Like the look of worn, antique wood? Learn how to give outdoor wood a beautiful weathered look in just a few hours!
Time A few hours
ComplexityBeginner
CostAround $30
Introduction
When I decided to build a cabin in the woods at age 18, just about everyone I told about the project asked the same question: "Are you going to build out of logs?"
Although I love the look of classic log cabins, my answer was always a decisive "no." The biggest reason boiled down to the difficulty of maintenance.
Like all outdoor wood, log buildings can be left unfinished so they gray naturally in the elements, or have a finish applied that needs to be redone every few years. Natural weathering was out, because it always looks unattractively blotchy, with some areas darkly weather-stained and more sheltered spots bright and new. Plus, refinishing a log building every three or four years is not my idea of fun.
So I opted to frame my cabin with studs rather than logs to avoid the trouble of maintaining outdoor wood. Then I fell in love with cedar shingle siding and covered my cabin with it, putting me in same conundrum as if I'd built with logs. I racked my brain trying to come up with a finishing approach that wouldn't involve years of frustration.
That's when I discovered Eco Wood Treatment. The Canadian product promised a non-toxic, water-based approach to giving outdoor wood that old-time weathered look. But unlike Mother Nature, it claimed to do it evenly, and in a few hours rather than a few years.
I bought some, tried it and was delighted. It made my cedar shingles look beautifully antique in a single afternoon, required only one coat and never needed refinishing. More than a decade and a half later, I still consider it the best outdoor wood finishing approach around.
Keep reading to learn how to give your outdoor wood a beautiful weathered look in just a few hours.
Tools Required
- 5-gallon pail (optional)
- Backpack weed sprayer
- Large brush or roller (optional)
- Random orbit sander (if your outdoor wood has old finish coatings)
- Tape measure
Materials Required
- 80-grit sanding discs (if your outdoor wood has old finish coatings)
- Distilled water
- Eco Wood Treatment Powder
Project step-by-step (6)
Step 1
Calculate area and purchase Eco Wood Treatment
- Measure the length and width of the outdoor wood you plan to spray with Eco Wood Treatment.
- Order enough Eco Wood Treatment to do the job, with a little extra. (It comes in packets that make one gallon, each covering about 150 square feet.)
Step 2
Remove any old coatings
- Inspect the outdoor wood you plan to treat carefully, looking for any pre-existing finishes.
- Remove any old coatings you find using a random orbit sander with an 80-grit disc.
Step 3
Mix Eco Wood Treatment
- Add the appropriate Eco Wood Treatment powder to your backpack sprayer (or five-gallon pail, if you’re only treating a small amount of wood and plan to use a brush or roller for application). Base it on the total square footage you’ll be treating.
- Add a corresponding amount of water to the backpack sprayer or bucket. Each packet of powder mixes with one gallon of water. Distilled water makes any leftover mixture last longer.
- Give the backpack sprayer or bucket a few shakes to ensure the powder fully dissolves. The water should turn a dull brown.
Step 4
Apply Eco Wood Treatment
- Spray or brush/roll the Eco Wood Treatment mixture thoroughly over the outdoor wood. Spray each area until it’s completely soaked, then move on to the next.
- Be sure to spray from different angles and heights to avoid leaving small patches of wood dry. It’s easy to miss spots, especially if you’re spraying a multi-faceted surface like cedar shingle wall siding.
Step 5
Check for full coverage
- Wait three hours, then do a thorough inspection of the outdoor wood you’ve sprayed.
- Identify any spots you missed (you’ll almost certainly find some), then wet these thoroughly with your backpack sprayer or brush.
Step 6
Clean sprayer and await results
- Empty any remaining Eco Wood Treatment mixture into a clean, empty gallon jug for future use.
- Clean your backpack sprayer by partially filling it with water, then spraying it for 20 seconds. Repeat this procedure with fresh water three times.
- Wait for the Eco Wood Treatment to fully take effect. It should give your wood a lovely, even weathered look after three to four hours, then continue to darken it slowly over the next month or two.
