Handmade Wood Stain: Vinegar and Steel Wool

I picked up this two-tiered, vintage table at a yard sale a long time ago and it sat in my living room for too many months, as I tried to figure out if it was worth fixing up.  Sometimes I would stare at it and brainstorm what I could do with it to make it attractive.  I even considered taking the top off, so that it would just be a normal, side table with cute, turned legs.  

Ultimately, I decide to go with a farmhouse style refinish for this little, out-dated side table.  I had been researching old-fashioned, non-toxic stains and finishes, so I decided to give one of the recipes a try.  

I started by completely removing the ugly, orange finish using my palm sander.  Underneath was just very light wood.

I mixed apple cider vinegar with grade 0000 steel wool in a mason jar with a tight lid.  I let the concoction sit for a few days to give the steel wool time to start dissolving.  The woodworking site stated that apple cider vinegar works better than regular vinegar for this finish, so that is what I used.  It also said that you could put rusty nails in with the steel wool.  I didn't have any on hand, so I just stuck with the steel wool.  I read that different wood turns different colors with this finish, so I wasn't sure exactly how it would turn out.

 I used a foam brush to apply the mixture to the bare wood. 

It got quite a bit darker instantly and, after soaking in, it darkened even more.  After two coats, it turned a kind of smoky-brown color.  I really enjoyed using this stain and it was much easier to work with than traditional, oil-based stains because it went on so smoothly and evenly.  The best part about this old-fashioned finish is that there are no toxic fumes like with the oil-based stains.

I used Country Gray Chalk Paint to paint over the orange finish on the legs and spindles of the table and then distressed them.  I waxed the tops of the table with Minwax Paste Wax to protect the finish. 

My miniature, farmhouse table transformation is complete!

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