Steel wool vinegar

[chris rand]

I’ve been experimenting with various wood dyes instead of using stain, but have been struggling to find the right formulation to make the grey color that my wife wants for the live edge dining table I’m making. I just read about a way to use steel wool vinegar to dye wood grey. Anybody have any experience with this technique? Is it stable? I’d most likely seal it with dewaxed shellac sanding sealer, then use Waterlox. Does anybody see a problem with this approach?

[Maurice Mcmurry]

One of my clients used a tea of steel wool and diluted muriatic acid to rapid age some deck repairs. I will try to get the details.

[Jim Becker]

It's a real and very useful way to provide an aging look or even a darker effect. It works the best on species that have a higher tannin content as it's somewhat a chemical reaction. It should be fine with sealing.

[Paul F Franklin]

It's a real and very useful way to provide an aging look or even a darker effect. It works the best on species that have a higher tannin content as it's somewhat a chemical reaction. It should be fine with sealing.

Haven't done it myself, but I understand you can use a solution made from powdered tannin to "pretreat" woods that are not naturally high in tannin to make the tea more effective...

[Prashun Patel]

If your wife is after a particular shade, I wouldn’t do this. The effect depends on the wood species and it’s age.

I would experiment with more dyes. Check out wd Lockwood . They have many more colors than transtint or transfast. You can mix them to get the exact tone you want.


You won’t need a sealer; you can go straight to the Waterlox . Waterlox will deepen and amberize the color . By deepen, I means dark grey or even brown may appear jet black after Waterlox . You really have to carry out your regimen completely on the bottom or on a test piece.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I had read about the steel wool and vinegar method but never used it until a friend approached me for some help. This guy is a very religious Catholic and wanted to dye wood to make crucifixes to sell for church funds. In short, it can work well but is dependent on the amount of tannins in the wood,the strength of the vinegar and the ratio between the vinegar/steel wool.

I made a special small parts sled for my tablesaw which we used to rip and cut to length the appropriate size wood parts with our fingers well away from the blade. He put some steel wool in a jar with vinegar and steel wool. After straining it with a coffee filter, he wiped it on and then wiped off the excess. He gave me a couple of his finished products which I gave to other Catholic friends of mine as gifts.

Give it a try keeping in mind the variables, the tannins in a specific species of wood, the concentration of the vinegar and the length of time the resultant liquid is allowed to remain on the intended wood. Do some experimenting.

[chris rand]

It's a real and very useful way to provide an aging look or even a darker effect. It works the best on species that have a higher tannin content as it's somewhat a chemical reaction. It should be fine with sealing.

well, the results are in! Did 4 test boards, and did one coat of the steel wool/vinegar mixture on the first board, 2 coats on the second, etc. The first board was too pale, and the 4th was too dark, but the middle 2 both came out great. Nice weathered grey look. However, I was absolutely shocked (pleasantly so) to see that when I added a coat of dewaxxed shellac, the grain popped like crazy. It’s like looking at a grey version of curly maple that’s been popped, and I didn’t expect it at all. I filled the pores with Aqua Clear, did another coat of shellac, and one more of aqua Clear sanded to 400. Topped with a coat of Waterlox and It look fantastic. Wife is thrilled. Now she just needs to decide between the 2 or 3 coat version.Thanks for everybody’s input.

[Wojciech Tryc]

well, the results are in! Did 4 test boards, and did one coat of the steel wool/vinegar mixture on the first board, 2 coats on the second, etc. The first board was too pale, and the 4th was too dark, but the middle 2 both came out great. Nice weathered grey look. However, I was absolutely shocked (pleasantly so) to see that when I added a coat of dewaxxed shellac, the grain popped like crazy. It’s like looking at a grey version of curly maple that’s been popped, and I didn’t expect it at all. I filled the pores with Aqua Clear, did another coat of shellac, and one more of aqua Clear sanded to 400. Topped with a coat of Waterlox and It look fantastic. Wife is thrilled. Now she just needs to decide between the 2 or 3 coat version.Thanks for everybody’s input.

I am glad that it worked out for you. Just to clarify, you applied the shellac coat(s) after 2(3) coats of the vinegar mixture?

[chris rand]

I am glad that it worked out for you. Just to clarify, you applied the shellac coat(s) after 2(3) coats of the vinegar mixture?

yes, unwaxed shellac (sanding sealer). I’d read that there should be no problem with that, and all seems ok, though obviously not much time has passed.

do you see a problem with doing it this way?

[Wojciech Tryc]

yes, unwaxed shellac (sanding sealer). I’d read that there should be no problem with that, and all seems ok, though obviously not much time has passed.

do you see a problem with doing it this way?

It should work just fine IMHO, thank you.

[Jim Becker]

If you want to avoid the "pop", do your sealing with a matte waterborne finish...the matte sheen will get you closer to the weathered wood look, too. When you get too glossy, you now have shiny wood that looks like it was dyed/stained grey-ish.