Woodgraining of French doors - faux bois techniques

These French doors were faux-grained and now appear to be more than what they are... nothing more than paint-grade pine. A paint-grade door is made up of short lengths of wood that are machined together and factory-glued. Because the rails are made up of short pieces, there is no continuity of graining over the full length. This makes a paint-grade door what it is -- only suitable for painting.

But applied faux woodgraining can be used with good results to elevate the ordinary.

Faux Bois was applied to these doors in a realistic style. The look of (realistic) cherry took more time that I care to tell you, but being work of my own accord, time was not a factor.

Applied decorating is a compromise between fine art and production. If an artist is commissioned to create fine art, who knows how long it will take? But on a jobsite with time constraints and a clock running to deadline, most faux bois should be applied using an impressionistic style in order to quickly capture the mere gist of the imitated wood.

The best application of faux bois is when it can be applied to older painted surfaces, or when new doors and trim need to be finished to match existing woodwork.

Several overcoats of a clear finish are necessary to protect a faux finish. I prefer the acrylics for a number of reasons: ease of use, fast dry, water cleanup, and non-yellowing.


Painting of new French doors -- this tip will set you aside as a decorator.