Faux Barn Wood - Part II

Now for the next stage of my barn wood kitchen cabinets

Stage II
The idea is to create a wood grain effect, so I found some barn wood images on the internet To use for inspiration. I wanted to encourage drips and runs so I stood the doors upright. Next I filled a can with water, dipping the brush into it and then into a small drop of the paint in a dish so it was very runny. Do not mix, you want it to go on unevenly. Using straight Anchor Grey I stroked the very wet paint over the frame and doors in an uneven thin veil.

Chalk paint darkens as it dries so if it went too dark I dipped the brush in water and brushed some of the paint off. I allowed drips and when almost dry brushed them upwards which helped with the wood grain look. On this layer it's important to vary brush strokes, especially the amount of pressure exerted on the brush. Sometimes I pushed hard which puts more paint on the wood, others I used a light whispery touch to mimic wood grain. I also varied the consistency of the paint, going from almost dry to very runny.

After grey I chose several neutral colors and brushed on very small amounts haphazzardly around to enhance the wood grain. In places I painted knots to make it more realistic. this is done by gently placing the brush perpendicular to the wood and lightly twirling.

The colors I used were ... Folk Art Home Decor in Castle and Sheepskin, Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Heirloom, Anchor Grey and Simply White described above. I must emphasize that I used them all as thin washes or dry brushing in tiny amounts, allowing brush strokes to show and working with drips and water to remove paint that was too dark or too light. I used a very light touch at this stage. It is important to step back and make sure the wood grain is irregular or it looks machine made.

This is how they looked after this stage waiting to be lightly sanded.

Stage III later.

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