Finishing Tips

Creating Primitive WOod Grain with EF Stains and Country Colors

Note: These instructions are also included in the EF Waterbase finishing video.

Create the "Old World" look of primitive grain on any piece of unfinished furniture. In this discussion, we will use Cranberry Red as the base color and Black Walnut as the secondary color.

1. Apply two coats of the base color, then sand the surface with No. 320 or finer grade sandpaper. Finish with a layer of EF Polyacrylic to prevent color blending. Allow each coat to dry for two hours.

2. Apply a heavy coat of dark stain (such as EF Black Walnut or Country Color Black) directly over the base color with a polyfoam brush or handipainter. Allow the stain to set for five minutes.

3. Create a graining comb by beveling the end of a piece of corrugated cardboard with a razor knife. This will expose the ripples in the cardboard. Drag the comb across the stain to remove most of the top layer of color, allowing the base color to show through. The result will look like wood grain. You can purchase commercial graining combs from craft supply stores to create a different look.

4. An option to graining is antiquing. Follow steps 1 and 2. After the base color has dried, apply a thin coat of the EF Black Walnut directly over the base color. Repeatedly brush the stain until it is almost dry to achieve soft grain lines. The wood stain softens the base color to a warm antiqued look.

5. Finish with three coats of EF PolyAcrylic as instructed in the brochure.

Pickling

Pickling is simply applying a light color stain to wood; then wiping off the stain to let the color of the wood show through. The most popular pickle color is EF Whitewash Stain or Country Colors White, however, you are not limited to white. Apply the stain and wipe off as much as you want while letting the wood grain show through the stain. The look you want to achieve is a soft subtle color. Let the piece dry and apply three coats of EF PolyAcrylic following the instructions in brochure.

Another pickling method (the French provincial look) requires two stain coats. First apply a light color stain, such as EF Pecan, and let dry for two hours. Then apply a coat of EF PolyAcrylic and let dry for two hours. Finally add the look of age by applying a washcoat of White. Push the White into the edges of raised panels or into detail areas such as carvings. Wipe off the stain from the other areas. Let the piece dry and apply three coats of EF PolyAcrylic, following instructions in brochure.