The Simple Cinnamon Hack For Adding A Vintage Look To Your Furniture

Vintage or antique pieces can be a beautiful addition to any home, giving a sense of age and history that isn't always present in the shiny and new. While thrift stores, flea markets, and antique purveyors are full of unique and aged offerings, they are not always readily accessible or affordable. Similarly, with popular design styles like farmhouse, boho-chic, and cottagecore relishing vintage and antique pieces, you may be looking to make newer things look old through distressing, patina, and indications of age and wear. One very common substance in your kitchen may be the solution for getting a rusted look without the actual oxidation  — cinnamon! By adding a little cinnamon with an everyday adhesive, you can easily mimic the look of years of rust. 

Metal elements, decor, and furniture can be particularly charming, but also telling. A new bureau painted and sanded to look old may fool the eye, but the hardware might give you away entirely. There are, however, some excellent solutions for bringing your antique vision to metal pieces like hardware, chandeliers, and patio furniture. Even better, they are readily available, non-toxic, and completely affordable.

Cinnamon's rusty color makes it a perfect substitute for the real thing. If you're looking for a quick transformation for bits of hardware, decor, or furniture pieces, try using adding this versatile spice to your piece with a small brush and a liquid or spray adhesive. The grounds are a dead ringer for actual rust in both color and texture, so will give the illusion of decades of oxidation in mere minutes — and make the piece smell heavenly. 

While you can use any glue, including everyday Elmer's, to affix your cinnamon, better options include Mod Podge or artists fixative, both of which dry clear. Creating faux rust is not the only great use for cinnamon when it comes to furniture — it's also a great substance for buffing out scratches on most varieties of wood old and new. Simply pour cinnamon on the scratch and rub it with your finger. You should notice the scratch darkening immediately.

Cinnamon is not the only item in your kitchen that can help you create a faux vintage look with metal pieces and hardware. While aging and patina on metal can be achieved with a number of substances, including hydrochloric acid, toilet bowl cleaner, and acetone, there are far more eco-friendly and everyday accessible options in your cupboard, including white vinegar and table salt.

For hardware, create a solution containing two tablespoons of salt to enough vinegar to submerse whatever pieces you are working with. Leave the pieces in the mixture for 4 to 5 hours and they will emerge with enough rust to make you believe they are far older than they are. While other substances like brass and bronze do not typically rust, you can add a beautiful aged patina to them by sanding them down with sandpaper or steel wool. Soak them in a salt and vinegar solution for around an hour, then place them in the oven for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, which will darken and dull them to antiqued perfection.