How to distress a cedar beam?

[rgG]

DaviDC. wrote:
Beat it with a chain!

Yep, beat it with a chain, hit it with a hatchet, let loose on it with a hammer or whatever else you have lying around to give it some good dings and dents. If you lived closer I would be glad to help you out by taking out my frustrations on it for you.

I used to do faux finishing for a living, and the best advice I can give is do lots of layers. Stain it the basic color you want, if you are going to stain it, then play around with some other colors by wiping them on in places. You can then sand it back to show what is underneath and such. Remember that the older something gets, the smoother and rounder it usually is, from use, so try and soften the edges. You don't want any sharp corners. Just have fun with it. You can always sand or stain over anything you don't like. Rubbing a little plain old dirt into the surface can also make it look more authentic. Obviously you want to wipe off anything loose, but old stuff has dirt down in the cracks and crevices. Good luck.