# Painting door to look like wood



## MikeGee (Jul 19, 2017)

Hey guys I’m in the process of finishing my basement and I got six 6-panel doors that I wanna paint to look like wood. They are the basic textured pre-primed Home Depot doors. 
I was thinking I put down a basic brown/honey color in enamel paint and then once it dries I can rub a gel stain over to possibly give me the look I’d like 
Anyone have any advice or have an idea of a solution other than swapping the doors out Thanks a lot!


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

So you want a base color of brown/honey and then highlights to make the grain look natural. I think regular paint would work just as well as gel stain. The trick is probably in the technique.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The actual procedure is to put down a base coat and then use a glaze to make the grain and then put a clear coat over the top. Wiping the grain you would tend to make it more blotchy looking. Rather than wiping the glaze you might use a coarse paint brush or better a graining brush.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Buy a wood door? Our front door could stand a new coat of paint. Interesting thread and info.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Base coat then glaze then run the rubber wood graining tool through the wet glaze.
The effect is almost magical to the casual glance. Quarter sawn grain with almost knots, too.
There should be an instruction sheet with the graining tool in big paint stores.

One of my living room walls and all the wainscotting down my front stairwell.


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