DIY Barnwood Planks
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We all love the warm rustic look of reclaimed wood and old barn planks, but they can be hard to find (depending on where you live) and often also come with a hefty price tag. I wanted to give a couple of tips on how you can achieve a similar look with some inexpensive products and a little elbow grease!
My husband and I recently made some updates to our kitchen by painting the cabinets and adding some shelving to store all the spices (there’s not enough counter space I tell ya). One corner of our kitchen has a rustic coffee bar with some barn wood shelving above it. I was lucky to find those planks on eBay a while back for a reasonable cost. However, I did not have anything left of said wood, so this time I just bought some new planks and decided I was going to make them look old.
Here’s what I did: I got a 5.75 by 6 foot plank at the local hardware store (it cost $10), grabbed some tools, stain and my go-to antiquing glaze and went to work.
Things you’ll need:
Whitewood or Cedar Plank of desired width and length to match your project (you can ask the store to cut it to whatever length you need if you don’t own a saw). Pick one that is not too smooth and have knots (for character).
Varathane Gel Stain in Early American (you can get it here)
Valspar Antiquing Glaze (you can get this here)
Orbital Sander if you have one – if not, basic sanding blocks (Hello, Dollar Store!)
Paint Brush (nice thick hairs that will hold the gel stain)
Shop Towel (I like Scotts, they’re like paper towels on steroids)
Chain, hammer or other destructive objects (more about that later).
(Optional) Rustic shelf brackets – I got these industrial style ones on Amazon.
Note: I am not affiliated with nor receive any commission from these brands of products
Begin with sanding the plank if it’s too rough. Make sure you get all the sides as well. Old wood is worn, so no razor sharp edges or corners!
Here comes the fun part – Go ahead and bang on the plank repeatedly with whatever tools you got handy. I used a chain. A flathead screwdriver may also work. You can also grab a hammer and a large nail and deliberately make some holes here and there. Marks are necessary or the wood will still look brand new. Random distressing is best, you don’t want it to look like it was a “planned” design.
Then it’s time to stain it. I like using a gel stain as apposed to a traditional oil-based stain. The thicker, gooey consistency makes it oddly satisfying and much easier to apply than its runny counterpart.
No drippy splatter here!
I chose a warm brown color named “Early American” by Varathane. (See the Amazon link in the list above). I think it works really well for an antique look.
I applied the stain with a brush. Make sure you have adequate ventilation while doing this and wear a vapor protection mask, especially if you work on these types of projects indoors.
The stain will be dry to the touch in an hour. As you can see from the picture, the wood is a beautiful reddish brown, but I’d prefer it a bit darker and less vibrant in color in order to resemble barn wood.
Here’s where the antiquing glaze comes in handy. This product is a rich dark brown and a thickness similar to paint, so a little goes a long way.
Using a shop towel, apply the glaze in a thin layer evenly. Then, for additional character, dab on some more in certain areas where you see fit.
Once dry, it’s time to decide whether you want to lighten it up a bit by using a fine sanding sponge or darken the wood by adding more of the antiquing glaze.
Adjust to your own preference.
Note: End results may vary depending on the type of wood used.
I did not bother with any top coat since it is just a spice shelf, but you may want protect the wood with Polyurethane if you’re making something that needs to withstand more wear and tear.
This is how the boards turned out and I’m pretty happy with the result.
I hope this article inspired you to tackle some fun DIY project of your own!
