How To Apply A Faux Antique Finish To Your Floor
Many people want their hardwood floor to look aged. Many of the finishes in over-the-counter hardwood flooring products just don't look truly antique. Often, the prints on laminate hardwood with faux antique finishes are repeated and don't look random. And, reclaimed or salvaged hardwood floors are obviously authentic, but they can be very expensive and hard to find.Customers who want an authentic look can buy a standard finish and then apply their own, completely unique antique finish. This article explains a few great techniques for applying random and authentic-looking antique finishes on hardwood floors.
The Trick is to Make it Look Random
First, your goal should be to make your finish look as random as possible. When you think about how a piece of hardwood would natural age, you realize the markings, fading, cracking and so on would all be random. You want to try and recreate this. You really need to get a creative and use a variety of tools, sanders, and random supplies to create your faux finish.
Sand the Floor First
If your new flooring product is pre-finished, you will want to start off by sanding it. Try to sand randomly and with different grits. Disc sanders enable you to rub off more stain, while vibrating sanders leave behind a smoother finish. If you have access to both, use them both. Medium and coarse grit papers will be the most useful. This is one time that you can sand against the grain to create nice scuffs on across the planks.
Create Some Dents and Dings
This part of the job will probably be the most enjoyable. There is really no right or wrong way to go about it. Of course, you don't want to apply so much stress that you actually break the wood. However, you can use heavy duty tools and metal objects to distress the wood. Here are some great ideas:
- Throw an old ring of keys on the floor and strike them firmly with a hammer.
- Slap the floor with a heavy duty chain, and drag it around to create natural scratches (even a bike chain will work)
- Randomly stab the floor with a chisel or screwdriver
- Randomly strike the hardwood with either end of a hammer
These are just some ideas for creating a great finish. You might have some other items laying around your house that you can use to create your perfect faux finish. Talk with a company like Palm Beach Artisans for more information.