How to paint "wood grain" door trim

[Darbone85737]

I'm working on my 1949 P18. The dash looks great but the window trims have been painted over in a horrible brown.

I'd like to redo them in wood grain but have no idea how to get that finish.  I've painted  motorcycles and have and spray equipment.  Any suggestions would be helpful.   

 

Thanks

Larry

 

[casper50]

I plan on having mine hydro dipped.

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wood+grain+hydrographics&qpvt=wood+grain+hydrographics&FORM=IGRE

[RobertKB]

Use the search function on the forum. This has been dealt with several times in depth.

[Darbone85737]

Use the search function on the forum. This has been dealt with several times in depth.

 

I did a search for "wood grain paint" and several other iterations.  Got nothing  but thanks, I guess  

[captden29]

he's right. no results for woodgrain or paint woodgrain. must be under some other wording.i do remember seeing this topic discussed.   capt den

[desoto1939]

You can buy a kit from the grain-It company and redo you widow trim in the correct grained effect.  I have the kit and have done a couple of garnish molding on my 39 Desoto.

 

It is simple but just takes some time and practice.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[_shel_ny]

http://p15-d24.com/topic/23957-first-stab-at-woodgraining-lame/?hl=%2Bwoodgrain+%2Bpaint

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/12570-woodgraining-methodmaterial/?hl=%2Bwoodgrain+%2Bpaint

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/12379-woodgraining-shops/?hl=%2Bwoodgrain+%2Bpaint#entry110268

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/8019-woodgraining-the-dashboard-window-frames/?hl=%2Bwoodgrain+%2Bpaint#entry68108

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/5074-woodgrain-care-and-feeding/?hl=%2Bwoodgrain+%2Bpaint#entry41112

 

Edit: another

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/1401-man-at-play/?hl=%2Bwoodgraining+%2Bpaint#entry10263

Edited April 3, 2014 by shel_ny

[Joe Flanagan]

This is how I did mine (a brief description) and I got very good results:

First I sandblasted the pieces. Then I primed with epoxy primer. Next came a tan, eggshell-like paint. I think any tan or beige paint will do. On top of that, I used a small paintbrush to apply black streaks all across the surface at random intervals. Before the black dried completely, I painted the piece with Minwax mahogany red stain. What that does is kind of "melt" the black paint and cause it to streak, which gives the impression of wood grain, like the original. The tan or beige that was applied before all that shows through in the background in random paces like blonde or honey-colored highlights. Once all that dried, I shot it with three coats of urethane. I've got pics if you want to see them. I think door trim will be trickier than the dash because you have to make several turns with the woodgrain at the corners.

[BobT-47P15]

Kind of like the "antiquing" process done on furniture years ago.  Don't know if they still sell "antiquing kits" -- they were

basically a base coat color with a darker color to go on top of that, then use rag or "cheesecloth"  or paint brush

to get the "grain" look.   

[Joe Flanagan]

Here's the thread on how I did mine (with pictures):

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/24115-woodgraining-update/?hl=flanagan

[desoto1939]

The grain it method is very basic.  They have a kit that a homeownere can purchase.  They have various metal plates in different sizes that have the appropriate wood grain etched into them.  You then pullthe graining color which is an ink across the plate with a squeegee.  Then then have these rubber rollers which look like the old gum paper eraseros that we had in grade school. You then take the roll and start at one end on the plate and roll the grain pattern onto the roller.  Then you roll the pattern onto the section on the garnish modling. You can only do a section at atime and the amount of grain that is put down depends on the size of the roller.  Then you repeat the process again and then do another section.

 

After the grain has dried then I spray it with a clear coat to set the grain so it does not get ruined.  Then take a wood stain to your liking to darkedn the background coloring.  I forgot 1 point prior to putting down the grain you need to pyt a base coat color.  I use a light tan color. Grain-it can also provide the base color and the grainign color as part of the kit.

 

After the darker wood sating has dried you can seal it with a clear coat from a spray can. If you want it to darker then apply another coat of the stain. If you do not like how dark it is then just wipe it off and you are back to the last coloring that you had sealed.

 

We have found that most people spray the last clear coat with a highl gloss clear but what the originalgloss was more of a satin but you do     the last clear to your liking.  You will need to experiment a couple of times.  I learned to do this when they came to the AACA annula meeting in Phila and they did a demo of the process and he asked if anyone you like to try it. I mastered it in a single try and he asked if i had every done this before and I siad no.

 

Several years ago I showed a major auto restoration shop what I had done and they asked me if i could do the panels for a 36 Essex but I stated that I was not upto the level of their restoration facilty so you can get good results and also get the pleasure of saying you did it your self. Just to let you know that the PRO's get about 200-300 for a door window moulding and about 1000-2000 for a dash.

