We’re always looking for ways to repair, refinish, or restore our worn out or damaged indoor and outdoor furniture. Whether it’s a coffee table that has been scratched, or an Adirondack chair with a cigarette burn on the armrest, we want it to look new again. At the same time, there are many people who want to know how to make furniture look old – really old.Antique furniture has always been very desirable, and, in some cases, priceless. While artificially aged furniture is not in that league, it is, nevertheless, very popular; and antiquing it is an art form. In fact, with the right techniques, you can make almost any piece of furniture look like a valuable antique. Although this process is often used on old furniture that’s beyond repair, many times, newer furniture is aged for the sake of décor. No matter what you’re using for your project, you may want to practice on scrap wood first.Begin by putting on a base coat of semi-gloss or satin enamel, and letting it dry for at least 24 hours. After that, apply a glaze made from a mixture of clear wood sealer, or thinned varnish, and a dark-tinted stain, making sure to get it into all of the grooves and cracks. Next, wipe the glaze off the flat surfaces with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth, leaving these areas lighter than the recesses, to simulate the natural aging of wood.When using a newer piece of furniture, it’s a good idea to distress it first. You can round out the corners and edges by sanding or filing them down, make dents with a ball-peen hammer, and scratch the surface with keys. You can also flog it with a heavy chain, and make holes with an awl or ice pick. Don’t get too carried away, however, because too much damage will ruin the item. Use an old piece as a model, if you have one. When you’re done, sand the distressed areas.To make just a few spots look worn, put paint stripper on the base coat in random patches, let it sit until it ages to the desired degree, from the paint being slightly crackled, to completely gone, then wipe it off. Before you apply the glaze, neutralize the remaining stripper with water, or whatever solvent is listed in the directions on the label, and let it dry completely.To achieve the effect of crackled paint, thin some white glue with water, brush on a coat, let it dry, and then apply a base coat of alkyd paint.If you’re planning to paint the item that you’re antiquing, use a dark brown stain first. When you remove the paint to make it look worn, the underlying wood will appear old and dark.Of course, if you’re not inclined to redo anything, but want to rejuvenate the look of your porch, patio, deck, or gazebo, just go to CedarStore.com, and choose from one of the largest selections of outdoor furniture available.CedarStore.com has radiant, hand-crafted, decay-resistant cedar, pine, oak, cherry, and teak patio furniture that’s designed to withstand the elements gracefully for years to come. There’s also a huge variety of maintenance-free, virtually indestructible aluminum, polywood, synthetic wicker, and vinyl furniture in styles and colors to complement any décor.To browse the entire collection, visit CedarStore.com. If you wish to contact a design consultant or customer service representative, call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail contact@cedarstore.com.