Just a few days in the past, I shared that if I might do something I needed with the lavatory door and the storage closet door within the again entry of my studio, my choice could be for them to be a medium to darkish stained wooden. Walnut could be good. You can read more about that, as well as other options, here. However right here’s a take a look at the ultimate imaginative and prescient I had for this space, and the way it will coordinate with the mural wall.
So after contemplating some totally different choices to get get that walnut look (every little thing from a fake end to buying precise walnut doorways, and every little thing in between), I made a decision to start out with the most cost effective DIY possibility. I bought a product referred to as Retique It, which is a primer that accommodates precise wooden particles in it. You’re supposed to have the ability to use this primer on just about any floor, after which stain it to make it appear like actual wooden.
I nearly named this put up “My Vote Of “No Confidence” In Retique It,” however I spotted that in all probability isn’t a good evaluation. In any case, I didn’t use their full line of merchandise (they promote their very own model of stains as nicely). However it’s positively truthful to say that the general course of that I used shouldn’t be going to end result within the look I would like, so I didn’t even try to complete. This was not a kind of “belief the method” sorts of tasks. I knew nearly instantly that it wasn’t going to work, so despite the fact that I didn’t end it, I did far more than I wanted to do to be able to confirm that it simply wasn’t going to work out.
The doorways that I at present have on the half lavatory and the storage closet are these commonplace six-panel hole core doorways from House Depot. They arrive pre-primed and able to paint, and so they have this pretend wooden grain look to them.
The doorways have about two coats of black paint on them, after which they’re clear coated with Normal Finishes Excessive Efficiency Topcoat. I clear coated them so to make the black simpler to scrub. So earlier than I started, I gave the doorways a really fast sanding with 220-grit sandpaper. After which I started brushing on the Retique It primer.
My preliminary impression was that I used to be shocked at how skinny the product is. With it being so skinny, I had a tough time avoiding runs and drips. You may see under simply how skinny the primary coat went on. The panel that appears extra stable brown has three coats on it. I didn’t need to waste time doing the entire door if the product wasn’t going to cowl, so I simply used that one panel to check out what number of coats it will take to utterly cowl.
In all, I ended up doing 4 coats of primer to utterly cowl the door. And people 4 coats took about 1/3 of the 32-ounce container of Retique It. That was disappointing. That signifies that if I needed to do either side of each doorways, I’d should buy a second container of Retique It, at the price of $55 per 32-ounce container.
After the primer was utterly dry, I did a bit sanding to eliminate drips and runs, and likewise to see if I might carry out a few of that fake wooden grain within the doorways. I believed perhaps I might use that current fake wooden grain to my benefit to make the doorways really appear like wooden once I stained them.
So far as the stain goes, I ended up utilizing Behr water-based stain. The Retique It web site say to not use penetrating stain, like Minwax. As an alternative, they suggest a specific Varathane stain, which was once accessible at House Depot. Sadly, the House Depot right here now not carries that kind of Varathane stain. They solely carry Varathane stain that’s labeled “penetrating stain”. They did have one other line of oil-based stain that wasn’t labeled “penetrating”, however they didn’t have any of the colours that might have labored for my doorways.
So my solely possibility was Behr water-based stain. I had a lot success utilizing that stain on the storage cabinet in our bathroom, so I felt like it will work right here as nicely. And initially, I really thought it was going to work!
My plan was to brush on the Darkish Walnut first, let it sit for a few minutes, after which wipe off the surplus in order that the darkish settled into the fake wooden grain of the door. After which as soon as that was utterly dry, I’d return over it with a coat of Particular Walnut. Right here’s what it regarded like after letting the Darkish Walnut sit for a minute after which wiping off the surplus. I used to be feeling hopeful!
However then I attempted placing the stain on the primary panel, and that’s when the plan fell aside. Fairly truthfully, I didn’t actually really feel just like the Retique It was really absorbing stain. I believed that was the entire goal of getting primer that’s made up of over 65% recycled wooden. I anticipated the wooden within the primer to soak up stain a lot better than it did. This simply regarded prefer it was going proper over the floor, identical to it will over every other painted or primed floor, and it created the streakiest, splotchiest mess ever. It doesn’t matter what I did, I couldn’t create any type of clean, even look, even after wiping away the surplus stain.
I used to be disenchanted, however I knew that I used to be by no means going to get to a completed look that I used to be happy with utilizing this course of or these merchandise, so I simply stopped at this level.
So is my vote of “no confidence” in Retique It? Nicely, I’m undecided at this level, and I feel it will be unfair for me to say that the issue is Retique It. I’d have to make use of their full line of merchandise on a mission to make that type of trustworthy evaluation. Possibly it’s simply the truth that I used to be making an attempt to apply it to a six-panel door as an alternative of a flat floor like a desk prime. Possibly the issue is the stain I used. I don’t actually know.
However what I can inform you is that my vote of “no confidence” applies to my entire course of on the whole. And I additionally don’t have any confidence that I could make these low cost six-panel, pre-primed doorways appear like wooden in any convincing manner, whatever the merchandise or fake end course of I take advantage of.
The 2 issues that I like about my mock up are (1) the flat panel doorways, and (2) the distinct look of the grain of walnut veneer.
Clearly, it’s not attainable to make a six-panel door appear like a flat slab door with out utterly overlaying it, however I additionally don’t assume it’s attainable to copy that look of walnut grain utilizing something aside from actual walnut veneer. However it’s that grain that makes it look so particular, like on the walnut vanities and storage cupboard in our lavatory.
I feel the one choice to get that look is to make use of actual walnut veneer. There aren’t any different quick cuts. And fairly truthfully, I’m undecided if I’m so set on walnut doorways that I’m keen to swap out the present doorways for brand new ones when what I’ve is completely good, completely usable, and already put in and trimmed out. (With a purpose to swap doorways, I’d should take away trim since these are pocket doorways.).
Whereas it’s enjoyable to dream concerning the ultimate look and design, typically chasing that good look and design actually isn’t well worth the cash or the hassle it will require. So now I’m again to sq. one on this. Possibly I’ll simply gold leaf the doorways. 😀 No, critically. Would that work? Somebody talked about it the opposite day, and my preliminary response was, “That’s ridiculous!” And but, I haven’t been in a position to cease interested by gold leafed doorways ever since then. I’m so tempted to attempt it! 😀
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and beautify the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
Trending Merchandise
