I am going to paint all the white-painted woodwork in my living room and dining room to look like wood. The technique is called “faux bois” pronounced “foe-bwah”. Meaning: Fake wood. This, all part of my Mahalo Lounge tiki bar transformation. Yes, the wood — wainscoting, cabinetry, bookcases, beams — lots of wood — will all be a dark, rich cherry-brown. Starting Tuesday, Denise is going to come stay with me to help. Faux painting is her specialty. And, she is bringing Bug!
But, ack! So that we can get started ASAP, I have been working with her by phone and photos to see if I can find the right basecoat to glaze over to get the wood look I want. Above: Existing trim — used to top the bookshelves, above the fireplace and in the dining room built-in. Some kind of barely-grained hardwood that itself was stained then dragged in a faux bois way. It has red and gold undertones.
So. I went through my Benjamin Moore paint deck — Denise uses Benjamin Moore — and tried to match these undertones. I settled on seven options. Threw $60+ at pint samples and foam brushes. Two of the samples actually look like they will work really well in combination. Hey, that’s pretty good guesswork on my part — I achieved basecoat success in just seven samples!
Above: That’s a sample with the basecoat painted Giant Sequoia 2094-30, which I then glazed/streaked with dark glaze that I had left over from a Rust-Oleum Furniture Transformations kit the company sent me a while back. Denise will color her own glaze — she will likely add more red, she thinks.
I try not to say mean things on this blog, but I cannot contain myself: That Giant Sequoia is .. not a color that I personally find pleasing << I contained myself, kind of. But as an undertone/basecoat for cherry-hued faux bois — it’s rockin’ my world! Also, I really like typing the word Sequoia. I can do it without thinking about the spelling. Well, sort of. Sequoia. There! Yes! Sequoia!
Above: I also purchased some golds. Dark Mustard 2161-30 matched the undertones in my existing stained woodwork. So in this second example, I started with the Dark Mustard base, then thinned some Giant Sequoia with water and brushed it on. I let it sit a while, then ragged it off. After all was dry, I applied the same glaze.
I really like this combo — I think it has more depth and complexity, what with the two undertones — both red and gold — there.
Above: Now I am experimenting with other ways to apply the Dark Mustard on top of the Giant Sequoia to see if I can get a more mottled, natural effect << that is a very strange sentence. For example, in the photo above, I am dabbing the Dark Mustard here and there… and then, a little of everywhere. Denise also told me, don’t thin that second paint with water — thin it with clear glaze (a Polycrylic*-type product also will work for thinning, at least in a testing phase. *affiliate link — another blogger I know really likes Polycrylic to use as a clear topcoat for painted finishes on cabinetry and furniture, etc. — so I already had a small can in my stash some to test sometime.)
While I am *soproud* of my first attempt at using glaze to faux bois, please know that I was really just kinda slappin’ it on. Not super sloppy slapping, but moving fast and not worried about getting the streaks aka fauz boising to look all refined. Just experimenting for overall color/effect. Denise is the one who is going to do the glazing beautifully!
Meanwhile: My bookshelves have thrown up in my foyer. Sigh. DH got sight of this right after seeing the dining room. The house is a veritable obstacle course right now. What’s the word for the exercise-routine-thingie you build in a park so’s folks can get exercise by moving from one station to the next? That’s what the house is right now. That sounds better than ‘obstacle course.’ Who can help me with the word? I thought of it: Parcourse! The house is a veritable parcourse right now! My projects are not out of control, I’ve built an in-home parcourse!
And this, outside our front door.
As I said, we start painting Tuesday! ACK! I am not ready!
Krazee glazee — in a good way!
Enid says
This is interesting to me because I painted my white woodwork changing it to “wood” decades ago rather than stripping it. The undertone was very close to what you chose, very mustardly. The top coat I used a regular brush to apply, not a foam one. The bristles help give it a grain. I did so well that when I did a bunch of wall retoration recently my contractor was astonished to find the wood painted!
