I learned a new technique for faux wood painting! It’s only two steps and I was truly astonished by the result! It’s such a pretty, raw wood tone. I want to do this to everything in my house now! After the frames turned out so well, I turned to Instagram and TikTok to vote on what art I should paint inside. Here’s a look at the before and after:

This is the only before photo I have of what the frames looked like when I bought them at the thrift store. Actually its just a screen shot from Instagram stories! But you can still see how different the look is. The frames were a little beat up, but that actually worked out great for the distressed look I was going for.

Faux wood painting

First we’ll start with this technique that can make anything look like wood! Can you believe this actually painted?

I learned the faux wood painting from Natalie at My Vinage Porch. Her blog is loaded with painting tutorials and ideas to flip furniture and art. (I’m a fan girl so the day she followed me on Instagram was VERY exciting. She’s such a genuinely nice person too.)

1. Paint the frame

I painted these thrifted frames Behr Burnished Clay in flat finish, like Natalie suggested.

2. Apply antiquing wax

After the frames were dry, I applied Dark Vintage Antiquing Wax with a cloth. That’s it! I couldn’t believe it. I just kept staring at them! It’s magic, I tell you.

The more texture from the painting with the flat paint or dings and scratches from a previous life, the more character the wood will have.

FAQ

I got quite a few questions on social media about doing this on laminate or a table top or even a door. The answer is: I don’t know yet! I’m just now experimenting with this. BUT I’ve decided to do this to my nightstands in September, so I’ll report back with the details.

The frames will scratch if I run my nail across them because they were painted in high gloss black paint previously. So when I do the nightstands I will: 1) lightly sand, 2) paint with bonding primer, 3) paint with burnished clay, 4) rub in the antiquing wax and possibly 5) use a flat polycrylic on top. But I’ll do a full tutorial and show the results next month.

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A post shared by Kate | Home Decor & DIY Blog (@housemixblog)

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Simple DIY art

I selected five pieces of art to use as my inspiration and asked followers on TikTok and Instagram to vote! The same piece won on both platforms and it wasn’t even close. Here’s the video if you want to see what the other options were:

@housemixblog

Which one would you choose? ##diyproject ##diyhome ##artideas ##interiordesigntiktok ##homedecoronabudget

♬ talking to the moon sickmix – Sickickmusic

I think I liked option three best too! I picked up a few bottles of acrylic paint and got to work. It took no time at all. As one person commented on TikTok, “Lines? I can do that!” I don’t think she meant it in a friendly way, but that’s exactly the point! Anyone can do it. Believe me, I’m no artist. Oh TikTok, how you’ve strengthened my character, haha!

I chose a color palette of beige, blush, mustardy brown and a stroke of charcoal. I stuck with warm tones though. I added in a sage when I was practicing and didn’t like it, but pick whatever palette works best for you. Cool tones would be pretty too.

There’s just one suggestion: Use a bigger paint brush that you think. This will create bigger, more dramatic strokes. It’s also a good idea to use different widths of brushes to create variation.

I’m really pleased with these. The colors blend in so well to the rest of my decor. I’m realizing that I have a LOT of pink in my house at the moment. My husband doesn’t say much about it, but I think I might be pushing it a little bit, haha! Most of my pink accents are easy to change out — picture frames, pillows and such. Well, except for that blush heron mural I just put up. 😬