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.
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 . . .
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! 
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
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- Flat latex paint in a shade of brown
- Gel stain in the color of your choice (I used this brand and color)
- Varathane Ultimate Spar Urethane
- Stain pads
- 1.5″ or 2″ angled paint brush
- Small artist brushes
- 3″ chip brushes
- Painters tape
- Cardstock or cardboard with a straight edge
- Drop Cloth
- Sandpaper
- **May need primer if your door has never been painted
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. 
Even my dog looks sad in this photo.
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. (Make sure to read my post on The Best Gel Stain Tips and Tricks, too. It will help you have better success with gel stain!)
For the tight corners I used artist paintbrushes to spread the gel stain.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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).
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!
It’s hard to believe I was able to fix that disaster I created the first go-round!
Check Out Other DIY Door Projects You Might Like!
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
Cheryl M Davis says
I have a question…how has the door held up? I noticed you used water based sealer over oil based stain and that generally doesnt work. Curious if you had any issues with that.
Door looks great!
Bre says
Hi, Cheryl! Great comment and observation! So actually with gel stain, you CAN use a water based sealer! Both General Finishes and Minwax (gel stain brands I use regularly) talk about that on their websites. I refinished an exterior door with gel stain in 2014 and sealed with the same Varathane product and that held up perfectly until 2019 when we moved, and I’d imagine it’s still great though I don’t know since I don’t live there anymore. And this door that’s the subject of this post is also looking fabulous! I like to use water base sealer because it doesn’t smell, but if that’s not an issue and you’re concerned about longevity you can absolutely choose an oil-base sealer!
Heather Hiltz says
Your door looks amazing! You’ve certainly inspired me! I want to try this on a few interior doors (painted whire right now). I’m thinking of doing the same to the trim, base and cornice molding. What are your thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks so much for sharing!
Bre says
Hi, Heather! I think this finish will absolutely work on those other areas you mentioned! Good luck with your projects!
Jasmine says
Hey! I followed your steps to do this to trim in our house. However I have not proceeded to second coat of gel stain as the stain is still tacky after almost a week. In your steps it doesn’t say anything about wiping off excess gel stain while still wet but I am finding a lot of posts that state that….was your first coat of gel stain still tacky after the day of drying? Any suggestions? Please and thank you!
Bre says
Hi, Jasmine! Oh no! I’m sorry you’re having this problem! So, I did not wipe off excess gel stain, but I also didn’t apply it in a thick coat, so that may have had something to do with it. There are a couple of things you could try: (1) use a heat fan on the parts that haven’t dried up yet and see if that speeds things along; or (2) you could dip a rag or sponge in mineral spirits and super gently touch the spots that aren’t drying and see if you can remove the excess stain. Since you’re going for a tone-on-tone wood look, the base layer doesn’t need to be totally solid color – do you know what I mean? So then when you apply your second coat of gel stain the variations in shading add to the dimension. I would try the fan first though.
Cammy says
Hello! I have a white primed door, so I need to do that base brown coat like you did? Or were you just covering up the orange? Awesome project by the way, as new wood doors can get super pricey 🤑
Bre says
Hi, Cammy – such a great question!! I should’ve been more clear about that. Yes – you will definitely need to do the base brown coat of paint. The gel stain is sort of translucent, so if you have a white base coat, the door will not end up looking like wood, but instead, a streaky mess. :-). Thanks for asking! Good luck with your project – you’ve got this!!
Brenda says
I have a metal door that has been painted using a stain or some type of paint and it is peeling in a few places.I would love to paint it to look like wood,I’m not sure how with the problems it has or it may too hard to do.What do you think?
Bre says
Hi! I think you could do it, but you’d need to sand off all of the peeling paint first, and then use a really good primer for metal surfaces! Then, once you’ve primed, you could paint the door brown and then use the gel stain to create the wood look. Good luck!
Mqcola says
Hi,
I read your post and found it very interesting. Could I paint a “flat” fiberglass door to look as wood grain? I am looking to replace our door with a wood grain look and the price is very high. If I can use a flat fiberglass door ( for paint) it would save us a good chunk of money.
Also, would you rate this as something for a beginner or more experienced “painter” and would you think it would stand well winter months..
Thank you!
Bre says
Hello! Yes, you can totally do this on a fiberglass door! One thing to check out before you do it: find out exactly what type of paint you need for the base coat (the brown I used in this post). Double check at the paint store what paint they recommend for fiberglass, and then do the rest the same as I show here. In terms of difficulty – this is not difficult. You can definitely do it!!!
Brian says
I had a professional refinish my fiberglass door as you mentioned. Brown primer, gel stain and 2 coats urethane sealant. Door looked great first year, but faces east and hot sun basically burned off sealant ina little over a year and now the door needs to be touched up again with gel stain and resealed. Do you have any suggestions on a sealant that will last longer than a year or do you recommend I just paint the door? Paid a lot for a professional to do the work and don’t want to have to do this every year. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Bre says
Hi, Brian, oh man that is so disappointing! I’m really sorry! So my door at my old house and at this house face east as well, but they do both have some cover. Do you know if the professional used the Ultimate Spar Urethane that I used? That has excellent UV protection and I haven’t experienced issues (but again – I have a covering over the porch/door so the door isn’t baking in the sun). That is the only UV sealer I’m familiar with. I’m sorry I can’t comment on others!
Emily says
I have a metal door and would like to paint it to be white but with a wood grain texture. Do you think this is possible?
Bre says
Hi, Emily! I think you could totally do this with a wood grain texture tool! Have you ever seen those? I’ve seen them at Michaels and online of course. You could paint the door white, and then do the wood grain with the tool in a different shade or finish of white. 🙂
Leslie Moreno says
Hello! I love how your door turned out!
I want to do the same to mine, but I’m wondering how many cans of gel stain you used? I want to do the inside and the outside. Would that look good?
Bre says
Hello! Thank you so much! I used under 1 quart of gel stain to do the front of the door. I think you could do both sides with one quart – and that’s with two coats of gel stain per side. It really doesn’t take much. :-). Good luck with your project – I hope it turns out amazing!!
Molly says
Hi! Wondering if regular stain would work. I’m in a very small town and no one here seems to sell the gel stain. I have plenty of regular stain at home.
Do you think it would work??
Bre says
Hi, Molly – I am SO sorry it took me so long to respond. I got really far behind on all things blogging! Anyway, unfortunately regular stain will not work. Regular stain is formulated to seep into the wood, whereas gel stain sits on top of the surface and dries there – that’s how you’re able to create the faux finish with it. I’m really sorry!
Susan says
I love your door looks so good .. what did you use to
Apply the seal? I was worried of streaks .
Thank you ,
Susan Keating
Bre says
Hi, Susan – thank you! Great question and sorry I didn’t specify that in the post. I used a foam brush for that step. I did not have any streaks. Good luck with your project!
Leigh says
Can this process be used on a painted solid wood dresser? There are too many crevices etc for me to strip and sand on this particular piece so I’m trying to find options to paint to make it look like wood. Thank you! And your door is beautiful!
Bre says
Hi, Leigh! Yes – totally! And to encourage you . . . I’m currently trying to strip and restain my kitchen table. It’s going terribly. I’m actually thinking of doing it this way if I can’t get it to look nice the old fashioned way. :-).