Wood brushing is the process of artificial aging of the surface layer of lumber. The origins of this name are in English word brush, which means “to clean” or “brush”. In Russian, the same process is called wood structuring.
Under natural conditions, wood ages gradually. It is subject to weathering, and wear occurs unevenly - the looser layers age and fall out, while the denser ones remain. As a result, it forms beautiful picture, drawn by time itself.
Man constantly learns from nature. So here, having looked at the history of the creation of the natural aged structure of wood in nature, he decided to take it into his arsenal and achieve a similar effect for more a short time. Unlike the natural process, which weakens the wood, the artificial aging procedure, on the contrary, increases the strength of the wood. All loose layers are removed, leaving the hardest ones. Treatment special compounds protects the tree from rotting and damage by various bark beetles.
Brushing wood is a technique decorative finishing wood The design idea is not limited by anything, and the idea of giving a good-quality item an aged look has found its followers. Now this is a fashionable trend in decor, extremely in demand. It allows you to create a complete imitation of an expensive exotic type of wood, using ordinary affordable wood. Brown or grayish green with gold veins and pores, oak parquet with tinting white, sky blue or azure with platinum-colored pores - all options are subject to this technology.
Give space to your imagination, just don’t overdo it! Advice experienced designer will be useful to those who do not know the sense of proportion.
Brushing technology is used in the production of furniture, in finishing the interiors of shops, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and in private apartments. Brushing boards is widely used in the manufacture of parquet - with the help of sanding, uneven coloring and varnishing, parquet flooring will acquire its own individuality and a touch of mystery will settle in your apartment, a kind of flair of antiquity.
Brushing furniture in antique interior design
The technology for brushing wood is simple, but labor-intensive. If you need to use this technique on a small object, say a wooden box, then you can independently perform all the operations to decorate it, and at the same time enjoy the creative process. If you plan to completely process parquet or large furniture, then it is better to contact a company that provides such services and performs these procedures using professional equipment.
What types of wood are good for brushing?
It should be noted that not every type of wood accepts this type of decor. It is most preferable to use soft or medium-hard wood: oak, ash, walnut, larch. The structure of the tree must have a pronounced fibrous structure, otherwise the whole meaning of processing is lost. The fact is that the whole effect is based on tearing out soft fibers located between the annual rings of wood. This emphasizes the existing structure and makes it brighter and more contrasting. When the existing structure is homogeneous, it turns out that there is nothing to identify. However, it is possible to create the necessary surface on any wood, the only question is cost and time.
Important! The brushing process itself will not accomplish the task of aging wood. Without the use of wood coloring operations, the work will have an unfinished appearance. And painting with stains and other means requires the artist to creative approach and artistic taste.
Mechanical method brushing
The full cycle of wood brushing consists of the following operations:
- Initial treatment with wire brushes to remove some of the soft wood fibers from the surface layer;
- Sanding the structured surface with an abrasive polymer brush or coarse sandpaper;
- Painting with stain and other dyes, the result of which should be that same “antique effect”;
- Surface polishing, sometimes multi-layer varnish coating. In this case, after each layer has dried, the surface is thoroughly cleaned with thin abrasive sandpapers.
When brushing wood, all work can be done with your own hands, or using an electric angle grinder (grinder) or drill. You will need to purchase different attachments in the form of metal (steel, copper or aluminum) brushes and abrasive synthetic brushes; other devices for grinding and polishing wood.
Rough wood processing
When cleaning the surface of wood from soft fibers, it is recommended to move a wire brush in the direction of their growth. The speed of movement of the brush should also be the same on all parts of the surface.
Try to ensure even pressure on the brush so as not to make too deep holes and damage the pattern of the annual rings themselves. The scratches that appear on them are knocked out of general series and worsen work results.
To obtain a deeper effect of wood aging, some resort to crude methods of creating the necessary relief. Thus, even making various dents and nicks with an ax can have a highly artistic meaning. Of course, such processing is appropriate only on large interior parts.
To obtain the highest quality result, pay attention to the choice of the position of the lighting source - the light beam should be directed across the fibers. Only in this case will you be able to see all the subtleties of the acquired wood texture.
