Tea staining paper is a quick and affordable way to add a vintage feel. In this simple DIY, learn how to tea stain a paper poster for an antique look!
Hubs really loves the Irish Blessing, so I had this poster made with an engineering print from Staples. When I got it home, I was not loving the bright white paper, and wanted to give it a vintage patina.
Thinking it over, I decided on tea staining. It looks to be the perfect way to antique paper, not to mention, it is basically free!
Tea Staining Supplies:
- strong black tea
- cloth for blotting
- drop cloth
First, brew a very strong black tea. I used a small mug with two teabags, and let it cool before beginning.
For a smaller print, I read that you can place the entire paper in tea, and I may try that next with some printed sheet music! However with a large poster, it would not be feasible.
For my poster, I gently blotted on the tea, letting it puddle slightly in some places. For some reason I tried a paper towel when I first began, but that was of course flimsy! I used a washcloth for blotting, but never took another photo!
I let the tea brushed poster dry on the drop cloth, and it had a fun, wavy texture once dry! Lastly, I added a bit more tea in places I thought needed more color.
Once dry, this tea stained quote art is ready to display. I used some decorative trim from Home Depot to create a DIY poster hanger, and hung it with velvet ribbon. You can check out the tutorial here, and I’ll also add a video below that briefly explains the whole process!
I am loving the end result, and think this would also be a wonderful project for some Christmas wall art! Have you ever tried tea staining? I would love to hear about it!