How To Distress Aluminum Sheet Metal

However the pristine shine of the new sheet metal you used seems to lack character.

How to distress aluminum sheet metal.

Depending on the desired effect a patina can also be applied to the surface of the metal. Just wrap your object in aluminum foil and run it on the pots and pans setting with powdered dishwashing detergent and a teaspoon of trisodium phosphate also called tsp. Once your metal is perfectly aged odds are that no matter what project you are working on you are going to need to cut those big sheets of metal. Prepare your work area.

Wipe off dust your piece. Direct sunlight helps speed up the rusting process. If you just want to paint metal a totally new color without any distressing or chippyness to it spray paint will work too. If you want a similar distressed look definitely use clay or chalky paint.

Move the metal object you want to rust out to a yard or open garage on a hot day. I used to be super intimated by the thought of cutting metal but it is actually really simple. Spray the metal with a 10 percent saltwater solution every day and leave it to the elements to speed the rusting process. Add dents in flat metal by placing a block of wood beneath the metal and resting a few nuts and bolts on the top hammering the hardware to create dents.

The paint and primer sanded nicely on the raised areas and made quick work of the distressing. Make galvanized metal look even more used abused and neglected by distressing it a bit. This creates that nice antique metal look. Don t sand your metal it s not necessary and you might end up.

Aging aluminum is a good way to give it a cool distressed look. An alternative to oxidizing the metal is to season it the same way iron skillets are seasoned. The pristine shine of new sheet metal can sometimes appear to lack character and style. If done properly it will give a hard black coating to the metal and works particularly well for steel and cast iron objects.

How to paint metal for a distressed look. All i needed to distress chalk paint on metal was my sanding block. Dab distress stain all over the metal s surface and dry it with a heat gun to create a blotchy rusted look. The easiest way to age aluminum is in the dishwasher.

All you need is a pair of tin snips which are basically just strong scissors. To add vintage appeal to various types of metalwork you can distress it using fine abrasives like sandpaper and steel wool. After putting in hours of work on your metal sculpture sign or plaque you re ready to put it on display.