How to get a finish like an old red barn - question

[Dennis Peacock]

A friend of mine wants to finish a new piece of furniture with a finish that looks very much like that old "red barn" with the really aged paint look...including black steaks in the paint, dull, and dingy looking. How can one reproduce this "look" on a new piece.?

[Ted Phillips]

Personally, I would use milk paint. Start off with a dark grey or black base coat. Then put two or more red coats on top. When the red paint dries, use a Scotchbrite or fine sandpaper to sand off a little of the red paint so that the black shows through. Then take a bunched up brown paper shopping bag and burnish the surface. It will look aged. Make sure to use "real" milk paint powder that mixes with water. There are some milk paints out there that are acrylic based, not cassein-based.

To make the finish more durable, you can top it off with some lacquer or shellac to seal the finish.

[Prashun Patel]

I've done this a couple times on toy chests.

I did it by layering.

I painted with oil based, flat black enamel. Then I sanded through certain parts like the corners.
Next, I painted over with red enamel.
Next, I used a heat gun to blister some areas.
Next, I sanded through a little more aggressively, sometimes to reveal the wood, sometimes to just reveal the lower level.
Finally, I used nails to create dimples and scratches.

Sometimes I overcoat the entire thing with lacquer, but the enamel holds up just fine; and in fact, gets more realistic with actual age.

[Jim Becker]

Yup...this is a multi-step process of building and then destroying. :D

[Bill McNiel]

A friend of mine wants to finish a new piece of furniture with a finish that looks very much like that old "red barn" with the really aged paint look...including black steaks in the paint, dull, and dingy looking. How can one reproduce this "look" on a new piece.?

Hey, I live and work in a 100 year old red barn and it is neither "dull nor dingy looking".