How to Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain
Do you love the Restoration Hardware tables that have that beautiful gray (driftwood-like) weathered wood? Me too. But, I can’t justify spending thousands of dollars on their furniture. Instead, I found a Craig’s List pedestal table that had the right shape and size for our kitchen. It was a cherry veneer finish, but after some paint you’d never know!
And then, I created my own Faux Weathered Gray Wood Grain top. All you need are some Valspar paint samples, some wood grain tools and a dry brush to achieve this look.
Ready to get started?
Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain Materials:
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- 3 empty containers
- Wood Grain tool (I also used Martha Stewart craft comb for the sides of the table top)
- Valspar 6006-1A Woodrow Wilson Putty
- Valspar 6007-2A Arid Plains
- Valspar 6005-1A Asiago
- Clear mixing glaze
- 4″ chip paint brush
- 2.5″ Paint brush
- Wet wipes for clean up and mistakes
- Paper towel or dry rag
- Minwax wipe on Polyurethane (the paint on will be more durable, but takes much longer to dry)
- Optional: Minwax Natural Oak Finishing Wipes
Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain Base Coat and Glazes:
Before you begin creating your wood grain, you should paint your surface with Valspar Woodrow Wilson Putty and allow it to dry.
If you are painting furniture, lightly sand the piece. And be sure to use Valspar Paint + Primer in one. This will allow you to paint directly onto the furniture and skip the primer.
While the base coat is drying, pre-mix your glazes in the empty containers.
Here are the Glaze Formulas:
- Dark Glaze: 1 part Valspar Arid Plains mixed with 3 parts Valspar clear glaze
- Light Glaze (for white washing): 1 part Valspar Asiago mixed with 1 part Valspar clear glaze
- Medium Glaze: Mix both the light and dark glaze together to get a nice in between glaze.
Faux Wood Grain Tutorial:
I created a video tutorial for this project. So, feel free to watch this short video or read the instructions below (if you can’t see the video, click here.):
Start by dipping your dry brush into the medium glaze. Blot most of the glaze off onto a paper towel or rag.
Drag the brush in long vertical stripes (working in the direction you want the grain to run.) When the surface is covered, it should have some darker and lighter areas as shown below:
When the medium glaze has dried, you can start creating the knots and grain using the darker glaze. Paint the darker glaze on top of the medium glaze stripes. Work in 2-3 board width sections.
Before the glaze can dry, drag and rock the wood grain tool through the dark glaze. When starting on the next row, I like to flip the wood grain tool around.
Use a clean dry brush to lightly feather the grain edges. If you mess up, no worries, just re-drag the wood grain tool through the glaze again.
Wait for your grain to dry thoroughly. Then add the white wash layer to your surface. Dip the dry brush into the light glaze and blot most of it off onto a rag. Then VERY LIGHTLY drag the white-wash glaze over the table. This layer should skip over areas and be as random as you can manage.
Wood Grain Effect on Small Sections:
The side of my pedestal table has an apron that is too small for the wood grain tool. So, I used a Martha Stewart wood grain comb for this area. It works well, but you won’t be able to create knots like the other tool can.
Repeat the same process as above:
1. Base coat with Woodrow Wilson Putty.
2. Apply the medium glaze with a dry brush.
3. Apply the dark glaze and drag the comb through the glaze. Be sure to angle and wiggle the comb slightly to achieve the uneven lines that are indicative of real wood grain.
4. Use a small dry brush or fan brush to feather the wood grain.
5. Dry brush the white-wash (Asiago) layer.
Finishing and Protecting Your Furniture:
After you’ve spent all that time creating the perfect weathered wood grain look, you’ll want to protect your furniture. For my table, I wanted to add a slight bit of warmth back into the table. I chose to use the Minwax Wood Finishing Cloths in Natural Oak. The cloth is a stain and polyurethane in one.
Simply wipe the stain cloth onto your surface. Let it sit a minute and wipe the excess off with a dry rag. For a deeper color, wait one hour and wipe with a new cloth. Remove the excess.
Because the table I finished was for our kitchen, I chose to add a few more layers of polyurethane. Wipe on, let dry and repeat at least 4-5 times.
For a more durable surface, I recommend using the brush on polyurethane. It goes on thicker and creates a nearly impenetrable coating that will stand up to the worst messes your kids can dish out. However, you will need to brush on the poly in a well ventilated area and wait at least 24+ hours before using the table.
I used this wood grain technique on a piece of poster board and can use it as a back drop for photography:
What do you think? Is this a good knock off of the $1,000 R.H.’s pedestal table? Or at least a close resemblance?
I love this technique. I can’t wait to use it on something else. Where else would you use the driftwood wood grain technique?
Pin for later!
Disclosure: As a #LowesCreator, I was provided with a Lowe’s gift card to purchase supplies for this post. I was not told what to write. All ideas and words are my own.
I am reluctant to use sample colors, especially on a high use surface such as a kitchen table, since the manufacturers warn us that samples do not contain any of the extra properties such as ones that help protect the finish, adhesions, etc. The samples are supposedly for color sampling only. Do you think that the absence of those properties in the samples is overcome by properly topcoating the surface?
The topcoat has chipped a little as I have a family with two boys and we don’t treat things gingerly. But, the paint has stayed on there fine.
You painted the table six years ago. How has the finish held up?
I just wanted to share that I used your tutorial a couple of months ago and had fabulous results! I wish I could share a pic of how my table turned out! Thank you for an excellent job of explaining this technique!
Toby, thanks for letting me know. You can always email me at Brittany @ PrettyHandyGirl.com 😉
Can you use any brand of paint? I kinda assume you can but I know some can be thicker than others so I’m curious if Valspar works the best.
Thank you
You can use any kind of paint just make sure the surface is prepped well. And if it’s too thick you can water it down a little (assuming it’s a water based paint aka latex.)
Hi!! I doing this over a Formica table (that was supposed to have been REAL wood) lol story of my life! anyway…Im getting ready to do the light glaze over my wood grain…im so nervous! But have to say, I am really liking it so far! Do you know if they are still making the minwax wipes? I can’t seem to find them at my local Lowe’s or Menards.
Thanks again for a great tutorial!!
Yes, you can purchase them on Amazon: https://amzn.to/38kr7yH
Is Arid plains in the brown family? It looks more grey on screen. Just trying to figure out if I’ve got the wrong one. Thanks so much. I’m excited to try this!!
It’s a warm gray.
This is awesome. I just bought a VERY heavy, seems like well built laminate drop leaf table. I’d like to try this on the table top. Possible a little darker wood colors. What colors would you suggest?
Amy, it’s hard to make specific color suggestions. I’d get a few samples and make a test board to try them out.
Trying this out couple things u should include for firs timers like me… base coat… flat paint satin etc they asked me at store I choose flat as I didn’t know. Also mixing…. I can’t mix all at one I’m doing itvin steps so for medium glaze only not sure the ratio of glaze to paint
Hi there! Do you think you could do this on a laminate wood coffee table? It’s a very plain table so I’d love to add a little more “oomf” to it. Thanks!
Absolutely! Just use a really good primer like BIN or Zinnser.
Es muy interesante. Gracias
Looks great! What colors and ratios did you use on the posterboard? Were trying to faux woodgrain and glaze a weathered tobacco finish on our dining room table right now.