Pinterest Project- Aging Wood

I love love love Pinterest. Anyone else obsessed with it? There is just so much inspiration and great tips. I can’t sing its praises enough.
So I came across this website from a pin I found on Pinterest. She has a really neat tutorial on how to make new wood look old. You can check out her site for more details.
These are things you need-
Steel wool pads- I had a little trouble finding these. Looked a couple of places with no luck. But found these instead and they still worked.

They were loaded with soap, but that didn’t seem to make a difference.
Then you grab some vinegar-

Put the steel wool pads in a glass jar and pour in the vinegar until they are covered. This needs to sit for at least 24 hours.
Tea- This is the kind I used.
                      
Two cups of water using two tea bags. Make it as if you were having a cuppa. (for you, Anne)
Take your wood piece and brush on the tea over the entire surface. Wait for it to dry completely. Then brush on the vinegar mixture. You should see it start to work right away. The wood turns a grayish color- like barn wood.
Here is my before and after-

This was just a scrap piece of wood from my garage. I have always disliked the wood color of my paper towel holder. So I decided to try this on it.
Here’s the before and after-

The thing I learned is this: It works great on unfinished wood. For my paper towel holder, the finish had come off around the bottom and some other spots. It worked great on those spots. Not so much on the others.
So sand first if there is a finish on the wood!
But I like it better than it was. I will redo it one of these days.

Thanks for looking!