 

Write to me if you need more info. I might have some pictures at home of some examples.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

cell 484-431-8157

home 610-630-9188

[Darbone85737]

This is how I did mine (a brief description) and I got very good results:

First I sandblasted the pieces. Then I primed with epoxy primer. Next came a tan, eggshell-like paint. I think any tan or beige paint will do. On top of that, I used a small paintbrush to apply black streaks all across the surface at random intervals. Before the black dried completely, I painted the piece with Minwax mahogany red stain. What that does is kind of "melt" the black paint and cause it to streak, which gives the impression of wood grain, like the original. The tan or beige that was applied before all that shows through in the background in random paces like blonde or honey-colored highlights. Once all that dried, I shot it with three coats of urethane. I've got pics if you want to see them. I think door trim will be trickier than the dash because you have to make several turns with the woodgrain at the corners.

That was very helpful and Iwould love to see a picture or 2

[Darbone85737]

Nevermind the pics. I found some using the link  in a post above. Thanks to all

[Joe Flanagan]

Send me a PM if you want more info on that particular technique. There are no doubt better ways to do it. But I am very happy with the results. 

[JerseyHarold]

Has anyone pinned down the method used by the factory to woodgrain the dashboards and window trims?   It must have been fast and cheap for production purposes.

[desoto1939]

Basically it was done by the way that I had describer from above.  Some are also thinking that the metal was all flat then grained then shaped but then you would get sctaches and bend marks, so not sure if that is correct.

 

The guy from Grain-it has the process down to a very simple process.  He is the company that has trained most of the pro's that you see advertised in Hemmings and on the Internet, so you know that the quality is going to be good for a show car.

 

Rich HArtung

desoto1939@aol.com

[mfccwhite]

I would like to share my experience with you. I sanded the window trim to bare metal.  I then cleaned the pieces with a water, white vinegar solution.  When dry I primed and painted the pieces with a tan Rustoleum spray paint.  Let dry a few days then using a terry cloth towel I applied Minwax GEL mahogany stain (you may choose any tint, I preferred this tint). I found True Value Hardware offered a variety of gel stains.  Lowe's and Home Depot offered only one tint of gel stain in my market. When I first applied the stain, I started to wonder if I was doing this correctly because it was not covering very well, but I found you have to be patient and you have to apply several consecutive coats until you get the texture and tint you desire (application tip: wear rubber gloves because this stain is an oil base stain). You can touch up the texture using a brush while the stain is still wet, but I did not.  I let the pieces dry for 48 hours before applying two coats of polyurethane.  I then used extra fine steel wool being careful to not apply a lot of pressure and lightly sanded the surface.  I then applied a third coat of polyurethane.  I am pleased with the outcome. BTW, an art teacher friend I work with told me printing ink was used originally for this process.  Mike

Edited April 16, 2014 by mfccwhite

[46Ply]

Show us some pictures of the finished product!  I'm entertaining the idea of doing the same thing to my 47 P15.

[TodFitch]

I would like to share my experience with you. I sanded the window trim to bare metal.  I then cleaned the pieces with a water, white vinegar solution.  When dry I primed and painted the pieces with a tan Rustoleum spray paint.  Let dry a few days then using a terry cloth towel I applied Minwax GEL mahogany stain (you may choose any tint, I preferred this tint). I found True Value Hardware offered a variety of gel stains.  Lowe's and Home Depot offered only one tint of gel stain in my market. When I first applied the stain, I started to wonder if I was doing this correctly because it was not covering very well, but I found you have to be patient and you have to apply several consecutive coats until you get the texture and tint you desire (application tip: wear rubber gloves because this stain is an oil base stain). You can touch up the texture using a brush while the stain is still wet, but I did not.  I let the pieces dry for 48 hours before applying two coats of polyurethane.  I then used extra fine steel wool being careful to not apply a lot of pressure and lightly sanded the surface.  I then applied a third coat of polyurethane.  I am pleased with the outcome. BTW, an art teacher friend I work with told me printing ink was used originally for this process.  Mike

 

Similar to what I did except I used printer's ink. The advantage of printer's ink is that you can use press wash to remove it without affecting the base paint layer. So it has some advantages if you are worried about making mistakes and don't want to strip down to bare metal to start over if you goof up. The big disadvantage is it is designed to be applied to a surface like paper which will absorb it a little and on a painted steel surface it dries very slowly and is easily marred until the top clear coat is applied.

[40plyrod]

I did it the same as above, worked really well for me.

[46Ply]

I've been researching the do-it-yourself wood graining options also.  There is a very thorough set of videos describing this process at this site:

 

http://woodgraining.com/

 

And they also have the original factory patterns for many early cars.

[JerseyHarold]

I've seen an example of water-based transfer printing.on an episode of Wheeler Dealers.   I'm wondering how that would work on our dashboards and interior trim.  Anyone have experience with this process?

[casper50]

I've done a test piece.  Looks very nice.  I'm traveling this week but will post some photos next week.  I'm going to do my dash and trim this way.    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrographics-film-wood-walnut-water-transfer-printing-film-HugasLTD-/251567972605?var=&hash=item0

Edited March 9, 2015 by casper50

[casper50]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DarTJsvbaQk

[desoto1939]

I have used the wood graing process from the Grain-it company.  It is easy to do and you can get a good quality finish for a do it yourself approach and it will look like a factory job.

 

Rich HArtung

desoto1939@aol.com