you could mechanically or chemically age wood or create the look of weathered wood with paint or stain.

Experiment with a grab-bag of distressing tools on scrap wood before turning them loose on your final wood piece.

UV rays lighten wood, moisture darkens the wood, and salty sea air turns wood silvery-gray.

Blue and yellow distressed wood planks on wooden block next to hammer, nails, paint brush and bucket of paint stain

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

You’ll also need a spray bottle, latex or nitrile gloves, and rags.

Reproduce the look of weathered paint on new wood by applying two coats of different colored paints.

Typically, the bottom coat is white or another light color.

Materials and tools to distress wood and make it look old

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

you might use white paint primer.

You’ll need paints, two chip brushes, sandpaper, and protective gloves.

Sander rounding off edge of wooden plank

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

Screw tapped with hammer on wood plank to make insect activity look

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

Misting wood deck with stain

Helin Loik-Tomson / Getty Images

Wooden plank sprayed with water in front of buckets of paint stain

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

Wooden plank sanded after applying paint for distressed look

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald