SUPPLIES:
McCloskey's Special Effects Translucent Color Glaze
Colors - Buff (Ivory color), Mocha (Dark Brown color)
(available at Lowes)
Roller or large brush to apply glaze
Wood graining tool (also available at Lowes)
Soft rags
To begin, the walls were painted with a dark green eggshell finish latex...although you could start with a different base color to vary the final color of your wood...a raw sienna color would be nice for a lighter finished wood.
Using a level, I measured a chalk line around the room even with the top of the door frames. since I was going to add a wall paper border at this height.
Starting at a doorway (or some where with a straight vertical edge to use as a guide, and working in sections about 2-3 feet wide, brush or roll on ivory glaze over the green paint (I extented the glaze an inch or two above my chalk line so I was sure to cover where the faux wood would meet the wallpaper border. I found it was best to let the glaze set up for about 5 minutes or so (you'll may have to vary this depending on the humidity in your area)...if it is too wet a lot of the glaze comes off with the graining tool; too dry, and you don't get as much grain effect. Using your graining tool, lay it against the wall at the top and pull it downward, just slightly rocking it slowly as you pull it straight down the wall. If you haven't seen a graining tool before, you'll understand what I mean by "rocking it" after you look at one...it is curved. How much and how quickly you rock the tool will change the pattern of your wood grain, so each board looks different. If you don't like your "grain" or make a mistake, just brush over the glaze to smooth it, and repeat with your graining tool.
Continue pulling your graining tool down the wall using your previous grain line as a guide (I found it easiest to work from left to right). Once you get to the end of your glazed area, stop, base in your next section with glaze and continue. You will need a soft rag or paper towel to wipe the paint out of the graining tool as it gets filled up with wet glaze. I didn't do my entire room in one day...I worked on it over the course of a week. If you want to stop, just quit at the end of a section.
After my graining had dried...this took about 24 hours, I wanted to "warm" it up a bit. Using just the Buff glaze over the dark green resulted in a very cool-toned wood. So, I brushed on a coat of Mocha glaze, and used a soft rag to wipe it away...sort of like antiquing the wood. Again I worked in 2-3 foot sections around the room.
After completing the "antiquing", I used a brush to apply a bit more of the Mocha randomly along the edges of some of "boards" to give a little more definition and depth to the wood.
That was it! I added the wallpaper border to clean up the top edge of the faux wood, and now I have a TV room that has a warm garden-y feel.
Everyone who has come into my newly-decorated room just falls in love with it, and goes away trying to think where they can apply it in their own home.
I hope you enjoyed this tour of my room. If you give it a try, and have any questions, just ask, and I'll try to help... sharon@sweetpatoodies.com .
