Fine stained woods are an expensive commodity. With just a little practice, many do-it-yourselfers can make the rich look of natural wood grain, in a procedure called \_faux bois\_, onto a boring white kitchen cabinet, an interior door along with a plain-looking bookcase. All you need are a couple gel stain colors, and a faux-finishing applicator known as a graining tool. A graining instrument is a curved and ribbed rubber device which permits you to rapidly simulate the overall look of timber grain.
Mix a weak solution of soapy water in a bucket. Soak a rag in the soapy solution; wring out the excess moisture, and use it to **wipe down the item** which you intend to finish. Follow up by rinsing the soap off mix with a clean, water-dampened fabric. Enable the surface to dry completely.
**Apply a coat of white pigmented shellac primer** with a foam cover cover that is mounted on a standard mini-roller frame. The foam cover helps create a smooth finish that is free of brush marks. Allow the primer to dry for 2 hours before moving on to the next step.
Roll on the **base shade** of gel stain having a clean, fresh foam cover over the mini-roller.
[Flog](http://www.danfulwiler.com/decorative-painting-defined.htm) that the base coat by gently flicking the tips of a synthetic fiber paintbrush contrary to its still-wet surface. **Flog that the entire surface**, moving in rows from top to bottom and left to right, until the entire surface was treated. This will create the overall look of the slightly irregular pores found in natural wood. Give the flogged base coat just two to three hours to dry completely, or as recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions.
Apply the **second shade of gel stain** with a brand new foam cover on the mini-roller. This shade serves as the wood’s grain or vein pattern.
**Pull the curved graining instrument** through the stain, from top to bottom, with a pivoting movement in the wrist. A slow and gentle movement creates a long, straight pattern of veins much like high-quality pine, bamboo or maple. A quicker pivot wotj a rocking motion generates the knottier appearance of pine, juniper or other \_character\_ forest. Let the stain dry for three hours prior to applying the next coat.
Roll on a thin layer of a **clear, water-based polyurethane liners** with a closed-cell foam cover connected to the mini-roller. Follow up by applying another coat after the first layer has dried, which typically takes around three hours.