Antique Rust Iron Finish

Antique rust finish is the finishing with a rusty appearance at the iron. The antique rust finish is needed to antique the hardware or metal components at the rustic furniture or antique furniture. There are two ways to make the antique rust finish: by stain application and by chemical reaction. We can make a rustic look by using the stain, glaze, and base coat (see our previous article: antique texture metal finish). But now, in this article, we want to share about the antique rust finish with chemical reaction. Principally, we make the real rust by the reaction, and then after we get the rust effect, we stop the reaction and apply the clear coat to protect the rust-looking finish.

antique rust finish

The finishing process is as follows:

• Clean the metal iron surface  

The first step is to clean the surface to let the chemical reaction happen perfectly. A simple cleaning process is usually enough since most of the iron steel at the store does not have strong layer protection. Usually the chemical is available to open the simple protection and do the reaction to make rust to the iron material. The surface cleaning can be done by washing and brushing the iron surface with thinner or watery soap to clean the dirt, greases, oil, or chemicals that could affect the reaction.  But for the surface with thick coating, we may need to clean the surface chemically or mechanically to open the thick paint or galvanized protection.

• The chemical application

It is the process to make the rust. There are some chemicals that can be used to make rust. The most used chemical usually is the nitric acid solution (10% solution with water). The nitric acid solution will do a quick reaction to make rust on metal surfaces. Apply the nitric solution to the iron surface by brush or rag and let it sit for awhile for the reaction to make the rust. The rust effects formed depend on the concentrate of the chemical solution used, the time of reaction, and the type of iron. Watch and wait for the reactions to occur; if we get enough rust, we can stop the reaction. Wash the surface with water and then dry it. Check the rust effect and make sure we get the rust effect we need. We can do some highlight with steel wool to reduce the rust, or we can reapply the chemical solution to make more rust effect. 

• The clear coating application

The coating application is needed to stop the reaction and protect the rust finish. A special coating that is purposed to layer the metal is needed. The two components of the car paint coat is the good coating to be used in this finishing. Apply 1 or 2 layers of top coat with low or medium sheen by spray to stop and protect the rust effect. With the proper coating, the rust reaction will stop, and we can get the stable rust-looking finish.

The rust is obtained from the chemical reaction. It is strong, durable, and naturally looked and does not have a thick film layer. The coating should be thick enough to cover the surface and stop the reaction, but should not be too thick since it may affect the naturally looked finish. Too thick film layer could reduce the strength of the finish layer adhesion.

antique rustic table

The advantages of antique rust finish by chemical reaction. 

• The natural appearance.

The finishing effect resulted is the result of the real corrosion reaction; therefore, the appearance is natural-looking of the rust. This rust finish requires only 1 or 2 layers of coating material without many layers of finishing material, such as stain, glaze, sealer, and top coat. Thus, he will produce a more natural appearance. It will give the best appearance to compliment the ancient or rustic furniture. We can apply the rust finish to the accessories, components, or hardware with a naturally old and rusty look.

• The strong finishing layer

Chemically finish will naturally give the rust look at the iron surface. There is no thick finishing material layered to make the color or antique look. The coating used is only a thin film that is layered at the surface and does not build the color and finishing look. It is less risky to get the problem of adhesion cracked or peeled off.

Thing to be considered in the chemical finish

• The inconsistence result.

This finishing process resulted from the chemical process that is often difficult to be controlled. There are many variables, such as environmental conditions, chemicals used, and the type of metal, that could affect the finishing result. Sometimes we could get the unexpected result, depending on the chemical reaction. To get consistent results, we should control the factors that influence the reactions, which is quite difficult to do. 

• The harmful

The rust-forming chemicals used to make the rusty look are the reactive material that can harm our health. Therefore, always properly wear the personal protective equipment when handling the chemical. Use gloves to protect skin, eyeglasses to protect eyes, and a masker or respirator to protect our respiratory. The application should be held in the open-air space or room with good air circulation.