Faux Wood DIY

This is always my most requested tutorial, and for good reason! Who doesn’t want an easy, one-day DIY that can completely transform whatever you’re using it on? I was scared to try this at first, but I went for it and now there’s no looking back. My bathroom cabinets have held up perfectly for a year now, plus I’ve since used it in multiple other places!

But let’s not forget where this space started. I’m going to walk through my starting point and the steps I took to get this faux wood look! Setting the scene: this is what my vanity looked like when we first moved in. Typical builder grade cabinets.

I first decided to update this space in 2022 with just a little paint, so I painted the cabinets gray. This was when I first sanded and primed.

And they stayed like this for about 2 years until I decided I wanted to try something different! I picked up the faux wood supplies and got to work. You will need a primer (I use Kilz), a small can of light brown base paint (I used a Behr Vintage Pewter in flat), a stiff bristle paint brush (the cheap ones from Home Depot work perfectly), and a regular paintbrush.

I put a coat of light brown base paint down and let that dry, then I went in with a coat of the Rustoleum Aged Glaze in Semi Transparent. I used a regular paint brush to apply the glaze, but the key is to go back in to make your “wood grain” with a dry, stiff bristle brush! I always just pick up a few of the $1 dollar ones you see at Home Depot. Those work perfectly for this project. Another key to this DIY is to let the glaze sit for a few hours and get tacky, and then go back in with another dry brush to blend out the wood grain lines. This step is super important for it to look as real as possible! This is what the cabinets looked like after I first finished them.

And I’ve since worked on my bathroom more, so it looks a little different now! But I did keep the cabinets the same and I think it looks perfect against the new floors.

And a couple other places I’ve used this DIY now are my front door and my desk in my home office. The glaze cures almost like a shell, so it’s super durable and I have never gotten a scratch or seen any sort of wear on any of my projects yet.

So here’s the steps to follow if you want to give it a try!

1. Do a light sanding.
2. Apply a coat of primer and let dry.
3. Put on a coat of a light brown base paint and let dry.
4. Use a regular paint brush to apply a coat of Rustoleum Aged Glaze.
5. Wait 3 hours and go in with a dry, stuff bristle brush to blend out your “wood grain” lines.
6. Let it cure for a few days before placing anything on it.

And the supplies you’ll need are here!

Let me know if you have any questions about it! It’s honestly a very easy DIY if you’re wanting to give it a try