Giving wooden surfaces an aged appearance by mechanical means- that’s what wood brushing is, in a nutshell. In fact, this is a very interesting and fascinating process, which is carried out not only by professional carpenters and designers, but also by many who like to work with their own hands.

Wood has always occupied, occupies and will continue to occupy a leading position among finishing materials, not to mention furniture and household items. That is why he is always given increased attention and preference. Aged wood goes well with any modern materials, giving the room uniqueness and originality.

What is the essence of brushing?

The natural aging process of wood occurs over a long period of time. The cut surface wears unevenly, the texture becomes uneven and somewhat wavy. Approximately the same effect can be achieved if you process wooden product special tools. When brushing wood, at its young age, they remove soft fibers, revealing the natural appeal of natural patterns in wood cuts.

Each product from natural wood unique and unrepeatable, thanks to individual properties each type of wood, moreover, each trunk. However, not every wood species can be aged. Before brushing wood, you need to know about its flexibility. this method. So, it is best to age pine, oak, larch, walnut, ash, wenge. But in relation to beech, maple, birch, cherry, alder this method finishing is practically ineffective. The wood of these species does not have a pronounced texture. The transitions between layers are hardly noticeable. different densities, or even completely absent.

Brushing equipment

To an inexperienced person, brushing wood may seem like a complicated and difficult process. In reality this is not the case at all. You need to have a room for creativity, that is, a workshop, necessary equipment and a little effort. To work you need to prepare:

• sandpaper in a set, with different degrees of grain;
• a set of special brushes for brushing wood;
• stain, preferably several shades to enhance color scheme;
• Transparent wood varnish for final finishing of the product.

Some craftsmen prefer mechanized labor to manual labor. Therefore, instead of ordinary brushes, an electric tool for brushing wood, equipped with a set of brushes, is used. You can also use a home drill with a speed controller with special attachments. Each of the brushes has its own purpose:

• a steel wire brush is needed for the main process - brushing wood with your own hands;
• a brush with synthetic fiber bristles performs the first sanding;
• A soft brush is necessary for final polishing of the surface.

It should be noted that it makes sense to purchase special equipment (machines or machines) to perform a large volume of work. If we are talking about isolated cases, then there is no reason to spend money on purchasing an expensive tool for brushing wood, and do the work manually.

How to brush wood correctly

The procedure for performing the wood aging procedure for manual and mechanized methods is the same. It is important to choose the correct rotation speed of the machine or adapt to the uniform movement of the brush. So how to brush wood with high speed engine is undesirable, you can bake the wood and get a defect that can no longer be corrected. Before starting work, it is recommended to pass the board through a thicknesser or sand it with a sander. Stages of aging boards:

1. The workpiece must be sprinkled with water to reduce the amount of dust. Then they begin the main process. The tool, mechanical, electric or manual, is moved along the location of the fibers with measured movements. For each type of wood, they experimentally select their own pace and mode of operation. It is important to thoroughly scrape the board and remove all soft fibers.
2. Next, brushing the wood with your own hands continues with a brush with synthetic bristles. Sanding should be done in the same order as hard processing was done - with movements along the grain of the wood. After sanding, the initial processing result will be noticeable. If the depth of the grooves seems insufficient, the process can be repeated. The main thing is not to overdo it, as you should brush the board carefully and accurately. At the same time, additional decoration can be done. Using a chisel, create artificial cracks and grooves that highlight the natural wood structure.
3. Final sanding is done with a soft-bristled brush or, if the work is done by hand, with sandpaper with the finest grain. The main thing is to make sure that the surface of the workpiece is absolutely smooth. This action prepares the tablet for final finishing. Upon completion of grinding, the workpiece must be cleaned of dust and dried.
4. Finish stage- this is giving the product a touch of antiquity, grace, nobility. This is where artistic talent comes in handy, if you have it. To do this, use stain different shades, gilding, silvering. For example, if you literally fill a board with stain and immediately remove the excess, then soft fabrics wood will absorb it and darken, but solid wood will remain light. It turns out a very beautiful effect.
5. The painting process ends with another polishing cycle after the paint has dried.

