Fake Reclaimed Wood

Marcela Pena
by Marcela Pena
4 Materials
Here's a technique to create the illusion of reclaimed wood...
I bought this piece at an auction because it was really cheap and looked solid and in very good condition. However, when I had it home I couldn´t find the right way to make this cabinet more interesting. At fist, I thought of giving it a bright color, but then I had a different and better idea.
I planned to make it look rustic, like the pieces made with reclaimed wood, which I love! So I marked what would look like planks with a cutter first, then with tools I found at home. Gouges worked best.
I taped each plank and used wood stain to make different colours. I used colour wax for some of them as well.
With a stencil, I painted black circles that looked like the elements used to connect wood. Tarugo is the word in Spanish, but I don´t know what you call it in English...
For the doors, I made narrower planks and used some colours: green, pale blue, white, and more.
Always distress. This is what they looked like after brushing dark wax over the whole piece.
Finally, I painted all edges old white but brushed dark wax here as well.
And this is the result! I replaced the original metal pull on the doors by these pieces of wood in order to emphasize the rustic look.
I wanted the piece to be used as bar cabinet, so this beautiful pair of stools helped a lot!
Marcela Pena
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Sharon Cade Sharon Cade on Jun 16, 2018

    I really like the new latch system. Did you buy it or make it?

  • Patti Patat-Sciacca Patti Patat-Sciacca on Jun 16, 2018

    Get job where do you get your colored wax

  • Brian Brian on Jun 17, 2018

    I forgot to ask I really like the stools did you finish those too?

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  • Selena Lee-Murphy Selena Lee-Murphy on Aug 01, 2018

    Wow! What a wonderful job you did with this piece. I don't think I would have ever thought to create something like this. Simply beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

  • WyldSage WyldSage on Mar 27, 2022

    Such a great idea! It's both interesting and beautiful! Great job! Thank you!

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