Can anyone guide me on how to paint steel to look like varnished dark oak wood or something similar? What type of paints do I use and how do I obtain this kind of wood finish?
I know there is a self adhesive vinyl that can also do the job but I want it painted so it will last longer. Besides, it is hard to stick them in curved and rounded edges.
Thanks in advance.

I'm looking for that vinyl sheeting you're talking about for a restoration project on my Woodie station wagon.... hey, there's an idea! Search the automotive sites for that! Should work better than paint as it is designed to withstand the harsh road conditions (like salt, gravel, heat, pollution). If you find a supplier, let me know, my Pinto needs new woodgrain.

I have done this to make gloss-finish Bristol board and sheet metal look like wood for models:

1. Lay down a good semigloss primer/paint finish onto the metal in the base color of the wood you are trying to simulate.

2. Get a cheap paintbrush (2-inch-wide or wider) and trim off some bristles to make an uneven line of bristles along the tip.

3. Using brown and black shoe dye, India ink, and alcohol, mix and thin colors to resemble the colors of the grain lines.

4. Dip tip of brush into ink/dye mixture and brush it sparingly and semi-dry to resemble grain lines. This will take some experimenting to get it to look just right. Be sure to not make the grain lines all the same direction.

5. Once you have to look you want, let everything dry well and hit it with a matte spray to fix to finish.

Here's another idea:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4453805_paint-me......ike.html

What you're trying to accomplish, Lou, is called a "wood grain faux finish". Here are some beginner resources to help you along:

fux finish resource 1

faux finish resource 2

fauz finish resource 3

Note that most faux finish products are not meant to go onto bare metal, so some surface prep will be required. This would include roughing the surface with sandpaper (or other abrasive techniques), degreasing with naptha (or other suitable degreaser), and priming with an appropriate metal primer.

Also note that a protective clear overcoat is advisable - after the faux finish is applied - so that your hard work will last longer.

Also note that there may be some professional painters or decorators in your area that specialize in faux finishes who might be willing to take on your project, or at least offer you some guidance.

TW

Another one:

http://www.bejane.com/faux_wood_garage_door

If you want this to look like real wood (i.e., not like a stage prop that's supposed to represent wood), I would suggest doing what the theater pros do:

First, find a piece of real wood that you like. Furniture stores, antique shops, or even on-line. Study it well. Real wood is a lot more subtle than most people realize, and the graining isn't anywhere as coarse as you often see in faux wood.

Now, if your piece is going to be seen from a hundred feet away, you may want to exaggerate the grain a bit, like we do in scene painting, in which case it will look more theatrical. However, if you want people to think it's real wood, then paint it like real wood, which is how a piece of real wood would look from a hundred feet away.

Second, by all means look at some of the sources listed above. Better yet, go to a paint store (or HD or Lowe's, or even the public library) and get a good book on faux painting techniques. There are several out now, and they'll walk you right thru the process. But keep looking at your real sample as you paint your prop.

Good luck and keep us posted!

This (and other faux finishes) is a technique I learned from a book called "Scenery for the Theater". I have used the technique described by ClintonMagus on several projects, including a Tom Palmer illusion called "The Sorcerer's Cellar". It's a big door made of foam core sheets and Gaffer's tape over a light weight wooden frame. The door is painted to look like a heavy wooden door, and the results are really good. The same book also describes a brick finish, which I've used to make fake fireplaces for stage use from the same foam core, etc.

My wife has used the more home-traditional techniques to make walls in our house look like marble, etc.

It takes a little knack to get the effects you want... usually multiple layers of different color shades, but the results can be very dramatic.

Why not just use thin luon sheets? You can use contact cement to attach it to the metal.

At what distance is the prop going to be seen?
If it is from a great distance the supposed timber finish has to be exaggerated so it has a visual impact.
The best way to achieve this is with a pine grained effect.This can be achieved reasonably easily with a tool called a rocker.
This tool not only applies a straight grain effect but also,when used correctly,also achieves a crown grain effect.
Regarding the primer,I would use an etching primer to gain the best possible key to the metal substrate.
After priming,I would use an oil based paint for the background colour and the graining medium.
The graining medium(glaze)is basically a semi-opaque coating which when applied evenly is then brushed in a straight line using a stiff bristled brush or a comb.
After you have prepared the glaze you use the rocker to add the figured finish.
After the effect has been allowed to dry,seal with an oil based clear varnish.
The reason I have recommended oil based finishes is because it is a non reversable finish which allows you to mess around with what you have on show,while not spoiling any of the groundwork.
Google paint finishes and rocker,it should give you what you need.
If you really want an oak finish,be prepared to buy three types of brushes and a few subtleties with bits of cardboard.
All the best,Ray.
EDIT...Just found this.http://www.polyvine.com/category/show/polyvine%20trade/tools/38.
This may be of help to you.

Burris-Mayer and Cole? That was our Bible back in school! A lot of the stuff is very dated now, but some of the techniques are still right on the button.

Another good book is Lynn Pecktal's "Designing and Painting for the Theater." Lots of good techniques too.

That's the one!

Thank you for all replies. This is what I want to paint a wood finish on. It is a barstool levitation. Any suggestions on what wood color and how I can make that bar seat look thinner?

Hmmm...looks like vinyl contact sheets from a hardware store would work just fine.

Mark.

Yes.

Add what appears to be a padded black vinyl top cushion. In reality this "cusion" is more like a donut, showing a thick padded edge profile, but adding virtually no height to the stool.

Also, I would replace the legs with somewhat thicker material - or build a shell (perhaps wood?) around them - to give the overall stool a more balanced look.

TW

Click here to view attached image.

I know you are looking for woodgrain, but the entire top/seat could also be leather/vinyl covered. Durable, easy to keep clean and would have a "natural" look.

Two tones of leather would also make the seat look thinner, especially if you had faux brass tacks going around the bottom and top of the perimeter of the seat.

If you Google "1950's bar stool" you'll find images of stools with a deco look. They typically have a chrome rim with a vinyl padded top and were common in diners. If the stool appeared to be made of metal and fit that theme, it would not attract any more attention that a stool with a fat top trying to pass off as wood.

Michael, David, Thomas, Mark, George, Matt, Clinton, Nippulini, thank you so much for your ideas. Ok, I have decided to do the shortcut and use self adhesive vinyl for the legs and about 2" below the seat.

Thomas, your donut padded edges are exactly what I had in mind. I would use a black velvet type to cover the gimmick or a confusing metallic cloth pattern.

David, great suggestion on the faux brass tacks. I have chrome tacks in my shelf. I think it will show better.

Michael, I will cover the chrome trim with the self adhesive vinyl and leave only 1" inch of it exposed.

I just came from the hardware to get the self adhesive vinyl with a wood grain finish. Which one of these would you choose?

This is another picture of my barstool. It looks so massive. I want it to look more natural and a bit flimsy so it will look less suspicious. Do I leave the chrome ring foot rest as is or do I paint it similar to the wood vinyl finish?

Lou,

Not having anything to compare its size, the stool dosen't look massive to me. Don't try to hide all the chrome. Footrests and barstool legs should look substantial enough to support your weight. Other than making the seat look thinner, I think you are fine.

Dave

Dave, I want to make the barstool look lighter that's why I plan on having the wood look to it.

Honestly, I think it would look more like a barstool if you simply covered the side of the seat completely in black vinyl to match the top. Right now, the chrome on the side would be distracting, even if it isn't "telling". I think the legs are fine. You are probably so close to the issue that it looks worse to you than it does to an audience or others, sort of like the way you think your own children are acting worse in public than the people around you do...