Varnishing of brushed wood is done last, when it is appearance fully corresponds to the expected result. But before this, the workpiece must be thoroughly dried.

Sometimes, in order to speed up the process and make labor easier, acids, alkalis and others are used for brushing. chemicals, corroding the tree. In this case, steel brushes are not needed. The composition is applied to the surface of the board, then washed off, and so on several times. Such work will not bring much satisfaction, and it will cause great harm. Chemicals should be handled in protective equipment and outdoors.

Where are products with brushed surfaces used?

Brushed wood looks appropriate in the interior of any style and architectural direction. With her participation, stylish decorative items are created. Planks with an aged surface are used to decorate sections of walls and ceilings; they fit perfectly into the cladding fireplace portals, ceiling beams, decorative and real columns.

Furniture finished with brushed details in combination with patinated metal, especially copper, always looks sophisticated and elegant. Very popular among connoisseurs of antiques and cabinetmakers wooden blanks, whose appearance was worked on by bark beetles. It is impossible to achieve such an effect artificially. Therefore, products made from such wood are especially highly valued by experts.

For a true master, the ability to age with your own hands wooden decor shouldn't be a problem, especially since this technique is used quite often. We have described for you the technique of performing the work and compiled a list of tools for brushing wooden products with your own hands.

What wood to use

The essence of brushing is a more vivid manifestation of the texture of wood, its natural pattern. This is achieved by creating a relief surface from which soft fibers are removed, while hard fibers, on the contrary, remain. Hence the first obvious truth: there must be fibers of different densities in wood.

Therefore, species with a uniform, dense structure, such as maple, beech, alder or teak, are not suitable for brushing. But this does not mean that hard wood cannot be aged by brushing. For example, when processing oak boards a very interesting effect is achieved: the appearance of thin, ragged scratches, which, if painted correctly, makes such products a very valuable decoration.

Looks best after brushing conifers. The most common pine has a poor texture, and the pattern after processing is unlikely to surprise anyone. But in spruce and larch truly unique patterns appear.

Any wood for brushing must be qualitatively planed and free from any kind of defects and blemishes; brushing will not eliminate them. The moisture content of wood should ideally be 10-12%, but in any case not more than 15%, otherwise the fibers will tear and form abundantly fine pile.

Brushes and other tools

The main work when brushing is done with brushes. These are fairly coarse metal disc-type brushes with brass or steel bristles. It is desirable that the brush has a wide end part and is close in shape to the roller - this way the processing will be more uniform. The thickness of the wire depends entirely on the type of wood: the pile should be 7-10 times thinner than the soft veins, while straight wires are preferable to “curly” ones.

The brushes select the bulk of the fibers, but the surface remains too rough and fleecy. The quality of processing can be improved with the help of synthetic nylon brushes, in which abrasive powder of different fractions is fused into the thickness of the plastic. This type of sanding helps eliminate most of the small nicks and lint that interfere with painting; without them, the surface looks cleaner and more pleasant.

The third stage of processing is usually avoided, but if you want a premium surface quality, then brushed wood will have to be polished. Due to the presence of pores, this is not easy to do; it is necessary to use brushes with hard natural bristles, for example, sisal or coarse wool.

Good processing quality is achieved, as a rule, when using power tools. A drill will be preferable to an angle grinder; when working with it, it is easier to control the direction of grinding and speed. Careful fixation of the workpiece is also necessary; a pair of clamps will come in handy. And, of course, you will need means of protection against dust, which is generated more than abundantly, and its removal: a vacuum cleaner, glasses and gloves will definitely not be superfluous.

Work order

At the first stage of processing, the dry and clean surface of the wood is treated with rough brushing, tearing out the soft layers to the desired depth. The most reasonable thing would be to orient the front surfaces of the parts across the layers of fibers, where there are many veins and they are thin. But do not forget that all visible planes must be processed, otherwise the contrast will be too noticeable.

