Take your brush again and brush your Vinegar/steel mixture over the wood. The tannin will react with the vinegar/steel mixture to oxidize the wood turning it grey before your eyes. If not, skip ahead to the tutorial. How do off-the-shelf wood stains and wood aging accelerators compare to a homemade solution of steel wool and vinegar? Aging Wood With Vinegar and Steel Wool. Brush the stain in long strokes moving in the same direction along the grain of the wood. If you want to hear how I got this wood board and that my sister has a matching one then keep reading. Use a paintbrush to apply the vinegar and wool stain over the tea solution. I tested three off-the-shelf stains from Varathane that would give a weathered look to new wood: a weathered gray wood stain , a weathered wood accelerator and an aged wood accelerator . The reason that I wanted to age this board is because it had a very yellow finish. Be sure to cover the wood thoroughly with the solution. Now you can have that old wood look without that pesky old wood waiting. If your wood doesn't look as old as you were hoping, repeat the steps. In order to get the best aging effect, the iron acetate (what happens when you mix vinegar and steel wool) has to interact with the tannins in wood to oxidize and create an aged effect. As a rule of thumbs, wood types with a bigger amount of tannins will show off a much more weathered look once you are done. The best types of wood for applying the baking soda and apple cider vinegar technique include mahogany, redwood, cedar, red oak, and pine. That’s because of the high quantity of tannins. Step 4 - Apply the Vinegar and Wool Stain. Allow the stain to dry completely. Here is what I started with…. To intensify this effect, I added a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to the vinegar/steel wool mixture. Brush the tea solution onto the wood. I absolutely love the board but the finish not as much. 1 – Choose a Suitable Wood.