Furniture Finishing Finesse

Antique New Pine Furniture

Piece looking too new? Sometimes it's good to pound on the furniture.

A new piece of pine furniture doesn't offer the charm of an antique. Inevitable scrapes and dents give character to old pine, but new pine can be aged easily by distressing it and applying a special glaze. You can find inexpensive new pine furniture at unfinished furniture stores, as well as some home-supply stores.

To begin the distressing, gather a variety of household tools. Use a hammer (gently) to make indentions and tap a bradawl (or hammer a nail) into the wood in tight clusters to simulate worm holes. A craft knife can be used to make scratches and chip away little pieces of wood along the edges. Use a screwdriver to add dents. You can also hit the wood with a chain to make a string of indentions.