Wood blanks to be processed must be dried to a moisture content of 15-16%. This is necessary so that there are fewer fibers on the treated surface in the form of raised, but not torn fibers.
Sometimes you can do without a wire brush. You will need to use a universal abrasive brush made of polymer-abrasive materials. The principles of operation of abrasive synthetic and metal brushes are the same, but when working with the latter, the result will be delicate processing of wood, with less pronounced roughness.
Sanding a textured surface
Sanding removes the remaining “shaggy” material, in the form of lint from wood fibers, and creates a surface that is pleasant to the touch. You cannot sand the protruding parts on the surface very hard, because they can break off during use. Grinding is carried out using a universal abrasive brush or sandpaper.
Adding an antique effect with paint
After we have successfully created the desired surface relief of the wood, simulating time treatment, it is necessary to enhance this effect with the help of staining. Agree that fresh wood with signs of wear will still look new if you do not change its color.
The play of colors can change our workpiece beyond recognition. With the help of a simple painting procedure, if done professionally, ordinary wood will have a solid and presentable appearance.
Most affordable way painting a brushed surface - applying stain and then washing it off. The paint will be absorbed into the soft layers of wood instantly, but the hard areas will not have time to paint. Due to this, the natural pattern of the wood layers will appear and the material will receive an interesting texture. You can add gold paint (or another of your choice), after applying which you need to run a spatula along the plane of the wood. This will remove excess paint; it will only paint over pores and dents.
If brushed wood is used to cover floors or countertops and shelves, it would be advisable to fill all pores and dents with special transparent putties. This will prevent dirt from getting into the pores and cracks of the material.
Finishing - polishing and varnishing
In order for the decorated surface to be fully ready for use, it must be thoroughly polished, wired or varnished.
The effect of old wood is achieved through the use of a special craquelure varnish, which promotes the formation of small cracks on the surface. Paint or coal dust is rubbed into these cracks, which ultimately produces a beautiful, unique pattern.
Chemical brushing method
Chemical methods for brushing wood can be used to make it easier mechanical removal fibers, or are carried out without additional mechanical influences at all. Meaning chemical exposure lies in the ability of some active chemical solutions to soften or corrode wood fibers. It is possible to use acids, alkalis, and any caustic compounds. When using high concentration formulations active ingredients, which decompose wood fibers, you can do without finishing the texture with brushes, you will just need several stages of applying and rinsing off the product.
The chemical brushing method is accompanied by the release of pungent odors, so it is better to carry out the work in the fresh air.
After creating the surface relief using chemistry, further decoration is carried out in the same way as with mechanically brushing.
Safety precautions
The work of brushing, although not particularly difficult, requires a lot of effort and time. For high-quality execution decorative processing you will need to purchase expensive paints, stains and other products. Vapors of solutions at chemically, the smell of paint and varnishes is especially harmful to our health - we should buy respirators, however, even if machining There are many points from which we must protect ourselves:
- Wear gloves, use a respirator and safety glasses;
- If work is carried out using electric cars, follow all safety requirements to protect against electric shock and damage from rotating machinery.
Do-it-yourself wood brushing is interesting technology, which allows you to artificially age the tree. Under normal conditions, this process occurs very slowly; patterns are formed over several decades. IN winter periods darker stripes appear, while summer is characterized by relatively light, loose fibers. However, now you can achieve a similar effect at home, without overpaying for expensive aged wood.
Brushing wood - what is its essence
The main purpose of this process is to give the usual wooden surface artificial effect of antiquity through instrumental processing. Light soft fibers are removed, which makes the wood visually older, and a kind of original relief appears, characteristic only of fairly old trees. Depending on the goals pursued, the depth of surface treatment can vary significantly. Thus, the depth of roughness and irregularities can reach 2-3 mm, when it is necessary to recreate the effect of deep rough aging.
Unlike natural aging, brushing wood helps to improve the strength characteristics of wood, its durability, and also prevents the development of rotting and damage from the action of fungi or insects. All this is achieved through the use of special antiseptic solutions and compositions to protect the wooden surface.
