Make new wood look old

This is going to be a pretty long post with tons of pictures, so settle in and get comfy!  This is a tutorial on making "pallet" signs and making new wood look old.  I think you might be surprised at the supplies I use for this one...or you might just think I am crazy.

Lets start with a bundle if IKEA bed slats.  YUP...BED SLATS!  Here are the reasons I like using these bed slats instead of regular wood from the hardware store or using actual pallets.

1.  The bed slats come cut the perfect length, that saves me the step of having to cut a bunch of wood when I am making alot of signs.  The saw scares me...alot!

2.  They are already sanded smooth and are good quality wood.  I could not buy this much wood at the hardware store for the price of the wood slats. 

3.  Pallets can be very difficult to take apart and require alot of cleaning, sanding and I am always worried about where that have been and what has been on them.  UCK!
4.  I love any reason to make a trip to IKEA.

Just unroll your bed slats and pull off the ribbon that is holing them together.  You might need to use some players to pull out some leftover staples. 

Line up 5 slats and then attach 2 braces with wood screws.  I did have to cut the brace pieces down to size.

I could use regular stain to finish them, but I find that it is hard to get a real "old" look with stains.  I love using Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in CURIO as a stain on raw wood.   

Not only does MMSMP in Curio give a great old wood look, but it dries so fast.  With stains you usually have to wait 12 - 24 hours, but the Milk Paint allows you to complete a project so much faster.

You will want to mix a very watered down mixture.  About 3 parts water to 1 part powder.  More water will give a lighter stain and more powder will give a darker stain.  

Brush a light layer of paint on the wood.

It literally dries super fast and will have a little bit of a chalky haze when it is dry.

Give the board a light sanding with a fine grit sanding brush.  Apply pressure and distress in random places to give the appearance of reclaimed or pallet wood.

Add you artwork of choice.

You can stop here and be finished with your sign, you will have a more bleached or washed wood look.  I like to add a little dark wax to deepen the color.

Just brush the dark wax on the wood and buff with a soft cloth.  The wax is so smooth and creamy.  LOVE.

And here are more styles sing the same steps.  You can see the different shades of "stain" you can achieve with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint.

If you are local, you can get all your Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint supplies at Pastiche at Main.   By the way, I am taking a Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Class at Pastiche this Thursday (3/13/14).  If you want to join me, you can sign up here...and be sure to tell them Funky Junk sent you!  http://www.pasticheatmain.com/#!workshops/cvgb