# Faking mohagany finish



## TWPainting (Jan 30, 2008)

I have been a member of this site for about a year now with a little amount of posts but have spent alot of time reading the information. It is important to learn as much about the business as you can. 

Have a job that I bid on probably going to get it at a good price but they had an odd request that changes the specs. They asked if it was possible to make a painted knee wall with shadow boxes look like a mohagany furniture. This would be to match some desks and furniture they already have. Its a small area under the reception counter. Dentist office.

Not sure if there is a way to do this with a faux finish.

Thanks


----------



## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

I can't do it well, but I have seen picture of windows in office dividers that were faux wood finished and so realistic that office employees would break the windows when using a hammer and nails to hang pictures.


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

Talk to Foileffects. That guy is amazing and I'm sure he could point you in the right direction. Welcome from Mass.


----------



## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

You could grain it easy enough. Mahogany isn't that difficult to mimic. Paint a deep/rustic pink eggshell and grain over with a mahogany stain. You can get away without any special tools and a couple of finish coats of stain. 1st coat use a flogging brush to mimic the grain, maybe some wire wool over it to get some effect and then just a brush coat over the top using some wavy brush strokes. The hardest part would be matching the stain up to the furniture. Try it out/practice on some waste boards first so you know what you're doing when you do the job.


----------



## TWPainting (Jan 30, 2008)

Thanks for the tips I am going to play around with some of those techniques tommorrow.


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

TW, welcome also from MA.

many years ago, a customer asked me to grain the plaster above a fireplace to look like a raised pine panel. This was in the mid 70's before graining was in vogue and I had to make everything from scratch. tools, glaze, etc.

I shaded it in relation to prevalent lighting. Fooled a fine woodworker while he was having cocktails with the HO ("David, where did you get a pine panel that wide", "Take a closer look, Ted")

Point is: If I could do it as a mid-20's novice, then someone who knows what they are doing could do a real fine job. As Tooled said, mahogany ain't difficult.


----------



## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

http://www.dundean.com/


----------



## cy hundley (Aug 17, 2008)

Hi TW, if I have questions about faux, mural, or trompe d oleil I go to Muralsplus.com
It is a very popular decorative painting forum with a huge search archive. It would probably have many tecniques for what you need to do, also info on how faux painters may be charging for this type of work.


----------



## johnthepainter (Apr 1, 2008)

so in the mid seventies there were no graining tools or glazes?


----------



## johnthepainter (Apr 1, 2008)

save yourself the hassle, and put up mahogany veneered luan on the kneewall, and finish it to match,,,,,,,the real deal.


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

high fibre said:


> so in the mid seventies there were no graining tools or glazes?


Not that I could find. Did you have a supplier of those back then ?


----------



## johnthepainter (Apr 1, 2008)

did you hand carve your shoes back then?


----------



## TooledUp (May 17, 2008)

<coughs>


----------



## FoilEffects (Dec 19, 2007)

high fibre said:


> so in the mid seventies there were no graining tools or glazes?


WOW are you kidding me??? I have a glazing and wood graining set of tools from Mass. from 1878 which I bought on ebay. The tools may not have been in the hardware store around the block but they have been around for decades!


----------



## Roadog (Apr 18, 2007)

Flogging brush, chunk of burlap, and a hog hair softner or badger. Mahog is about the easiest of all to grain. Pic is one I did using beer glaze and my own oil glaze.


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Roadog said:


> Flogging brush, chunk of burlap, and a hog hair softner or badger. Mahog is about the easiest of all to grain. Pic is one I did using beer glaze and my own oil glaze.


Looks freeking great RD!. :thumbup:
Do you have a pic of a whole project you did that to?


----------



## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

I wish I had worked for a painter that could do that kind of stuff. I have no artistic skills to pull that stuff off. I really should get a book and sometime in the winter just work on a bunch of practice boards until I get it right.


----------



## evelienmolenaar (Jan 8, 2010)

Somewhere on the internet I saw a great how-to guide in steps, free to look at. (google faux painting or faux painting wood)
Some layering is involved, anyway. Dark over light layering makes warm colors shine.
Good luck, Evelien


----------

