How To Repair Faux Wood Paneling

Worlds Apart

As a long time student, practitioner and observer of false wood painting methods, I've noticed an unfortunate trend: The automobile painting and decorative finishing industries are complete strangers to each other. Because of this, woodgraining methods for cars are hard to detect.

Practically speaking, this makes perfect sense. Faux finishers go to interior design and abode decoration shows, not motorcar shows.

Machine painters aren't planning to hit the Salon outcome to learn some new brush techniques and watch Pascal Amblard pigment copse.

Faux Wood Car Paint Oak on window rings

Some overlap, only not nearly enough

In some small ways, faux and car paint techniques have overlapped. Ever seen that cool play a joke on for marbling with crumpled plastic in wet paint? Faux finishers accept been using that play a trick on to create faux stone for decades.

But for the nearly part, these ii niches and their corresponding painting techniques are completely unknown and unconnected.

It's unfortunate and fifty-fifty wasteful. For instance, I've spent hundreds of hours masking with tape to paint long, narrow lines that could have been done in minutes using a striping brush. It's just something I was never exposed to in the imitation finishing world.

I programme to pick upwards some squirrel pinstriping brushes to learn some basic moves. Not to go a pinstriper, just to add a valuable brush technique to my repertoire.

Get paid for your simulated wood skills

In terms of auto painting, false wood grain is one of the most valuable of the faux finishing skills. Antique car restoration, custom car and motorcycle work, matching and repair of real wood and faux surfaces in quondam and new cars, Woodies, rims, steering wheels, shift knobs, truck beds…

I ofttimes get emails from people asking me where they tin get wood grain work done in their area. If I have a pupil almost them I pass the bulletin along. Sometimes they end upwards shipping their dash and trim to a grainer.

Faux wood paint oak dashboard

Faux forest pigment piece of work is out there and the trick to getting information technology, is doing it. Grain a dash and go it in a evidence or two and folks will accept notice. I know because that happened to me (and continues to).

Once you have some projects out in the world and some samples to show off in your shop and at shows, people will spread the discussion for you. Yous can also advertise in magazines, car forums, sites and blogs.

Are faux wood paint techniques for yous?

Learning to paint wood grain isn't for anybody. It takes some effort to become the skill down… If y'all're reading this, I'grand guessing that y'all feel comfortable with brushes and pigment. If you tin pinstripe, pigment flames or just well-nigh any of the specialty car finishes, you can grain.

There are services that will print a "wood await" onto merely about annihilation, and information technology looks pretty practiced. But information technology's not what I'd call art. One printed burl looks exactly like the side by side.

I'm not bashing that method, it's perfect for some people. I just want to analyze that information technology's different from hand painted faux wood grain.

Every painted woodgrain car project is unique and you tin can make information technology look exactly how you lot want with space color, grain and woods type variations. Not possible with the printed options.

It's no mystery

I see lots of attempts at woods graining by car painters and I get frustrated considering they're trying to reinvent the cycle.

Decorative finishers have been doing it for centuries, we've figured out some amazing tricks and we get stunningly realistic results. All of which can be hands applied to the car painting earth.

Antique yellow pine woodgrain for woodies

Information technology'southward true that you'll need a few new tools but nothing crazy, cost-wise and as I said before woodgraining is actually easier than much of the splashy custom auto stuff similar flames and pinstriping.

In that location are many, many other applications for faux wood painting. Like my current and past students, you'll find this to exist a very rewarding art form.

Would you like some help with Faux Woodgrain?

Link to woodgrain paint course sign up page