My Vintage Porch

Interior Design, DIY, and Refurbishing

New Wood Made Old

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I found this little oak cabinet at a thrift store for $15 and I thought that it would be perfect to store my essential oils. I didn’t love the wood tone of it and, if you know me, you know I love old things! It was empty inside, so first I had my hubs add some shelves for me. He cut 2 wood pieces to size and used our nailer, nailing through the outside of the cabinet, to hold them in place.

I took off the hardware and decided to add a different knob. Since I wanted the cabinet to look old, I was planning to rust the knob and hinges.

Here are a couple of before pictures…

The grains in the wood are gorgeous. I knew that I didn’t want to paint it, because didn’t want to loose the wood grain.

I sanded the whole piece with my hand sander, using 60 grit sandpaper to remove the old stain and finishing off with 150 grit to smooth out the surface. I left a little of the stain on the piece, as you can see below, because I wanted a little variation in the wood tone, without having to stain it. I loved the look when it was all sanded to bare wood, but it still had a twinge of “yellow” in the wood.

I beat it up a little with some hammers to make it look even more rustic and old.

I made sure I had different hammers with various edging so that the markings would vary in shape.

My attempt at getting the “yellowy” look to be gone from the wood is this liming wax. I love using it, but it sure stinks to high sky! Make sure to use a mask and gloves for projects such as these.

I wiped the liming wax on the cabinet with a lint free cloth, making sure that I had a damp cloth close by in case I accidentally applied too much wax. With this piece, it didn’t matter as much with the amount, because I was planning on sanding it down again after lime waxing it.

After the wax was applied, I sanded it by hand with 150 grit sand paper to take off some of the liming wax. I didn’t desire for it to be white, but wanted to lighten up the wood a little. It worked perfectly!

Meanwhile, I ironed a piece of this paper that I had made look old for another project. I made lots extra so that I could use it for other projects. Ironing the paper made it so much easier to print.

I tried to print something on it prior to ironing it and my printer would not accept the paper…it was too wrinkly. I used a high heat setting on my iron, but did not hold it on the paper. I swiped it over the paper quickly and it flattened it out just enough for me to be able to print on it. I practiced on a couple with the printing process to make sure that it looked good before printing on the old paper that I wanted to use.

Since I wanted it to be used for my essential oils, I thought it would be fun to have some sort of Apothecary name on the front. I typed out what I wanted it to say in a word document and printed it on a scrap paper first, to make sure the sizing was what I desired.

Once I adhered the paper to the front of the cabinet with matte modge podge, I sanded down the edges on the paper to give it an aged look and make it seem as though it was starting to peel off over time.

Chester is always part of my projects, so….

After I had painted the hardware with the first two steps in the rusting process, it was ready to be sprayed with the activator.

I decided that I wanted to add a little antiquing wax to make the wood look a little more aged than it already did. I used a lint free cloth and added the dark wax very lightly along the edges and sparingly in some other areas. I made sure not to add too much, as I didn’t want the wood to be super dark, just more of an aged look.

Here is another look at the “before”…

And, the “after”…

I didn’t seal the wood since this will not be a high traffic piece. I love the way it turned out and can’t wait to load it up with my essential oils…now to find a place to put it.

If you were following along on IG stories, I would love to hear what you thought I might use it for.

I love how the wood not only looks aged, but a little weathered as well!

I would love to hear what you think of the finished cabinet in the comments below. Time for the next project!

View More Related Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. This turned out so amazing just like everything you do! You have such talent, I love following you and learning.

    Thank you for all that you share.

    Best,
    Sheila

  4. Love it! I love using the liming wax. I got that idea from you and have toned down several things I have done with it. I don’t blog, therefore I don’t post the things I do. But, I love your blogs and look forward to them every night! When you didn’t post for a couple days, I asked your sister! Lol!

  5. I loved it so much and also love that sweet Chester as well. Always happy to see him in your pictures.

  6. Thanks for sharing the process. This little cabinet looks amazing!! You’ve got a great talent for diy.

  7. Cool! Happy like the lime wax! Thanks for all your efforts to share your projects! You are very appreciated ????

  8. I LOVE it! You always do such a good job and are so creative. I love how you put a piece of your heart in every piece and project!

  9. You never cease to amaze me when you do your projects!! Turned out amazing! Love how you added the distressed paper. Such a perfect piece for your oils.

