I had been holding onto this dresser and had planned to put in my master, but it sat for a few weeks until I could decide what to do with it. Retique It was the answer to my wonderings and now that the dresser is done, and I am still amazed at how it turned out.
This was the first time I had ever used the liquid wood product, as well as the graining tools. It was super easy and turned out perfectly on the first try.
Here is the before.
It was a nice looking dresser to begin with, but I had something else in mind since I was putting it in my master suite. I am to the point that I'm tired of the wood look and want a bit more of a glitz.
The top is laminate, so I wasn’t crazy about the idea of painting it, hence, the hesitation over what to do with it. Yes, you can paint laminate, but you must take extra steps to insure adhesion. I USE the top of my dresser, so it has to be solid.
I cleaned it well and scuffed it up to be sure it was ready. This new product is a liquid wood that you paint on and then can stain just like you do bare wood. It has super bonding power, so it's a great choice for laminate.
The graining tools can be used to create a grain look before staining, and can give you texture. It’s quite amazing to say the least.
I filmed the steps for my Blueprint members, so I’ll share it here for you too.
You just paint on the Retique it Liquid Wood like you normally do for regular paint, let it dry for at least 2 hours and then paint on another layer of liquid wood, using the wood grain tool while it's still wet to create the wood grain look.
You rock the tool back and forth, but don't press very hard, as you draw it down in a straight line, in rows, simulating the grain. You can see in the video that you can just add or smooth out any areas you’re not happy with while using the graining tool to get the look you want.
After I was happy with how the grain looked and felt, I took a brush and lightly ran over the whole top to knock down any high peaks and give a smoother grain look.
Since I was going for a solid dark colored stain, it wasn't necessary to use two different liquid wood colors, other than I wanted you to see the grain as I created it.
I had to add the grain to the top with the graining tool since it was a smooth laminate, but not to the side since it already had a wood grain. I just painted on a thin layer of liquid wood on the side and stained it, letting the natural grain show through.
I stained it with Kona Varathane stain.
The body is painted in Rustoleum's Champagne metallic, first primed with STIX.
The hardware is from D. Lawless Hardware.
There are so many ways you can use liquid wood. Use combinations of the different shades, layering stains, glazing over it, etc. Take some time to experiment and come up with your own look and style.
Who would have thought you could create a wood look over laminate?
To learn these techniques and others, join FFB Redesign.
