Hi all, I'm creating a 'coastal garden' and would like to 'age' new tanalith sleeper to create a bleached driftwood appearance for a sleeper path. A number of writers recommend dissolving 0000 steel wool in white vinegar and applying to the rough timber. I could buy authentic concrete timberstone slabs but the price is eye wateringly expensive - twice the price of authentic stone and about 4 or 5 times that of new timber! Old railway sleepers are a no no because of the nasty stuff that they contain - creosote is not pleasant! any thought out there? cheers
One on the problems you have is that tanalith-e doesn't react with that solution. Anyform of pine is very low in tannin and doesn't react so well. What you can try is sanding off a small section of the greenish coating and then soak the area with a strong tea solution. The strong tea increases the level of tannin in the wood. I use iron sulphate solution on top of the tea to get that grey look. However, it can be achieved with a watered down wood stain. To get the deep grain effect of weathered wood, you need a wire cup brush in a power drill and run that up and down with the grain.
Cheers for this. Yes, I (my wife) want(s) the really harsh, gnarled, bleached/grey +effect - Timberstone do a 625 'plank' but its about £13+ and I need lots. Railway sleepers are getting a real thumbs down because of their carcinogenetic properties so I'm really scratching my head. Done plenty of interior 'ageing' but not like this which has to be durable. Any suggestions welcome.
Tanalith only goes a few millimetres into the surface of the wood so if you age it too much you are down to the untreated softwood. You can get hardwood sleepers that aren't creosoted. A sawmill might knock up some Larch sleepers for you which you could sand blast and they age grey.
I would beat the wood up a bit and then use one of these http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-fla...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CI3F3KqOn9QCFe8R0wode4oNcw and then get yourself some wood bleach, or a driftwood stain