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How to Paint a Door to Look Like Wood (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

Our house had a vibrant orange front door, which I actually loved.  But when we repainted the exterior this summer, the orange door wasn’t right.  I decided I wanted a wood front door to coordinate with our wood-look garage door and wood-accent exterior lights, but I did not want to strip and restain the door: too messy!  I became determined to figure out how to paint a door to look like wood so that I could get the wood look without all of the hassle.

Learn how to paint a door to look like wood! This technique works on metal doors, fiberglass doors, wood doors, and more! You can also use it to paint your garage door to look like wood. Get all the info and a video tutorial in this post.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I totally messed this up at first!  Because of my mistakes, I probably did not save myself any time and could’ve stripped and re-stained in the same amount of time.  That being said, I perfected the faux wood finish technique and can now share it with you, so it isn’t a total loss!

How NOT To Paint a Door to Look Like Wood (My Mistakes!)

Before we get to the good stuff and how to really achieve a convincing faux wood finish, I HAVE to show you how badly I messed this up the first time around.  I was trying to get a wood finish with orange undertones . . . 

This is NOT the way to paint a door to look like wood! Before getting the faux wood look technique right, this blogger messed up big time!

So I applied two coats of gel stain right over the orange paint.  And it was awful – so bad that I could only laugh about how horrible it was!  This is NOT the way to paint a door to look like wood! Before getting the faux wood look technique right, this blogger messed up big time!

Can you believe this?  It was embarrassing to even close the door for anyone passing by to see.  Ha!

OK so take it from me – you cannot paint a door to look like wood with orange paint.  Not gonna work!

How to Paint a Door to Look Like Wood

Now that we’ve gotten THAT out of the way, let me show you how I redeemed myself and actually painted my door to look like wood!  You can read my step-by-step tutorial in this post and watch the video I’ve put together that shows you how this all went down!

Supplies Needed to Paint a Door to Look Like Wood

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Step One: Sand and Tape Off Hardware or Remove Hardware

Before you start, make sure to protect your door hardware with painters tape, or to remove it.  

You’ll also want to spread a drop cloth underneath the door to protect surrounding surfaces and the floor beneath.

Then, lightly sand the door to remove any glossy surfaces, and wipe the door clean.

Step Two: Paint the Door Brown

OK so after my orange paint plus gel stain disaster pictured above, I realized that the gel stain wasn’t the problem; the orange paint was.  I went to my basement and found a gallon of flat latex paint in a soft brown shade.  It was left by the previous homeowners and I considered it a gift from God.

I painted over all of my ugly orange mess with the flat latex paint.  The first step in painting a door to look like wood is to paint the entire door brown.

Even my dog looks sad in this photo.  Paint the door brown as the first step to creating a faux wood finish.

Thank goodness that ugliness was gone!

**If you’re painting a door that has never been painted, make sure to prime it first!

Step Three: Apply a Coat of Gel Stain to the Entire Door

Once the paint dried, I started applying gel stain right over the paint.  I began by using a 1″ foam brush to spread the gel stain but quickly switched to a stain pad, as it was much easier to get it in all the nooks and crannies.  To paint a door to look like wood, you need to apply a coat of gel stain with a stain pad.

For the tight corners I used artist paintbrushes to spread the gel stain.  Get in tricky corners with an artist brush.

Once the whole door was covered in gel stain, I let it sit overnight to dry. It already looked better than it ever did with the orange base color, but it still wasn’t great.

This is the first coat of gel stain on a door that's being painted to look like wood.

Step Four: Apply a Second Coat of Gel Stain

Here’s where the magic starts to happen.  For this next step, I worked rectangle by rectangle, and then row by row, and then column by column, to create the look of wood grain with gel stain.

I will show you how I did this in a rectangle part of the door.  I started by applying a coat of gel stain in a rectangle with my stain pad, and I got into the corners with the artist brush.  To get gel stain into the corners of doors, use an artist brush.

Then, I took the 3 inch chip brush, and I gently ran it over the flat part of the rectangle, from bottom to top, to remove some of the gel stain and to add a woodgrain pattern to the door.  To create a wood grain look on a door that's being painted to look like wood, use a chip brush to remove some gel stain and create lines in the finish.

I varied how I moved the brush: in some rectangles it was straight down to up, and in others I did a little bit of a curve as you see in woodgrain sometimes.  Create a wood look door with gel stain and a chip brush. The chip brush creates grain lines in the finish.

I did this “apply gel stain and then remove some of it” process all across the door.  I used thick card stock at the edges of each row or column to create a barrier between the edges of each section, since the woodgrain travels in different directions in these different pieces.  This made the junctions crisp, just like a regular wood door.  When painting a door to look like wood, it's important to have the faux grain go in the same direction as it would on a real wood door. Use a straight edge to keep sections from bleeding together and to keep lines sharp.

Here you can see the second coat of gel stain and woodgraining process on the entire door, except the outer columns.  The second coat of gel stain is necessary for getting a wood look finish!

This door is being painted to look like wood. It has a partial second coat of gel stain on it.

Step Five: Seal the Door to Protect the Faux Wood Finish

After I applied the second coat of gel stain to the entire door, I let it sit overnight so that it could totally dry.  Then, I applied three coats of this sealer to the door throughout the course of one day (no sanding in between coats needed).

To protect a door that has been painted to look like wood, apply three coats of Spar Urethane to the door.

I let the door dry for the time recommended on the sealer, and in the end, I succeeded at painting my door to look like wood!

This door has been painted to look like wood! It has a faux wood finish that was created with paint and gel stain. Learn how to paint a door to look like wood in this post.

It’s hard to believe I was able to fix that disaster I created the first go-round!  

This door has been painted to look like wood! It has a faux wood finish that was created with paint and gel stain. Learn how to paint a door to look like wood in this post.

Questions About Painting a Door to Look Like Wood

I feel like there will be some questions about this process, so I’m trying to anticipate them!

Does this process work on metal doors or fiberglass doors?

Yes!  Although my door is wood, you can use the exact same process and products to paint your metal door to look like wood, or to finish your fiberglass to look like wood.  Awesome!

Can you use this process to paint a garage door to look like wood?

Yes!  This exact same process will work to paint a garage door to look like wood.

Can I use gel stain to refinish a wood door that hasn’t been painted?

Yes!  You can, and I’ve done it before! Check out my post on refinishing an exterior door with gel stain for all of the info you’ll need.

Any other questions?  Ask them in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them!

-Bre

 

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