You need to move the brush strictly along the fibers without strong pressure. Small irregularities on the plane will inevitably remain; this is the main disadvantage (or advantage) of manual wood processing. The number of revolutions is 1500-2200, although this value may differ for different breeds.

The main nice thing about brushing is that it opens up a wide field for experimentation and can be used with deviations from the basic rules if visual design goals require it. For example, when you tear wood across the grain, you leave a random pattern of rough scratches, which can be useful for rare decorative inserts.

After brushing the wood, it’s time for sanding. A synthetic abrasive brush is directed along the fibers until roughness visible to the naked eye is completely eliminated. From time to time, the workpiece needs to be tapped on the back side to remove accumulated dust from the pores and evaluate the quality of processing. After removing lint and burrs, it’s time to polish to give the surface a smooth and slightly glossy appearance. This can be done either with a brush on a drill or manually using the hard part of a kitchen sponge.

Features of working with floor coverings

Not only furniture elements, platbands and all kinds of decor can be brushed. This processing technique is often used to imitate the aging of parquet and parquet boards.

The main difficulty in working with wooden floors is the large amount of work involved. The drill is of little use here: uniformity of processing and productivity suffer. At such volumes, it is reasonable to purchase or temporarily use a brush sander. This will allow you to maintain a uniform scratch depth with the brush, and then quickly sand over a large area.

For the floor, it is not recommended to show deep wood relief, otherwise the coating will get very dirty and difficult to wash. Optimal depth- 0.5-0.8 mm, so the wood on the floor will become warm and pleasantly rough, and the unnatural gloss will disappear.

Processing, painting, patination

Texturing wood is only half the battle. Brushing has the ultimate goal of visually highlighting the wood texture; most often, this is achieved by painting using special techniques.

You need to make sure that the fiber selection is done well and the surface is ready for painting. For this purpose, water-based stains are used with a light tanning or cauterizing effect. Application should be done with a brush, carefully wiping along the fibers and monitoring the lifting of small fibers in the process. If such are present, the surface must be thoroughly dried and lightly treated again with a grinding brush, breaking off dried and hardened burrs.

It is convenient to use a soft sponge instead of a brush - the paint is distributed more evenly and without excess

When painting, most often the arrangement of tones repeats the play of light and shadow on irregularities: depressions are painted in a dark color, ridges in a light color. To do this, the surface is first opened with a richly dark varnish, and then wiped with a sponge or rag, removing the remaining varnish from hard fibers where it does not have time to be absorbed.

When working on a large surface, uniform coloring is achieved after complete drying of the dark dye and subsequent light processing with a petal disc with grit P400-800. When the bulges are highlighted, they are opened with colorless or light-colored parquet varnish.

Another coloring option offers inversion: the upper tier of the relief is planned to be dark, and the depressions are painted in a light tone. In this case, the surface is first tinted with dark polyurethane varnish and dried. This is followed by the application of a light opaque composition, the excess of which is removed with a rubber spatula to reveal the dark substrate on the ridges.

There are several methods of sanding wood, each allowing you to achieve a specific result. Recently, wood brushing with your own hands has become increasingly common. This method makes it possible to change the surface of solid pine or other wood that is used to create furniture or flooring in the house.

What is brushing?

Chemical brushing can be called a special method of finishing wood. It is used to obtain lining high quality. When processing lining or wood, the master uses a special tool that allows the materials to be better prepared for the floor or complete finishing of the house.

Wood brushing is a special sanding process using a special brush, when the master removes the top fibers of larch or other wood, which allows you to achieve the effect of highlighting the structure of the growth rings. Larch is used after achieving the desired effect when creating furniture for the home, when creating floors and in other cases. The master performs a similar effect for artificial aging of wood. In this case, the boards do not lose their strength, as during the natural course of the process in question. The method involves the use of a special tool, a machine with a special attachment, or a specific machine.