      • I love it! I have never known about the bleached look so will be checking that out too! FYI: my daughter works at Sherwin Williams and when I was getting paint from her last week, I was trying to find Dove White. I said it’s what you use. She immediately told me it was a Benjamin Moore paint and knew the color, so I guess the word is out!

  15. kaycee could hide his Russian
    Vodka in it. It’s beautiful Natalie.
    Seriously, I think it will work great for your oils.

  16. WOW JUST WOW!! Natalie, that turned out AMAZING! You are so talented at so many things, how do you envision stuff and then actually make it come out that way? My projects never do 🙁

  17. This looks amazing! I had no idea where you were going to go with this but definitely love the outcome!!!

  21. You make me want to DIY and repurpose everything! I’m planning on visiting some local thrift shops with my mom soon! I can’t wait!

  25. Not gonna lie I love seeing a swipe up with a come see the end result because I love seeing the process and then being absolutely stunned with the end result. This is amazing! Looks so different and gorgeous!!! Plus you do your projects so quickly. It would take me months. ????????

  28. This turned out beautifully. As does everything you do. Please write a book with your diys. Love you girl! ❤️

  31. Gorgeous as always. I love the old wood process. I am attempting it on my dining room table. Thanks for the inspiration. You rock.

  32. I’m so impressed at your techniques for removing color from old wood.
    And your vision for a piece of unchanged furniture is amazing.

  33. Love it! You have been gifted by God with an eye to see hidden beauty in things, and the knowledge and skill to make it happen! I so enjoy your “before and afters”. ❤️

  34. I love this. You always have the most creative ideas with your projects. You are always such an inspiration!!

  35. OMG>>> so amazing. Love watching your projects..It always makes me on the hunt for something similar
    Thank you for sharing

  37. I ABSOLUTELY love it!!! The paper and the sign make it just ????. You’re super talented. Hugs!!

  38. I’m absolutely in love!!! We have a golden doodle named Jude and she needs one of these! You did a great job as always. Continued prayers for your health! Love you & your family’s content on your Instagram:)

  39. I love this transformation. I too love old things. I am going to have to try the liming wax. What is the difference between liming wax and just white wax?

    • Thank you, Cheryl! I guess I’m not really sure all the differences between liming and white wax. I feel like I get a bit of a different look with each and liming wax seems to stick to the wood better and differently…the white wax I’ve used is a lot less stinky…so that’s a plus.

  40. Wow! You are one amazing talented and creative lady. I clicked on the before picture because I thought what in the world can she do with that plain blah cabinet ????I love the color. Very inspiring.

  42. The little cabinet turned out great. So very creative of you. On another subject…this is related to a conversation I had with my dogs veterinarian yesterday. You might want to check with your dogs vet about using essential oils in your home. Mine told me that some oils are very toxic to dogs…and frequently, cats are even more sensitive than dogs. I was shocked to hear that and my response was, “ but they are natural!” The vet said, “so are asbestos and arsenic.” She went on to explain that although humans can tolerate many essential oils, that the sensory and nervous systems for animals are not the same as humans. Since your wonderful dog appears to be a treasure to your family, I just thought I would pass this on, so you could check with your vet to find out which ones are okay for pets to be around and which ones might create a problem.

  43. Natalie!!! You continue to amaze me. I would have never imagined that and that’s why you will always be my DIY Queen ????

    Xoxo

  44. Adorable cabinet, Natalie!! I love the hardware transformation and the finish from the liming wax! For years I’ve played around with tea staining paper to use in different projects and found it super fun!! I’ve always done my printing first (black ink or colored) and then done the tea staining. This will save you the difficulty of feeding the paper through your printer after you’ve stained it. Thank you for your creative inspiration! Charlene

  45. My husband is a woodworker (hobbyist) & cringes when I want to paint his Oak creations but he knows I’m always following you and your DIY’s and is getting better with me trying out your ideas! He’s also buying less expensive wood! Anyway Thank you so much for your inspiration and sharing with us! You’re part of my recent retirement schedule! ????❤️????

  46. Thank you so much for sharing this project with us!! I absolutely love it! Natalie all your projects are amazing and I love that you share step by step with us. I learn so much! Thank you!!

Join me on Instagram
@vintageporch