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Materials you'll need:
- Chalk Style Furniture Paint
- Furniture Glaze
- Paint Brush
- Wood Graining Tool
- Wax or Top Coat of choice
How To Paint Faux Wood Grain
Step 1) Paint your project
Before you create the actual wood grain, you'll need to apply a base coat of paint. You can use any color you like, but a few of our favorites for a natural wood look are Leather Bound, Road Trip, and Driftwood.
Let your final paint coat dry for 12-24 hours before you move onto the next step.
Step 2) Glaze your way to wood grain
Choose a glaze color that complements your base paint color. For a natural look, choose something similar, but not identical to the paint underneath. Here are a few of our favorite combinations that you might like:
Choose your direction: Usually you'll want your wood grain to go in the longest direction on your surface. For example, on the top of a dresser you'll likely want to go from side to side, not back to front.
Apply one strip of glaze: Since glaze dries fairly quickly, it's best to apply one strip of glaze at a time across the full length of your project, approximately the width of your wood graining tool.
Create your grain: Drag your wood graining tool across the strip of glaze you just applied while gently rocking it back and forth. Be sure to vary your rocking speed to create a randomized, natural look.
If you miss any areas, just go back over them while the glaze is still wet and workable. This technique is actually quite forgiving, and easier than it might seem!
More tips:
- This technique works best for smooth, flat surfaces. It's difficult to use a wood graining tool on uneven surfaces.
- If you find the color contrast between your paint color and glaze looks too drastic and unnatural, simply wait until your wood grain look is dry, then wipe a thin coat of the same glaze color over top to even things out a bit.
