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Hello, a few months ago I painted my dining table white and finished with water-based enamel paint (2 coats).
I now want to make the tabletop a light oak wood-look. Please see photos of my current table and what I wish to achieve.
I’m going to purchase a wood graining tool, but can you please advise me products from Bunnings to achieve this look?
I have previously been advised of these steps:
- clean/wash table
- scuff sand surface
- apply fusion ultra grip
- apply light colour paint
- apply darker colour paint & use wood graining tool
- apply wax to seal with a wax brush
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @elizaw. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about painting a woodgrain.
It sounds like you have a great vision for your table, but I do think we need to reconsider the approach a bit. Given that your table is already painted white, achieving a natural wood grain look using the methods you mentioned could be tricky and may not give you the most authentic or satisfying result. It’s definitely possible to do, but I believe it would be much easier, more practical, and effective to sand back the paint to the bare wood and start fresh from there.
Once you have the wood surface exposed, you can use a liming white to give it the light oak appearance you're after. Then, you can apply a darker accent colour into the grain to make the wood texture pop, which would give you that beautiful, natural wood effect you're looking for. This method will allow you to work directly with the wood's natural texture and grain, which would create a far more realistic and pleasing result than trying to replicate the look on a painted surface.
Trying to simulate a wood grain look on a painted surface could be a bit challenging because the texture and depth of the paint will not mimic the natural grain of wood in the way that actual wood would. It’s also harder to make the technique look natural when the surface has already been painted. By sanding back the white paint and working with the actual wood, you'll get a more authentic and durable finish that’s closer to your inspiration image.
If you decide to go down this route, here’s what I recommend: sand back the current paint to give you a fresh canvas and allow the natural wood grain to show through. Then, apply a whitewash to the wood. Next, use a darker stain or paint for the graining process; apply it sparingly with a rag to bring out the texture and depth. Finish with a protective coat of wax or clear varnish to seal the surface and protect your work.
In short, sanding back the paint will be a more efficient and effective way to achieve the look you want. I’d highly recommend trying that route first.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
