Make Painted Door Look Like Stained Wood Door?

[Jay Chan]

I have just received a painted solid core door to replace a stained wood-faced hollow core door. But the grey-brown paint on the solid core door doesn't match the wood stain on the casing and the trims in the room. Moreover, that grey-brown color is ugly. The dark brown color in the original wood stain looks much nicer and has more depth. What's the way to paint over it to match the color to the original wood stain as close as possible?

If the painting technique is too difficult to get right, what is the way to convert a hollow core door into a solid core door?

Thanks.

[Pat Barber]

Don't paint it.... Gel stain it... the gel stain will just "sit there" and do very little staining but when dried, will resemble the "stained look" you had earlier.

The only way to convert is called "new purchase"....

Jay Chan wrote:

[JeffB]

Strip off the paint? Then you take a chance on what's underneath. Or you could try a "fake" graining technique as in

tool is readily available, but apparently it takes some practice...

JeffB

Jay Chan wrote:

[Frank McVey]

Hi, Jay,

You can buy wood-graining kits which attempt to simulate woodgrain. Normally these consist of the background colour, a grain colour, and a special tool for applying the grain effect while the grain coat is still wet. In my experience they are completely unconvincing and look crap.

I'd say that you'd be better off veneering the door, if you want it to look like wood.

You can't convert a hollow cored door to a solid core. Not easily, anyway!

Cheers

Frank

[Jay]

I think the best way to convert to solid core is to take all of your sawdust, mixt it with glue, and use a cajun injector to fill in the voids.

On a serious note, if you want to simulate the wood grain, you can use the technique described here:

note that I'm not condoning this. Please note that this is coming from one of those "Craft" shows on DIY. Personally, if it were me and I bought the door, I'd return it. If it was a freebie, I would buy a belt sander and go to town to get down to the wood grain.

[Jay Chan]

Thanks for all the responses I have received.

Seem like I cannot convert a hallow core door into solid, and the paint-a-wood-grain idea is iffy. Moreover the painted door has already come with fake wood grain on it. But I "may" be able to put stain gel on it. I will have to investigate on the use of stain gel.

Jay Chan

[bridger]

if the fake wood grainon it now is embossed into the surface you maybe able to use it to do an interesting 2 color effect. pick 2 colors of paint that work with the color scheme of the room's trim. the colors should be not TOO different from each other...

paint the door with the darker color, making sure to get good coverage down in all of the nooks and crannies. thin the lighter color and apply it lightly with a sponge

[J. Clarke]

The keyword you're looking for is "faux". There are faux techniques for woodgraining--how convincing they are depends on how skilled the painter is. Since you're never done it before, odds are that you're not going to be very convincing.

[Jay Chan]

Thanks for the idea of taking advantage of the existing fake wood grain on the painted door. I will see how this works as comparing with the use of stain gel.

Jay Chan

[Jay Chan]

I understand what you meant. I just saw a TV show called "This Old Hourse Classic" that has a pro using various technique with regular tools to get a very good looking wood grain effect on a metal door. This looks very like an artistic work than a DIY project. Moreover, my painted door already comes with fake wood grain. That artistic technique is not going to work on the existing fake wood grain. I will have to experiment with stain gel and the use of the two-colors approach.

Thanks anyway.

Jay Chan