Matching a weathered finish

My neighbor has asked me to finish a table for her. The table is a commercially produced solid wood table that apparently sat outdoors for some time. Probably at least a couple of years. The table has weathered differently in different spots, and my neighbor wants me to try to reproduce the effect of one of the spots of weathering on the whole table because she likes how it looks. I'll try to attach a photo for reference. The part she likes the look of, there are still portions of of the old manufacturers finish adhered to the table, but about half the finish has cracked and worn away. But on another part of the table, I think she tried to clean it, and rubbed off almost all of the remaining old finish so it's pretty much bare wood. Then the leaves have basically no weathering at all. On the leaves, I'm just going to try to distress it with a sander, but the part with the finish rubbed away has me stumped. Can I apply some sort of lacquer or varnish or something that looks like a manufacturer finish, and then cause it to chip off? I know how to make a crackle paint effect, but not with lacquer/varnish. After I'm done, I plan to put on a few coats of polycrylic. Thanks.Attachment 375475

That's a very difficult task. Distressing is one thing, but duplicating a depreciated finish is a tough ask. You can certainly take the distressing to "the next level" by abusing a fresh gloss finish and then seal any bare wood with matte/flat clear.

I've been pondering this one since last night. As Jim says, not an easy one at all. It can be done though by close study of the job. You need to work out which colours and effects are at each layer within the finish, bearing in mind that a finish has physical thickness and layers have thickness. Some of the colour will need to be right down in the timber. This is the basic colour. Dye is best to get this base colour but it will be a bright colour. You modify this brightness by using pigment stain and pigment lies on top of the dye. This duplicates aging to some extent. Once you have the colour, you can duplicate the weathered finish by breaking a few rules. You have some experience so if you choose the right combination of a hard finish over a soft one, with any luck it will pull and craze and get what you want.

I realise this is a bit generalised and leaves plenty of decisions for you to make but I am trying to distil 40 years experience into a couple of paragraphs. You will need to do a few tests. Cheers

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the thought that went into them. Walter, your response makes me think I may be on the right track. (I've been pondering it for a couple days, as well.) I had just about decided that the first attempt would be to use a dark-pigmented Varathane oil stain, followed by a lacquer, to hopefully get the chippy weathering. I've never used lacquer; My preferred finish is usually shellac or occasionally poly. As a woodworking hobbyist, I'm limited to brushed/wiped finishes or rattle-cans. I had also considered starting by aging the raw wood with a vinegar/metal/rust solution to produce a chemical aging effect.

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Originally Posted by Ginger Gibson

...Walter, your response...

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Sorry, should have said WAYNE, don't know why I read Walter! :)