Scope of application

A high-class craftsman carries out wood processing to create a board that is applicable in the following cases:

1. in the manufacture of stairs in the house;
2. when preparing larch for flooring;
3. in the production of furniture;
4. if you need to make a different lining or arc material for built-in furniture or other elements for the home.

The master can use a brush, a power tool, a special machine or other tool. To create expensive furniture, it is carried out manual processing, the master uses a brush and other tools.

Which wood is most suitable for brushing?

For flooring or furniture at home, as well as when creating lining, various types of wood are used. However, the technology under consideration cannot be applied to all species; for example, it can be applied to larch, but not to beech.

When making lining or furniture, a master can use:

1. breed with soft growth rings;
2. flogged with hard growth rings.

Brushing technology by a master of the appropriate class is used for larch, walnut, oak, and ash. A brush and other tools can be used; the work can also be done on a machine. However, the effect cannot be achieved even if the work is performed by a high-class sander when modifying the method when it is necessary to process pear, cherry, beech or maple.

Structure protection

The class of the surface after brushing can be significantly increased by coating it with a special substance. The brushing method allows you to achieve beautiful effect, but this significantly reduces the protection of the structure. That is why you can improve the class of a product for the home by applying oil or wax using standard technology.

Oil or varnish makes it possible to make the structure protected from impact environment. Firing makes it possible to give the floor an unusual look.

Processing methods

Manual processing method

The highest surface class can be achieved by manual brushing. A brush is used for this. The brush is used to remove fibers layer by layer. It is important to note that broaching without process automation makes it possible to achieve a higher class.

Periodically, after removing each layer, firing can be carried out. Firing allows you to change the structure and change the color of the base. The brush is selected taking into account the type of solid wood.

It is advisable to use manual method removing fibers when creating decoupage. Decoupage – special method decoration, allowing you to manually create beautiful things. In this case, decoupage is coated with oil or varnish to give a special effect. The surface is often fired to achieve a unique result.

The manual method is rarely used to produce floor boards. Only expensive, high-end floor boards are made by firing and manually removing the fibers.

Mechanized processing

Decoupage can only be obtained by manual processing, but in other cases an angle grinder is used. This is due to the fact that decoupage requires painstaking work, and angle grinders are used only for large amounts of work.

Features of using an angle grinder include:

1. a tool called angle grinder - an angle grinder, which is rarely used when creating decoupage, but has received widespread in mass production;
2. The angle grinder has replaceable nozzles, which can be selected according to the type of wood. They can be changed quickly;
3. As a rule, an angle grinder operates from a household voltage network. There are versions that can be powered from a built-in power supply;
4. in some cases, an angle grinder is used to perform the primary stage of surface aging. After this, manual removal of the layers can be carried out. Therefore, in some cases, materials for decoupage are also initially processed by an angle grinder;
5. the tool allows you to significantly speed up the process, which reduces the cost of its implementation;
6. The quality of the result obtained is somewhat lower, but often it is sufficient.

Mechanization also makes it possible to fire or coat the surface with oil. The surface should be coated with oil or varnish because the fibers are very susceptible to temperature or humidity changes. Firing provides less protection to the structure. Often firing is a preliminary step before coating the surface of a nylon or other base. You can change the appearance by using a paint and varnish product.

Designing interior items in accordance with the style of the room is one of the integral tasks of designers in our time. The method of giving wood an aged look using various means has become especially popular.

This is explained by the fact that in the age of cars and fairly dense urban development natural materials, such as wood, are a kind of island of safety for humans - their connection with nature. This can be achieved using brushing, which has its own secrets and features.

Wood brushing method

Wood brushing is a chemical-mechanical aging of wooden products, which can be carried out using both certain technologies and special tools. This process is quite good due to the fact that the natural aging of wood occurs for a very long time and unevenly.

Removing soft fibers from the structure of wood to reveal its natural pattern is an excellent decoration method that you can do yourself without spending a lot of money. Every person can master this method; the only condition that is required is desire and a little free time.