You should know that not all tree species can be subject to artificial aging. For example, wood with a uniform, dense structure is extremely undesirable for this process. Therefore, some species, including teak, alder, beech, maple, will be quite problematic to age.
The best way to use wood coniferous species. Unfortunately, pine, which is the most affordable, cannot boast of a beautiful and unusual pattern, so even brushing cannot greatly improve the situation. If you take larch or spruce, the effect will be simply excellent; you will be able to obtain unique rich textures of patterns at home.
It is also worth remembering that before proceeding directly to brushing, the wood must be prepared for this process. First of all, the material should be as smooth and even as possible; there should be no nicks, irregularities or other defects. Humidity should be within 10-15%, otherwise the fibers will only tear during processing, forming small pile, and artificial aging will not be achieved.
Brushing at home - what tools will you need?
When doing brushing yourself at home, you will need a small list of available tools. First of all, these are brushes, which are rather rough disc-type brushes, the bristles of which are made of steel or brass. To obtain uniform processing, experts recommend buying brushes that are similar in shape to a roller, as well as with a wider end side.
The main work is carried out precisely by brushing, the task of which is to remove the largest part of the fibers. Naturally, the surface after such treatment remains too fleecy and rough. For improvement appearance surface we will need nylon synthetic brushes. A special feature of such brushes is abrasive powder of various fractions, which is fused into the thickness of the plastic. The cost of synthetic brushes may be unpleasantly surprising, but it would still be very advisable to purchase them, since they eliminate and remove fine lint that interferes with polishing and painting, and besides, the wood looks much prettier after treatment with such brushes.
Next, brushes with natural hard bristles, for example, made of coarse wool or sisal brushes, come into play. They are used to polish the surface. This stage of brushing is not mandatory, but if you want to achieve the maximum quality of wood, then polishing is indispensable.
If necessary, you can use electric tools, for example, an angle grinder or a drill. However, working with brushes is more advantageous in the sense that you can completely control the force of pressure and the direction of stripping. In any case, do not forget to purchase anti-dust glasses, as well as gloves, since when sanding, a lot of small fluff will get into the air, which can harm your eyes.
Brushing technology - main stages
So, all necessary tool purchased, wooden boards lie in front of us. Let's start brushing.
All surface treatment technology is carried out in accordance with this scheme:
- metal brushes to remove soft fibers
- Sanding cleaned wood using synthetic abrasive brushes
- Painting with special solutions that help impart visual effect aging
- Wood polishing and varnishing.
Step 1. Preparatory work. We check the tree with which we have to work. If it is too wet, it is necessary to dry it, but if it is too dry, then, on the contrary, moisten it, since with dry wood the amount of waste, sawdust and dust increases significantly. At this stage we will use a wire brush. It should be remembered that only soft fibers must be removed. If the brush is so hard that it even touches hard fibers, the tool should be replaced immediately. Movements are made at low speed along the direction of movement of the fibers.
Step 2: Sanding. Now we need an abrasive brush with which we will polish the wood. Carefully pass over the cleaned surface in order to remove all remaining fibers and eliminate roughness. As a rule, this does not require much time; it is enough to carefully sand the wood several times to achieve the desired result.
Step 3: Polishing. To give the brushed treated wood a polished look, we use sisal brushes. It is worth noting that this tool allows you to achieve a unique decorative texture of a wooden surface. You may also need fine-grit sandpaper to polish the material. After completing all the work, we once again carefully remove all debris, dust, and dry the surface.
Step 4. Painting. Beautiful decorative look can result from gilding, painting, patination and other effects. If you apply several layers of stain to wood, you can observe the appearance of beautiful contrasting textured images. Products are also brushed with gold paints, which look original in microcracks and depressions. After applying the paint and its complete drying, the surface will need to be polished again. This is due to the fact that during painting various irregularities and roughness may appear, including paint sagging, but polishing will completely eliminate these defects.
Step 5. Varnishing. Coating with various compounds to protect the surface, increase its durability and reliability. If they brush parquet boards, then a special parquet varnish, allowing you to maintain the basic positive consumer qualities of the floor throughout its entire service life.
Wood aging technique – where is it used?
