Home Renovation for Spankos

We were walking through the local home improvement store and passed a display of bargain merchandise near the checkout. The sign on one bin caught my eye. It said:

Debbie Travis Floggers
$1.98

What? I scurried over to have a look at the decorating diva's latest merchandise. Was this something to accompany her latest book on dungeon decorating?



They're only paintbrushes. And not very stiff ones at that. Nevertheless, when I got home I searched online for some of her decorating tips and found this little gem for refurbishing a door. The good bits are in red.

Faux Wood-grained Door

Tools And Materials Needed

• 1" paint brush
• Softener
• Flogger
• 2" natural bristle brush
• Low-tack tape
• Latex glazing liquid
• 5 Shades brown latex paint, satin
• Water-based varnish, satin, tinted w/burnt umber

Getting Started

1. Prime the door with high adhesion primer. Let dry
2. Basecoat with 2 coats of dark, chicory brown latex paint.
3. Each part of the door must be taped off and painted separately for the woodgrain to look authentic.
4. Collect 4 different brown glazes: a yellow brown, a red brown, and 2 mid brown shades. Mix them each with a bit of glaze Ò about 1 part glaze to 1 part glaze.
5. With a 1" paintbrush dab the lightest colour over the taped off surface in random patches. Always brush in just 1 direction. Then fill in more empty spots with the red brown glaze. Continue with the lighter of the 2 mid-browns, and finish off by filling any remaining holes with the darker brown.
6. While the colours are still wet, soften and blend the colours slightly with a softener, brushing up and down at a very slight angle. The wood grain should not be perfectly vertical, but just ever so slightly off.
7. Using a flogger, or a brush with coarse, long bristles, slap the bristles against the surface to break it up a bit, moving downwards as you hit, along the very same angle you created with the softener. This will create subtle woodgrain lines. Let dry thoroughly.
8. Tint a small container of water-based, satin finish varnish with a bit of burnt umber pigment, and brush it over the top with a natural bristle brush. This will add depth and soften any harshness in the woodgrain technique below, as well as protect your work.

Of course, you don't need to follow the instructions exactly as written. Just use your imagination.