Wood Brushing Tools

To a beginner who is not familiar with the process of working with wood, the technology of processing it may seem quite complicated and difficult. But in fact, by setting up or using a home workshop, as well as preparing the appropriate tools, you can even brush wood yourself.

This can be done without the use of technology using improvised means, or you can use the mechanization of the process. In the first case, you will only need a few things:

• several metal brushes, which have varying degrees of hardness;
• 2-3 types of sandpaper of different grain sizes;
• stain;

Brushes are designed to clean wood from unnecessary fibers and dirt. Sandpaper is used for polishing or rough grinding. After this, stain can be used to add brightness and color to the design, and varnish can be used to protect the product from the influence of external mechanical damage.

You can speed up the process by mechanizing the work, for which there are many tools and devices. This type of wood processing is productive and the right choice if the surface to be decorated is too large. For small amounts of work, classic traditional brushes are suitable. At the moment of brushing wood will do the following power tool:

• drill with speed control;
• a brushing machine, which comes with special brushes;
• grinder with different discs and operating modes.

Often, a stripping router equipped with three types of brushes for wood processing is used as a brushing machine. They all have different structures and perform different functions:

• steel wire brushes intended directly for brushing;
• brushes made of synthetic material, which can be used for intermediate grinding;
• sisal brushes, with which you can finish polishing the entire product.

In each specific case, wood processing is carried out using certain tools that best give the desired effect. Therefore, it is necessary to make the right choice so as not to purchase and use unnecessary tools.

Brands of woodworking products

Tools for working with wood are produced by both domestic and foreign companies. The most popular companies in the Russian market these days are Interskol, Makita, Jet and Triton.

Brushing wood with JET 10-20 Plus

Interskol is a domestic brand that has existed since 1991. The tools that the company produces are presented in different countries CIS and is in certain demand. The products of the Interskol company are gaining more demand every year, which is why the company is expanding its range.
Brushing with Interskol

One of the leaders among the world's woodworking companies is the Japanese company Makita, founded at the beginning of the last century. Its product range includes more than a thousand items, ranging from drills and screwdrivers to machine tools and laser equipment.
Brush sander Makita 9741

Cheaper instruments are sold domestically Russian companies, such as Interskol. In addition, such instruments are easier to obtain, as they are popular in the country. Foreign companies, including Makita, do not present their entire range on the Russian market, but it can be ordered without problems through official dealers and distributors by region.

If wood aging occurs on a large scale, you can create a special machine that will semi-automatically carry out this process. You can create it yourself or order it, for example, from Jet. Russian Interskol does not manufacture such mechanisms. The cost of such a mechanism will be quite impressive, since the machine efficiently simultaneously performs several brushing processes. It is also very important that only removable products can be used on it. In case of aging of the floor or wooden part The machine will not help with a complex configuration.

Wood brushing process

Before starting work, it is necessary to slightly wet the wooden product to prevent the spread of dust during the process. After this, you need to select the appropriate tool that can remove the top fibrous layer without damaging the hard fibers. The selected brush should be moved along the grain of the wood, regardless of whether a mechanical or manual tool is used. A brush sander with different attachments and operating speeds will greatly speed up the process.

After the first process, preliminary grinding is carried out until roughness is eliminated using a softer brush. In this case, the nozzle on the tool is changed to a polymer one. This cleaning can also be done with a grinder with a special type of disc. On at this stage You can decorate the product according to your wishes and give it the look it should have. Oil can help improve the appearance of wood, and you can create additional chips using hand tools. Final polishing with an even softer brush can add uniqueness to the structure. After this, the surface is cleaned and prepared for external coating.

The next step could be a patination technique, which will color the deep furrows in a more dark color. After all the necessary steps are completed, painting and varnish are applied. Before painting, you can use oil to tint. It can also be used after application paint coating. Oil, wax and varnish are applied using standard technology and do not require any special precautions.