Brushing falls into the category of relatively simple processes, which are available to absolutely everyone. For this reason, this technology has found application in many areas of human activity. Brushing is most popular in the production of interior items and room decoration. Living rooms and halls decorated wall panels, mantels, columns, furniture from visually, look very beautiful and original, create warmth and comfort in the room.
Furniture deserves special mention, as manufacturers are increasingly trying to use brushed wood elements and structures. Moreover, using this method you can make absolutely any furniture, be it a closet, shelves, chests of drawers, beds, etc. The only limiting factor in in this case– this is fantasy and creativity.
Finally, we note that due to its availability and demand, broaching is often performed at home. In these cases, you should never forget about safety precautions. Therefore, you should work with tools very carefully, especially if you work with a drill or other power tools. All processes are carried out in special equipment - safety glasses and gloves. Sometimes you may even need a respirator if the amount of dust in the air is too high, or when working with antiseptic solutions.
Brushing a wood surface is original way make the tree more beautiful, unusual and attractive. This trend in the field of room decoration is gaining more and more fans both among designers and ordinary apartment owners, since the process of artificial aging is very simple and accessible to everyone. You just need to spend a little time and effort to get luxurious furniture or a chic antique-style ceiling.
The undeniable advantage of wood is the simplicity (with the proper skill) of processing it on your own. One of the ways to decorate various blanks (or products) made from this material is brushing. This technology has another name - “ artificial aging» tree. This article is devoted to how to do this yourself.
It is based on the characteristics of the tree. Its structure is heterogeneous, as evidenced by the annual rings on the cut (their arrangement patterns are also different). In fact, any wood is a material in which hard and soft fibers alternate. Naturally, to age a sample, it is enough to process its top layer. For this special tool the “pulp” is selected from it. As a result, there is some relief of the surface and more clearly defined annual rings. On final stage The selected “finishing” decorative composition is applied to the workpiece.
In fact, over time, any tree is subject to aging, as it gradually wears out - a natural process. But with the help of this technology you can artificially speed it up with your own hands. This is precisely the meaning of brushing wood.
This technology gives the master great opportunities to realize his ideas. Brushing is used to produce any tint. There are no special instructions here - it all depends on your own imagination. The most common technique (but not the only one) is creating a “patina effect”. It is understood that the wood is painted one color, and its pores - another. This allows you to make even the most “boring” tree more attractive.
What do you need to know?
Not every wood can be artificially aged. This largely depends on how pronounced the annual rings are, as well as on the difference in the density of the structural layers.
You can brush:
- Larch.
- Wenge.
- Ash.
- Pine.
- Merbau.
- Nut.
- Jatoba and a number of others.
Brushing is not advisable for the following breeds:
- Alder.
- Pear.
- Birch.
- Cherry.
- Maple.
What will you need?
All work, of course, is done manually. There are no specific instructions for choosing a tool. Firstly, these are rather devices that are used when processing wood, and you should focus on what the master has at his disposal. It’s hardly worth buying something specifically for brushing. Secondly, a suitable device is determined based on the dimensions of the workpiece. After all, in order to independently age, for example, floorboards and small wooden box(in this case, jeweler's precision is required), you will have to use various instruments.
1. Soft fiber removal tool. Options – brushes (for working with metal), and several different ones; scalpel; chisel; awl; sandpaper. The process can also be mechanized if you use an electric drill. You just need to purchase the appropriate attachments in the form of hard brushes.
2. Products for the “finishing” of wood – oils, paints, wax, varnishes, stains.
Operating procedure
The instructions below should be considered only as a “guide to action”. If the meaning of all operations becomes clear, then brushing yourself will not cause any difficulties in any case.
1. First “passage”.
At this stage of material aging, a coarse abrasive is used. The task is to select soft fibers from wood without damaging the hard ones. Consequently, you will have to select the tool (in terms of “hardness”) yourself, focusing on the type of wood.
Depending on this, the speed of movement of the abrasive is determined. Working too hard can cause the fibers to overheat and “cook”, making the wood more difficult to process. The movement pattern of the device is along them, not across them. If an electrical appliance is used, then it is advisable to set the speed to low or medium. This process is always accompanied by dust. To avoid this, the wood should be slightly moistened.
