How to Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain (Budget Upgrade)

3 Materials
$25
2
Easy

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!


Full tutorial and instructions can be found here.

Basecoat and glazes. Full materials list is available on the blog.

Before you begin creating your wood grain, you should paint your surface with Valspar Woodrow Wilson Putty and allow it to dry. Start by dipping your dry brush into the medium glaze. Blot most of the glaze off onto a paper towel or rag.

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.



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.

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.

What do you think? Is this a good knock off of the $1,000 Restoration Hardware’s pedestal table? Or at least a close resemblance?

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.


Full tutorial and answers to most questions can be found here.

Resources for this project:
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Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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