You can also age wood using various chemicals and firing using a gas burner. In the latter case, flame treatment is carried out and the darkened surface is cleaned with sandpaper. Such various ways They provide a huge selection of tools for brushing. Therefore, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money to age wood, the main thing is the optimal way to do it!

City dwellers, who have lived their whole lives in the metal dungeons of the concrete jungle, are gradually losing interest in faceless urban interiors, preferring classic, vintage and rustic styles characterized by emphasized individuality. An integral component of these interiors is wood - a popular finishing material, thanks to which they acquire uniqueness and original beauty. However, there are tricks here too - if country - and eco-styles are often complemented by wood in its pristine natural form, then within the vintage and even classic styles An aged tree that has a more attractive and noble appearance would be more appropriate. Almost any interior element can be made from it: it can be a vintage lamp, a wooden chest of drawers exuding comfort, or the classic use of wood in the interior - making window sills and doors. Under natural conditions, the aging process of wood takes more than one year; intricate patterns on its surface form slowly and unevenly, which makes aged wood a rare and expensive material. However, technology does not stand still, and over time, a method of artificial aging of wood, called brushing, was developed. Interest in this method of processing wooden surfaces is shown not only by lovers of luxury vintage furniture, but also by owners suburban areas who decided to diversify their interior decoration country houses. Considering the relevance of the problem, in this article we will look at the essence of the process of brushing wood, the main types and tools necessary for it, and also tell you how to brush wood with your own hands.

Aging of wood: basic information

If you carefully examine the appearance of the wood when cut, you can see a peculiar pattern - annual rings, in which dark and light tones alternate. This pattern is based on the alternation of hard (dense) and light (loose) fibers, the latter being more susceptible to time and aggressive climatic factors, which leads to their gradual wear. This is how the formation of annual rings occurs, which over time not only acquire density and contrasting shades, but also visible volume. This is the basis of the natural aging of wood - a process that takes many decades. Thanks to lightning-fast development innovative technologies Currently, a unique opportunity has arisen to artificially accelerate the aging process of wood. This can be put into practice using the brushing method, which gets its name from English word brush - brush. In Russian there is a similar term, which is referred to as “wood structuring”.

What is wood brushing: the essence of the method

Brushing is a method of artificially aging wood, which involves the use specialized tools and techniques. The brushing technique is based on the mechanical processing of wood with special metal brushes, with the help of which the softest upper fibers of the material are removed. Thanks to this technique, the hard surface of the wood is exposed, on which the texture of the material and the structure of the growth rings are clearly visible, and a beautiful relief is formed, emphasizing the aesthetic appearance finishing material. However, the brushing process does not end there. To emphasize the relief and make the structure of the wood even more distinct, it is highlighted with a color that gives richness to natural shades. To do this, uneven painting of the surface treated with a metal brush is carried out, while the depressions formed as a result of the removal of soft fibers are painted in darker shades, and the surface texture is painted in lighter shades. Thanks to this technique, the wood relief becomes as noticeable as possible.

Important! In order for artificially aged wood to acquire maximum resemblance to a material that has aged in a natural environment, experts recommend painting material that has previously been brushed in gray. Without waiting for the paint to dry completely, it is smeared from the relief surface. Thanks to this technique, it will seem that products made from artificially aged lumber have stood under open air at least 10 years.

Important! If natural aging negatively affects the performance characteristics of wood, weakening its structure, then thanks to artificial aging carried out by brushing, the material acquires additional strength.

The artificial structuring method can be used in the processing of both hard and soft wood. The main requirement that wood to be brushed must meet is the presence of a clearly defined texture and clearly visible layers of varying hardness. Such materials include oak, pine, walnut, larch, wenge and ash.

As for alder, cherry, birch, teak, maple and beech, the brushing method will be proven to be ineffective for these species, since the distinctive feature of these trees is a fine-fiber structure without pronounced layering.

