Can we artificially age YPTP and if so, how?

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

Searched to see if this topic has already been discussed and could not find it. Anyway, I thought I have heard that you can artificially age wood. Have a customer who added onto the deck last September and would like to make it uniform when I am done with it. Any suggestions?

[bigchaz 157]

You can help the wood turn gray (use baking soda and water) but unless you can hyper expose the wood to the equivalent of years of ultraviolent light, dozens of cycles of thawing and freezing, tens of thousands of gallons of dirty rain and snow, miles worth of foot traffic and somehow change the pressure treating process that is different today than it was even 5 years ago there's no way they will be the same :)

Doing a full cleaning on the deck, followed by a brightener and using a semi transparent stain should give you plenty enough of a match color wise. The texture of the wood will certainly be different and if one portion of the deck was not maintained the cracks and splits will still only be on that portion of the deck even if you painted the entire thing you would still see that. Set the customer expectations on this one but its been long enough where you can get a good match by stripping the entire thing and staining it

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

Thanks Chaz, I planned on stripping and brightening the whole deck and already explained to the customer what to expect. I just remembered hearing about accelerated aging. I would like to try a non conspicuous area with baking soda. What would the concentration be and what is the dwell? Also do I just leave it or do I have to rinse? Just want to experiment a little to see if I could get a closer blend. Thanks.

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

Sorry, was looking at your avitar name. Meant "Thanks Charlie"

[bigchaz 157]

Chaz works too :)

I've never personally used the baking soda but I think that would be more for someone who was going to keep the wood gray and preferred that look. Sometimes on siding people like the gray weathered look and they will put the baking soda on to help get that patina sooner. But of course now we have gray stains too which would be a better choice. If you are going to do it I believe I read 1 pound per 5 gallon, but in your case you'll still be stripping and brightening the wood so its not really worth your trouble to gray it first.

[Tom DeFrancesco 23]

Good point!