Back to Blueberry Hill

I decided I’d try out a “natural stain” recipe and see how well it worked on the new Shiplap in little man’s room.  So, while at the grocery store I grabbed a small bottle of apple cider vinegar and some steel wool pads.  When I got home, I poured the whole bottle of vinegar into a mason jar and plunked in the steel wool.  I let it set over night.

Next I took a scrap piece of the Shiplap, wiped on the mixture, wiped off any excess… then left the room.   I came back in minutes later and immediately  two-finger-pinched my nose.  My first reaction was to find the littlest bean, then I remembered.  That sour odor was coming from the wood.  Hmmm….I thought…with our bloodhound of a son, this was never going to work.

Still hopeful at this point, I took the wood outside.  A little drying time might do it some good, right?  Wrong.  Next day – same thing.  As soon as I brought it in, I was overwhelmed with a sour metal smell.  Bright side?  It did stain the wood….. Hmm.

Here is where we started:

Then immediately after wiping on the vinegar:

And 24 hours later?

Not bad – If it weren’t for the smell.

I’m not giving up just yet.  Perhaps it was the apple cider vinegar.  I’m going to try out plain white vinegar and give that a go.  Fingers crossed for better results.  Stay tuned!