HOME IMPROVEMENT: Fence Board + Graphics Fairy + Citrasolv = Great Old Looking Box

I've blogged a few times about how I age fence boards with apple cider vinegar and steel wool, and a few times about how I have made rustic looking boxes out of the aged boards and more than a few times about using neat graphics from The Graphics Fairy's blog. Well, this project combines them all!

I used this technique shown by Kim at Too Much Time on My Hand's Blog using Citrasolv to transfer a graphic onto wood.

I started with this graphic from The Graphics Fairy:

I flipped the image in Picnik (under the Rotate tab) so this mirror image came up.

I copied it off on my laser printer. (Inkjet prints do not work for this process, but if you only have an inkjet printer, print it, then make a copy at a Kinko's and you'll have a laser copy) :) I put Citrasolv (I purchased mine at Whole Foods) on VERY lightly. I used a kleenex and dabbed it on so the whole thing was wet, but not soaking wet. I put masking tape on the sides to hold it in place.

I used this plastic piece that I purchased from Pick Your Plum to rub it into the wood. If you're using smooth wood, you don't have to rub too much. The Citrasolv transfers to the wood pretty easily. I had to rub more on this one because of all of the ridges in the fence board. On other projects, I've also rubbed the graphic on with the back side of a spoon to transfer the image. If you're worried about whether it's transferring or not, you can very carefully lift a tiny corner and see if it's on the wood.

I lifted off the wet piece and viola! the graphic was on the wood!

I used a fence board from Home Depot for this project, but tried to find one that wasn't too rough so the graphic would transfer well.

I then let it sit for awhile to dry as it felt a little oily (or solvent-y) :)

We (meaning my husband) then put the box together using glue and a nail gun. We He then clamped it up for about an hour for the glue to dry.

I then very carefully applied apple cider vinegar with the steel wool to the box. I was very careful not to touch the graphic with the vinegar.

***After posting this, I've made a few more projects using Citraolv. I've found that if I let the graphic dry really well on the wood, I can put the apple cider vinegar or stain over it and it won't run.

A couple of people have asked why I didn't apply the apple cider vinegar before putting the Citrasolv on. The vinegar soaks into the wood and doesn't really allow anything to 'stick' to it, so I had to carefully put it on afterward.***

Next, I put it out on the driveway to 'cure' for about an hour.

After it dried the first time, I applied another coat of vinegar and let it dry again. Many times the first coat of apple cider vinegar leaves black dots on the wood. A second coat fixes that.

And here's the finished product.