This happens a lot. You buy a home that someone else has personalized to suit their taste. Problem is…it isn’t your taste. So what do you do? Paint it of course!
Yes, you paint it. Paint can change anything to be more “user friendly”. 
That’s why we LOVE it so much!! You can even paint Formica! Check it out. Here’s a letter from a newsletter subscriber:
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 darker color? Also I found this wood grain brush at Lowe’s 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
Man…don’t you KNOW just how she feels? And wanting to make a change but needing to be budget conscious. Who isn’t budget conscious these days? Right? So here’s what we wrote back:
Christina, you definitely should buy Debra’s video on how to achieve the Faux Woodgrain Finish! She shows you how in very simple -beginner level – steps. Here…click on this link: Beginner Guides to Faux Wood Painting. You can read the information there and make the decision on whether or not this is the path you want to take. There’s a short video there at that site and if you decide to buy the DVD or download you’ll see that it truly gives you step-by-step easy to understand instructions.
What we all know is that the key to any great finish is in the prep work. So 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 t
he 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/sealer. We like Kilz but feel free to use what you know and like. Use a foam roller and work slowly to avoid air bubbles. Let this dry as directed on the product.
5. Sand the dry primed surface one time – very lightly. Again, wipe down the surface to remove all of the dust.
You’re now ready to base coat!
If you want to achieve a dark wood with a red undertones. I would start by base-coating 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. So much easier to test things out on a foam core board first to see what you like and don’t like and get your technique down. 
Also, you can definitely try to use the wood grain brush from Lowe’s. 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. Debra prefers a regular paint (artist) brush.
Good luck with your project and keep us posted on your progress. Take pictures as you go along and SHARE!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, I want to do something similar. But the stuff I saw about painting doors seemed to say that the grain largely comes from the fake grain that is already on typical doors, and that the glaze is merely highlighting that grain. Is this not true? I’m ready to buy the video, but I have this nagging feeling that it’s not going to help me much if the underlying surface is not already wood-grained.
Hi Gary… (hey saw you over on Twitter)
Although it would make it easier to get a cool looking grain if the Formica had a fake grain embedded… it isn’t necessary.
I teach how to get a pretty realistic looking grain with just a brush on my video. The idea is… that it’s not going to look absolutely “real”!
I teach stuff that’s easy for anyone to achieve. I’m not all about wood graining tools and extra steps just so I can impress you with my expertise.
I want you to be able to get the look you want without a lot of extra effort.
So… the answer to your question is. Yes, this video will help you create a simple wood grain even if you don’t have the wood grained texture.
Hope I helped clear that up… Debra THAT Painter Lady