Transform fresh pine planks into aged and weathered barn board to create a rustic DIY tabletop or workbench perfect for a modern farmhouse look.

Materials

•Pine planks

•Varathane Ultimate Wood Stain (*Sun Bleached was used for this project)

•Varathane Wood Grain Enhancer in Black

•Triple Thick clear coat in the finish of your choice (Semi-gloss was used for this project)

•Rust-Oleum Tack Cloth

•Sandpaper

•Wire brush

•Lint-free rags

•Synthetic paint brush

•Various tools to create the distressing technique (ie. hammer, chisel, pliers, screw driver, chain, etc)

•All necessary safety equipment (ie. Protective eyewear, mask, latex gloves etc)

•Steel mending plates and screws to attached the planks together

How To

•Start by laying your wood on a sturdy, flat surface

•Randomly create a distressing effect by hammering small dents, divots, scrapes, and scratches into the surface

•Use a chisel to scrape the edges and use a hammer to dent the corners so they don’t look so “perfect”

•Once you’ve finished distressing the top, use a wire brush and scrape it in the direction of the wood grain over the entire surface.  This will create the look of heavier graining.

•Lightly sand all surfaces to ensure there are no splinters, and then wipe the entire plank down with a lint-free cloth to remove any sanding debris

•Use a tack cloth to do one final wipe over all surfaces to throughly remove any small dust particles prior to staining

•Once ready to start staining, wear protective gloves, and using a clean lint-free cloth, dip it into the stain and begin to apply it to the wood starting at one end and wiping with the grain

•When you’ve achieved the depth of stain colour you’re happy with, allow to dry throughly

•To create an aged look and highlight the distressed areas, apply a coat of Wood Grain Enhancer in Black using a clean lint-free cloth, and wipe against the wood grain

•Allow the Wood Grain Enhancer to sit on the surface for 1-2 min, and then wipe off any excess

•Once thoroughly dry, apply one coat of Varathane Triple Thick Clear Coat with a synthetic paint brush

•When the planks are completely dry, place them face down on a sturdy surface and attached mending plates to join the boards together and assemble the tabletop

•Install table legs or place on base, and enjoy!

WATCH our how-to video HERE!