Make Maps Look Old

This is a method for making maps look old or making antique maps.

To make maps look old or for making antique maps, one technique is to spray maps with tea using a simple household spray bottle. In the example test we used ordinary Black Tea (strong mix of appx. 3 tea bags per cup of water) and prepared tea in the normal way by boiling the water. Once the tea cooled we poured it into a spray bottle.

We prepared our working area by placing map on top of a clean, smooth and flat-plastic surface. At this point we sprayed the map evenly across the entire surface soaking the map. It's recommended that soon after map is soaking that you gently lift it from the plastic surface to ensure it does not stick. Repeatedly lifting / fanning the map will also speed-up the drying process. Once the map has dried you can apply more tea until the desired results are achieved. The example below shows what the map looks like after ten (10) applications.

New Map; before tea application.
New Map - before tea application.

After tea application; Looks old.

Household spray bottle with Black Tea
Making Maps Look Old

Allowing your map to wrinkle will create pools that take longer to dry. These areas will appear darker once the map is completely dry.
Wrinkled map with pool of tea

Make Authentic-Looking Antique Maps

If you really want to make your maps look authentic try allowing the map to wrinkle. Applying large quantities of tea to the wrinkled surface will create pools in these areas. This will make darker textures appear once it completely dries.

To Apply an Even Coat

If you want your map to stay a uniform shade, make sure you keep the map surface flat and use something like a squeegee to provide an even coat on each application. Excess tea build-up will make areas darker and make spots.

Tip: It's always a good idea to experiment with a test map if it's your first time. This will help you determine the amount of tea needed to produce the desired shade and/or texturing. Also, the map will have a tendency to wrinkle once wet. To avoid this simply provide some delicate tension to both sides of the map to keep it flat.

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