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Just a few days in the past, I shared that if I might do something I wished with the toilet door and the storage closet door within the again entry of my studio, my desire can be for them to be a medium to darkish stained wooden. Walnut can be good. You possibly can learn extra about that, in addition to different choices, right here. However right here’s a take a look at the ultimate imaginative and prescient I had for this space, and the way it could coordinate with the mural wall.
So after contemplating some completely different choices to get get that walnut look (the whole lot from a fake end to buying precise walnut doorways, and the whole lot in between), I made a decision to begin with the most affordable DIY possibility. I bought a product referred to as Retique It, which is a primer that incorporates 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 to be actual wooden.
I nearly named this submit “My Vote Of “No Confidence” In Retique It,” however I spotted that most likely isn’t a good evaluation. In spite of everything, I didn’t use their full line of merchandise (they promote their very own model of stains as nicely). However it’s undoubtedly truthful to say that the general course of that I used just isn’t going to outcome within the look I need, so I didn’t even try to complete. This was not a kind of “belief the method” kinds of tasks. I knew nearly instantly that it wasn’t going to work, so though I didn’t end it, I did far more than I wanted to do with the intention to confirm that it simply wasn’t going to work out.
The doorways that I presently have on the half lavatory and the storage closet are these commonplace six-panel hole core doorways from Dwelling Depot. They arrive pre-primed and able to paint, and so they have this faux wooden grain look to them.
The doorways have about two coats of black paint on them, after which they’re clear coated with Common 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 possibly can 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 could 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 implies that if I wished to do each 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 slightly sanding to do away with drips and runs, and likewise to see if I might convey 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 truly appear to be 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 a substitute, they suggest a specific Varathane stain, which was obtainable at Dwelling Depot. Sadly, the Dwelling 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 may 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 cupboard in our lavatory, so I felt like it could work right here as nicely. And initially, I truly 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 appeared 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 actually, I didn’t actually really feel just like the Retique It was truly absorbing stain. I believed that was the entire objective 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 appeared prefer it was going proper over the floor, similar to it could over some 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 disillusioned, however I knew that I used to be by no means going to get to a completed look that I used to be glad 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? Effectively, I’m unsure at this level, and I believe it could 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 venture to make that type of sincere evaluation. Perhaps it’s simply the truth that I used to be attempting to apply it to a six-panel door as an alternative of a flat floor like a desk high. Perhaps the issue is the stain I used. I don’t actually know.
However what I can let you know 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 to be wooden in any convincing manner, whatever the merchandise or fake end course of I exploit.
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 doable to make a six-panel door appear to be a flat slab door with out utterly protecting it, however I additionally don’t suppose it’s doable 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 believe the one choice to get that look is to make use of actual walnut veneer. There are not any different brief cuts. And fairly actually, I’m unsure if I’m so set on walnut doorways that I’m prepared to swap out the present doorways for brand spanking new ones when what I’ve is completely good, completely usable, and already put in and trimmed out. (With a view to swap doorways, I’d should take away trim since these are pocket doorways.).
Whereas it’s enjoyable to dream concerning the very best look and design, generally chasing that good look and design actually isn’t well worth the cash or the hassle it could require. So now I’m again to sq. one on this. Perhaps 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 capable of cease fascinated about gold leafed doorways ever since then. I’m so tempted to strive it! 😀
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and enhance 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 possibly can be taught extra about me right here.
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