How To Age Wood With Coffee

While I prefer to drink my coffee (and I usually take it black) I do sometimes use black coffee in other ways! Today I am sharing all about how to age wood with coffee. I promise, it is easy and it works!

Who doesn’t love a good strong cup of plain black coffee? I know that I do! Well, there may be many of you out there that prefer your coffee with a little cream and sugar, but sometimes (especially when you are staining wood) strong black coffee does the trick! I can not wait to show y’all how to use simple black coffee to help give your newer kitchen items a little more charm!

First, let me give you a little back story! You all know that I love to collect old weathered wooden kitchen items. From old rolling pins, to old mashers, to old butter molds, to old bread boards – I love it all. People often ask where I find them and my typical answer is ‘at an estate sale.’ Yes, I shop at thrifts and antique stores too – but estate sales seem to be where I have had most of my luck in the past!

However, there are times when I bring home the unexpected … like something NOT old.

Sometimes when I am at an estate sale digging around for all the old wooden kitchen items, I will find a ‘newer one.’ You know, newer wooden kitchen items that are ‘blond’ in color and that have zero age. The thing is, sometimes these NEWER wooden kitchen items can cost next to nothing at an estate sale. It is almost like they are giving them away. Certainly there is something I can do with them, right?

I have to take them.

For example, I recently came home with a NEWER rolling pin. It was only a dime and I couldn’t leave it. It was a smaller size which is unique to me and I felt it COULD look good along side all of my old rolling pins – with a little help. The thing is … the color. The lack of character. The lack of age. The new rolling pin just didn’t ‘look’ right next to my old rolling pins. But – instead of throwing it away, I had a solution. My plan was to use coffee to stain it. To make it look older. To help give it a touch of character. Let me share with you how to age wood with coffee.

The Process

I am happy to report that this really is a simple process.

The first step is to decide which item you want to stain. I have used this method a few times in the past (For example I have stained a pig bread board and a little butter mold recently) and today I am staining a rolling pin.

Next, you will need to find a vessel large enough to hold the thing that you want to stain. I am using a glass baking dish today because it is the perfect size for my rolling pin!

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After finding a vessel, I simply brew a pot of coffee and let it cool for a bit. (I have also just used left over coffee for smaller items too – no need for a new pot if you have enough sitting around.) Just pour the coffee into the dish and then pop your little wooded item right in. Here, the little rolling pin fit right inside the pan of coffee perfectly.

You may find that the item does not stay fully submerged in the coffee – it sort of just floats to the top! That is what happened with my rolling pin so I had give the rolling pin a little twirl frequently to ensure that the coffee stain was even on all sides. You can set a timer on the microwave or on your phone to remind you to turn it if needed.

Quick Tip:

You may find that your item will ‘spin’ and favor one side while sitting in the coffee stain. I simply use things around the house (like these coffee mugs) to secure the item so that it doesn’t flip or spin!

How Long Does It Take

So, here is the thing … this is totally up to your preference. You can continue to keep your treasure in the coffee for as long as you want. For me, I let my rolling pin sit for 3 hours. One hour and a half on each side, turning it every 30 minutes or so.

The Results

As you can see, the new rolling pin did take on the stain and as a result, I feel it looks ‘older’ and therefore blends in better with my collection of authentically old rolling pins. I know it doesn’t have ‘the look’ that a true old rolling pin has – but for just ten cents, it is a great and affordable addition to my old rolling pin collection. Again, you can try this with any wooded item.

Wrap Up

I hope that you enjoyed learning how to age wood with coffee and I hope that the next time you remember this easy trick if you ever find an old wooden item that you want to ‘age.’ It really is a fun and easy way to give character to an item – using things that you probably already have right at home! Oh … and if you like this post then you may also enjoy learning how to make your own ‘topcoat’ for chippy paint using things that you probably already have at home. Click here to learn how!

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