by THAT Painter Lady on Friday, August 1, 2008
Hi, I would love to get the look of dark wood on my formica cabinets that have been painted white by the owners before me. We don’t have the money to buy new cabinets, and I have seen on tv that it can be done, and looks great. However, I am not sure where to start. Do I have to paint the white cabinets a darder color? Also I found this wood grain brush at lowes for 6 bucks should I buy it. How many colors do I need to buy for the look of a dark wood, with maybe a red undertone. That would look nice. My husband is going to do granite tile on the counter and backsplash. But these white color has got to go! Please help! ~Christina
You definitely have to buy our video on how to achieve the Faux Woodgrain Finish! Click on this link: www.fauxfinishhowto.com/Faux_Wood_Graining It gives you step by step easy to understand instructions.
Here are a few suggestions on how to prep your formica cabinets to be painted:
1. Clean the cabinets thoroughly, using an ammonia-based cleaner. Rinse well and let the cabinets dry
2. Lightly sand the surface of the cabinets. This removes any embedded grease and prepares the surface to be primed. Wipe down surface completely to remove all dust.
3. Tape off everything you don’t want to paint.
4. Apply a good primer, such as Kilz. Use a foam roller and work slowly to avoid air bubbles. Let this dry as directed on the product.
5. Sand once very lightly. Again, wipe down the surface to remove all pf the dust. You are now ready to base coat.
If you want to achieve a dark wood with a red undertones. I would start by basecoating the cabinets a brick red color. You can then faux finish over that with a dark brown mixed with glaze. Try it out on a sample board first. You can definitely try to use the Lowes wood grain brush. You may also want to try a few other wood grain tools to see what works best and achieves the look you are going for.
Good luck with your project! That Painter Lady, DAWN
photo credit: Ctd 2005
Faux Wood Graining On Formica
by THAT Painter Lady on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Call for help with Faux Wood Painting. It’s always fun to see what you come up with to “stump” THAT Painter Lady. You know… you haven’t stumped me yet. 
Dear Debra, …..HELP!
I need some pointers as to how to create faux wood wainscoating on a wall that has the original wainscoating covered with plaster.
Removing the plaster is too difficult and dirty. The original chair rail is still in place.
HELP! Judy
Hi Judy… what a problem! And a bit comical… I mean, you are asking how to re – create what used to be on these walls and was covered over. Now you want it back. It’s probably a lot more funny to me, than it is to you… you have to do all the work. :-{
Anyway… my first thought was, “why wouldn’t she cover with new wainscoting?” I am assuming that wainscoting is too “thick” to add another layer to these walls.
So… on the the Faux Wood. I think with a bit of plaster and paint… you can pull this off.
You can spread a thin coat of plaster on the walls and “score ” in the wood paneling effect. This is definitely something that would take patience but not overly difficult.
Preserving this thin layer won’t be much of a problem, as long as the under layer is prepared to accept the plaster.
Now… here comes the fun part. The Faux Wood Painting is easy… really easy to achieve.
There are a few tricks and a few cheap tools you will need.
It’s all explained on this faux wood graining video:
Faux Wood Painting Video
Good Luck…. Debra THAT Painter Lady
Click Here To See Paintable Faux Beadboard Wallcovering
by THAT Painter Lady on Wednesday, June 11, 2008
This is amazing! This gal purchased the faux wood grain video and used it to paint faux wood grained light fixtures and speakers. This is a painting technique I never thought of. It looks like she worked her magic on a boat, which is possible… but this is actually a very nice office.
She emailed me several times to ask specific questions about this project and I was stunned that anyone had ever thought of such a technique.
When the project was complete… I got this quick note and loads of pictures.
Thanks Debra…they came out great…you are an inspiration…..sincerely, Tara Annino
Plus… if you live in Palm Springs and are looking for faux or mural painting… you might want to give Tara a call.
HI DEBRA, I JUST MOVED OUT TO CALIFORNIA…I DON’T HAVE MY OWN BUSINESS PER-SAY…I SUB FROM A MAN WHO OWNS A PAINTING COMPANY…HE GETS ME THE OCCASIONAL FAUX/MURAL JOB.
I HAVE DONE A FEW FAUX JOBS ALONG THE WAY…AND MY EDUCATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN GEARED TOWARDS THE ARTS….I AM TRULY HOPING THAT PALM SPRINGS OPENS A FEW DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY.
I AM FLATTERED THAT YOU WOULD USE MY WORK ON A WEBSITE…(UNLESS IT’S : “THE WAY “NOT” TO FAUX”)
AGAIN ,THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUERY AND KEEPING IT ON SUCH A PERSONAL/COMFORTABLE LEVEL.
MY TELEPHONE CELL- (760) 673-9970
Here are the pictures I promised… where Tara used the training she got from my faux wood grain video.
Do you see how she continued the actual wood grain right on to the light fixture with the faux wood graining… you learn how to create easy wood graining with the faux wood grain DVD.