Advantages of artificially aged wood

• Wood that has undergone artificial structuring acquires an original appearance that meets the latest fashion trends;
• Brushed wood becomes resistant to rotting and various insects;
• By brushing wood with your own hands (the video presented in the article will simplify this process), you can independently make a lot of exclusive things that will not only last a long time, but will also emphasize the exclusivity of any interior;
• Having produced decorative finishing common and fairly cheap lumber, you can create an artificial imitation of exotic types of wood, the cost of which significantly exceeds the original price of the raw materials.

Wood Brushing Tools

At first glance, the process of artificial structuring of wood may seem complicated, but even an inexperienced craftsman can do it if he has a certain set of tools at his disposal that will save time and effort spent on work. In addition, it should be noted that brushing wood can be done either manually or mechanized, which is largely determined by the tool used. Depending on the method by which wood brushing is carried out, the tool can be of the following types:

Tools for manual wood brushing

• Hand wire brushes, characterized by varying thickness and stiffness of the bristles, are used for primary wood processing. The stiffness of the bristles is determined by the length of the wire; the longer it is, the softer the bristles. When choosing a brush for brushing wood, try to give preference to tools with the stiffest metal bristles. If necessary, it can be trimmed using a grinder, which will make the pile even tougher. When using a brush to brush wood, it is necessary to move its bristles along the grain in exactly one direction. Thanks to this technique, you can remove soft fibers from the surface of the wood, leaving hard fibers intact;

• Hand chisel- a tool with which you can apply deep longitudinal grooves of various curvatures in wood fiber. When used skillfully with a chisel, you can achieve maximum realism of artificially structured wood by applying enough deep cracks, creating the effect of cracking of the material;
• Sandpaper with coarse grain is also used in the process of brushing wood and allows you to emphasize the texture of the material, making the natural pattern more clear. The technique of using sandpaper is similar to the technique of using a hand brush - it is also moved with pressure along the fibers, as a result of which grooves are formed on the surface of the wood, the structure of which is similar to the structure natural fibers. By choosing the right abrasive grain size and using sandpaper with different grain sizes, you can achieve different depths and severity of furrows;
• Bulgarian, equipped with special brush attachments for brushing wood - another tool that is used for brushing wood. At the same time, on initial stage For rough surface treatment, nozzles with metal bristles are used, and for final processing, nozzles with copper and sisal bristles are used. Currently, a special attachment for brushing wood “Piranha”, which is an abrasive-polymer brush, is in wide demand. Using this device, you have the opportunity to selectively remove fibers, focusing only on soft fibers and not affecting hard fibers.

Important! When working with an abrasive-polymer brush, you must ensure that the surface of the wood being treated does not burn when working at high speeds. To avoid this, you need to purchase a speed controller.

Important! After performing the initial surface treatment, experts recommend using a kerosene burner, with which the material is fired. Remember that gas burner not used for these purposes. Burning the wood surface with a kerosene burner promotes:

• removal of small wood fibers;
• drying the top layer of wood;
• highlighting and underlining natural structure wood

Process automation: machines and brushing machines

On a production scale, the amount of work is many times higher, and therefore there is a need to automate the process, which involves the use of special machines. This helps simplify the work of producing aged wood, and also reduces time costs, allowing large volumes of work to be completed in a short period of time.

If you want to purchase special machines for brushing wood at home, this only makes sense if you plan to do a large amount of work. Let's look at the most common models of specialized equipment for brushing wood.

• Cleaning router or the so-called wood brushing machine FESTOOL RUSTOFIX RAS 180. Three brushes are supplied with this device:

1. The first steel wire brush, which is used for primary wood processing;

2. A second synthetic bristle brush, designed for intermediate sanding;

3. The third - made of sisal is used for polishing the treated surface.

​Sanding machine Makita 974 can also be used for brushing wood, however, in the process of working with it, difficulties may arise associated with processing corner areas. In this regard, at the joints between walls and floors, it is necessary to additionally use an angle grinder equipped with attachments;

• Grinder Felisatti AGF 110/1010E can be used to process both relatively smooth and uneven surfaces. Metal and nylon brushes are supplied with this device. It has an analogue - the Interskol sanding machine, which will make sanding wood much easier if you follow the instructions presented in our article.