Neil says
I forgot to add the possible benefit of what I suggested in my post a few minutes ago: By going to the trouble of getting a glimpse of the completed faux finishing project and gaging your emotional/esthetic reaction to it, you might find you want to adjust the colors you’re using, or refine the density of graining. Or you might find out that one particular element of the “wood” trim interrupts the eye and feels wrong with the design as a whole, and decide to instead paint that part in a color.
Neil says
It may be a little late in the process, but here’s a suggestion. Take a couple of pictures of your two rooms that include as much as possible of the woodwork you’re going to faux finish. Put them on your computer and open them in Photoshop, and “paint” them as close as possible to your intended finish colors.
The point is to see, ahead of time, what shape it will all make in your room when the woodwork is brown instead white. The completed fauxed woodwork with be another piece of furniture; essentially an inescapable “gesture” of design either competing with or complementing everything else in the room or, best of all…unifying the design vision and making forming the esthetic you want to express.
The designers of those wonderful mid century modern rooms we find so beautiful chose not only the grain and color of the wood work, but they also placed and shaped and designed it a a perfectly pitched frame for everything else in the rooms.
Holly says
The title of the article made me laugh! My house can relate.
Thanks for including the pictures of the schnauzers helping with the project. Something tells me they enjoyed the temporary obstacle courses.
Good luck with finishing the project.
linda h says
Are you sure you shouldn’t have done this before you hung the drapes? Have you mentioned before whether the dogs are siblings?
pam kueber says
We’ll take down the drapes to paint…. No, the dogs are not related that we know of — they are all rescues.
denise says
No, the dogs are not related by birth, just by breed.
Carolyn says
MIL had a cheap chester-drawers (chest of) back in the ’70’s that had some sort of glazing done to it – from a couple of feet away it looked alright but not up close.
While I sort of feel for your DH, what else are you going to do whilst snowbound? and then mud before the flowers come.
And, Pam, I feel so bad for you – you work so hard on your blog with pictures and everything and all I remember is…the dog(s).
My question: it seems you’ve done something similar to this before? Can you grab some poor unsuspecting soul with zero artistic abilities and see if they’re able to do this to give an honest opinion?
Is 2017 the year we’re all going to TRY SOMEthing?
pam kueber says
I think that if you want to do stuff like this, there are many many tutorials online — including from the manufacturers themselves. I did every craft imaginable as a Girl Scout growing up, so I am not afeared (afraid) if trying most anything. I am also excited that I am amping things up: I’ve signed up for a weeklong woodworking class in April!
MrsC says
Pam,
What is that fabulous wallpaper in your foyer?!?
pam kueber says
Vintage! Found at a local place that stopped selling wallpaper after decades. $3 a roll and I hung it myself!
JoAnn Polickoski says
Estate sale goodies, fabric samples, now the glazing project — my husband would kill me too! Just wanted to add that make sure your reddish-gold undertones work well and don’t clash with the reddish-orange in your drapes and with whatever fabric you choose for the sectional. Do the squint test after you make all your sample boards. This room will look awesome when it’s all together!
Gerry says
Pam, Jaclyn Joslin is a decorator in Kansas. Her 1950’s ranch was featured on a decorating blog. Her kitchen cabinets are original to the house but have been faux bois (ed??). They look so cool! I have white painted 1968 birch cabinets and rather than stripping them or just repainting I may try the faux finish. Here’s the link to her house tour.
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2017/01/at-home-with-jaclyn-joslin-in-prairie-village-kansas-.html
Gerry
pam kueber says
Yes, that is the look we are going for, more or less, but with a different color.
If you do end up stripping: Remember to test for vintage nastiness. Be Safe/Renovate Safe https://retrorenovation.com/renovate-safe/
Gerry says
Love the mustard door. Whatever you choose it will be spectacular!!
Can’t wait to see your progress on this!!
Gerry
Marie Gamalski says
Wow Pam…. are you brave!!! I’m sure it’ll turn out great, seems like it will take quite awhile…. good you have a wing woman! Btw… in love w/Bug, Louis, and Astro, hope they’re not critics like mine! Hahahaha ????