How to Turn Household Items into Antique Replicas

Antiques are beautiful, decorative, and expensive. However, you can make your own antique replicas for just pennies on the dollar. This guide will show you how to make items you have lying around the house, into beautiful antique replicas. The advantages to making your own antique look-a-likes as opposed to buying real antiques are many. First off, you will save money. More importantly you don't have to worry about the item getting dirty, or broken. There is also the issue of supply and demand. By making your own, you don't have to spend countless hours looking for all the pieces you need. Antiquing household items are perfect for anyone who enjoys the antique look, home decorators, and more.

TEA METHOD
Tea is a simple way to antique anything cloth which is white, or light colored. Simply place 6 family size tea bags in a pot with 3 cups of water. Next bring the water to a boil, and remove the entire pot, leaving the tea bags in the water. Allow the tea bags to remain in the water for 15 minutes. Finally, remove the tea bags. Now you can soak your cloth in the water. For larger items that need more water to cover them, just double the recipe. Example: 12 tea bags, and 6 cups of water. You want the cloth to stain evenly, so make sure the entire cloth is soaked. Leave the cloth in the water for 3 hours to 24 hours depending on the shade you like. The longer you leave it the darker it will be. The "tea method" works great on lace, dollies, crochet, handkerchiefs, table runners, place-mats, and even curtains.

COFFEE METHOD
Coffee is a great way to stain anything porous. Items like concrete statues, and even sanded wood can age years in just a matter of days. Instant coffee works the best, because it is already grounded up for you. To start you will need coffee, old pan, spray bottle, and sponge. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour into the pan. Immediately add you coffee, You do not want a liquid. What you want is a gritty paste, that is wet enough to stick. Cover the item you wish to antique with the coffee paste using the sponge. If your a hands on person you can use your hands, but wash them as soon as your finished. Once the item is covered you will want to mist it with water every 8 - 12 hours or so, for the next 2 days. TIP: For the best result don't let the coffee dry completely out. Once the piece has set for several days, gently wash away the excess coffee using only water. After a few weeks the stain will be permanently set in. The "coffee method" looks wonderful on flower pots, concrete statues, and other odd and ends.

GLUE METHOD
Want an old table to look like it was painted 50 years ago without buying an expensive paint antiquing kit? First paint the base color. This will be the color that shows through the cracks. Dark colors work great as base colors. After the paint has dried apply a thick coat of Elmer's glue. Let the glue dry completely, then apply your top coat of paint. Once the top coat is dry you will notice the crackling, and peeling. TIP: If you do a dark colored base coat, use a light colored top coat, visa versa.

I used each of these methods personally, and have for years. All of them are easy enough that even the most un-gifted crafter can do them. I hope you enjoy making your own antique look-a-likes. The items will look antique, however this article is not intended to aid anyone in selling antique look-a-likes for genuine antiques.