Brushing Wood: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you are not a guru in the field of wood brushing, the master class and advice from our experts will help you study in more detail this technique wood processing.

Let's take a closer look at the wood brushing process.

• Before you begin the initial processing of the material, lightly moisten the selected workpiece, which will prevent the formation of wood dust during the work. Prepare a working tool - a hand brush. To perform the job effectively, make sure that the tool meets minimum requirements- the brush should efficiently remove soft surface fibers without disturbing the structure of hard fibers. Having selected the hardness of a hand brush for brushing wood experimentally, use it to rough the material. During operation, the hand brush should be moved along the direction of the grain.

Important! If you decide to automate the process and perform brushing using grinder or a grinder equipped with special brushes, remember that the movements of the tool attached to the grinding ground are also made along the fibers, and the selection of the rotation speed must be carried out in advance on a small sample of the material, since for different varieties wood, this technical parameter can vary significantly.

• After you have completed the initial hard processing of the wood, replace the working tool with a polymer attachment with an abrasive coating, using which you can grind the material, removing any remaining soft fibers from its surface. Once you have gotten rid of unnecessary roughness, evaluate the volume and quality of the work done, making sure that the quality of structuring meets your expectations. If you are not satisfied with the result, experts advise making the structuring more distinct by deepening the previously made grooves on the surface of the wood. At this stage, you can think for the first time about the decorative design of the surface of the material and, using a chisel, add additional indentations and grooves, giving them the appearance of cracks that appeared naturally.

• The next stage is the final polishing, for which you will need a sisal brush. If you plan to do it by hand, prepare sandpaper with a fine-grained abrasive surface, with which you will get a perfect smooth surface blanks. After this, the resulting workpiece must be dried and cleaned of dust, thereby preparing it for subsequent painting and varnishing.
• For decorative design For brushed wood, experts recommend using golden or silver paint, during the application process of which particles of the coloring pigment will clog into the microcracks of the wood, due to which glare will appear on its surface in sunny weather. If you want to give the material a unique luxury and presentable appearance, patina it (painting the deepest cracks with darker paint).

Important! You can use stain as a coloring composition. To do this, apply it liberally to the surface of the material and quickly remove excess. Thanks to this technique, soft fibers will absorb the paint, acquiring a darker shade, while hard fibers will remain light.

• After painting the wood, polish it again, which will smooth out all the unevenness that appeared after painting.
• After thoroughly washing, cleaning and drying the workpiece, you can coat it with varnish. To do this, you should use a specially designed parquet varnish, thanks to which the material will retain its original appearance and performance characteristics for a long time.

Chemical brushing of wood

Unlike mechanical brushing, wood brushing using chemicals is considered the most rare type of artificial structuring. Despite the fact that the use of chemically active compounds facilitates the brushing process, their widespread use is limited by the need for special knowledge and skills of the master working with chemicals. In addition, difficulties may arise in purchasing chemicals.

For chemical brushing of wood, acids (sulfuric and hydrochloric), alkalis and other caustic chemicals (ammonia) are used. After they are applied to the surface of the material, they corrode the soft fibers, and all that remains is to scrape off the unnecessary wood.

The sequence of work for chemical brushing is as follows:

• The surface of the material is polished and dirt is removed;
• To the surface to be treated thin layer apply a chemical used for brushing;
• During the work process, it is important to monitor the evaporation of the chemical and, if necessary, reapply;
• After the chemical has softened the outer fibers, the workpiece is washed under running water and use a soft brush to remove chemical residues;
• Then the wood is thoroughly dried, after which they begin to paint and apply varnish.

Wooden products for the manufacture of which brushed wood was used will become an original addition to classic and vintage interiors, fitting perfectly into the main stylistic concept. Aged wood in the form wall panels, massive ceiling beams and columns will make any, even the most laconic interior, refined and aristocratic.

Brushing wood video