I did all my outside trim with it (1x6 rough lodge-pole pine) and then applied a latex based outdoor satin urethane. It looks great.

We have a batch made in May 2019 that's still working fine. It's kept in a sealed bucket in a cool, dry place.

Absolutely. Our shop uses this stain with a poly seal. Anytime we cut a weathered piece of wood to use in a project, we use the steel wool stain to mask the fresh cut wood.

You must use plain finishing steel wool, not a pad with detergent. The finer the steel wool, the quicker and deeper the color.

Yes. Danish oil can be used. It will act as a sealer, and depending on the color (if you're using a colored oil such as walnut). It can enhance the look. Always do a test piece to see if it is what you expected. I sanded off some of the vinegar stain to expose the wood underneath just a bit, prior to using Danish oil and the results were amazing and very striking!

No, the stain will only interact with the wood. \It works on a chemical process interaction with the wood. The coating on the wood (i.e. paint) prevents this from happening

Larch is a softwood and the process works with both hardwoods and softwoods. When you stain hardwoods and softwoods, the stain takes differently in the hardwoods and softwoods. It has to do with early wood and late wood. If stain is applies to hardwood, the early wood will react exactly the opposite of softwood.