2. Sanding.
The task is to carry out a “finishing” treatment, remove residual fibers, remove existing roughness hard layers. A “softer” tool is already used here, for example, a polymer brush with an abrasive coating. After the dust has been removed, it will be possible to evaluate the quality of brushing. If the master is not satisfied with it, then he will have to repeat the initial “passing”, although this is done extremely rarely.
The second stage allows you to realize all plans for decorative design wood For example, to sample the “pulp” on separate areas, thereby simulating cracks in the board. There are many options, and it’s not difficult to figure out what and how, depending on the specifics of the further use of the workpiece.
3. Polishing.
The last stage of wood aging. The task is to give the surface of the workpiece “smoothness”, emphasize all the relief of the wood and prepare it for the “finishing” design. The finest abrasive is used - hair and sisal brushes, sandpaper of minimal grit. Before moving on to final step brushing, you need to check the moisture content of the wood. If necessary, dry additionally.
4. “Finish” finishing.
The process of brushing the material ends here, because all further operations are not always carried out. Their feasibility is determined by the purpose of the wood product and the desire of the craftsman.
Options – patina, additional aging (darkening) with stain, painting, gilding. Much also depends on the consistency of the product used, since hard and soft fibers will absorb it with different intensity.
To achieve a truly unique wood design, it makes sense to practice on small samples. This will allow you to “feel” the wood and make its brushing better.
5. Varnish coating.
To do it or not is determined independently. The only condition is that the composition applied before this must dry completely.
In principle, the brushing process is not particularly difficult even for a person who has not previously worked professional work with a tree. The material presented is purely informative. If the meaning is clear, then you can develop your own wood processing technology.
The main tools for brushing wood: brushes, machines, machines and equipment with attachments. For home use and small volumes of work, it is enough to use brushes or an angle grinder with attachments. For large volumes, it is advisable to purchase machines and machines.
For rough cleaning, grinder attachments with metal bristles are used, and for final cleaning - with copper and sisal bristles. Also suitable for finishing is the abrasive-polymer brush “Piranha”, which allows you to selectively remove wood fibers: it removes the soft ones and leaves the hard ones. As an alternative to a polymer one, it is better to use a nozzle with copper bristles, as it cleans much better.
To avoid burning the surface at high speeds when working with the Piranha brush, you need to buy a speed controller included.
“Piranha” can be used not only on an angle grinder, but also on some others polishing machines Makita. Attachments for drills differ from grinder attachments in the type of fastening and the width of the brush - from 5 cm. There are huge selection polymer brushes without abrasive suitable for drills, as well as wide choose brushes designed for grinders.
Hand tools: brushes, sandpaper, torch
Hand brush for metal
Cleaning also helps to reveal the beautiful structure of wood. sandpaper with 80 grit. Using a chisel, you can make not only longitudinal depressions in the wood fiber, but also deep enough cracks to give the effect of cracking. If you have the opportunity to choose wood, always choose the best, avoid rotten wood as much as possible.
Instead of attachments on an angle grinder, you can use a hand brush for metal. In order for the brush to be more rigid, it is necessary to trim it with a grinder. The stiffer the pile, the easier it is to highlight the structure.
After the surface has been prepared, it must be fired using a kerosene burner. Using gas for these purposes is absolutely not suitable. As a result of firing with a torch:
- small and unnecessary fibers are removed;
- highlights the wood structure;
- dries out upper layer wood
Machine tools and machines
The workpiece for brushing must be smooth and polished. To do this, you need to run a thicknesser along the wood fibers to get a result suitable for finishing floors or making furniture. There are many machines and machines for brushing on the market, but they are profitable to purchase when it is necessary to process large volumes of surface, for example, when processing flooring.
Machine FESTOOL RUSTOFIX RAS 180
It is worth highlighting several models of special equipment for brushing, one of which is the stripping milling machine, or as it is also called the brushing machine FESTOOL RUSTOFIX RAS 180. This machine comes with 3 brushes:
- The first brush is intended for brushing. It consists of steel wire.
- The second brush is used for intermediate grinding and consists of synthetic bristles.
- The third is intended for surface polishing and is made of sisal.
