DIY: Making Barnwood

IT'S PLANK TIME!

We've lived in our home for a dozen years and completed several projects (many I've shared with you) but one Honey-Do became my obsession: Getting rid of our popcorn ceilings. Our home is contemporary with a very open plan which means miles of popcorn with no stopping point. The great room ceiling alone is 850 square feet.

If you have removed popcorn you know what a mess it is to get off. Then you have to mud, sand, prime, and apply paint or a finish. Or you figure out a way to cover the popcorn.  With the help of our handy friend Scott we decided to use pine tongue-n-groove planks to create a new ceiling.

And while natural pine has lodge charm, I really wanted something that was closer to a re-claimed wood look. Like Barn wood.

I studied several pictures of Barn wood and re-claimed wood ceilings before I tackled my 146 12foot long planks.  Pine is a soft wood and doesn't want to stain smoothly plus I wanted to kill some of the yellow.  I began my project by mixing FE Stain & Seal with FE Duraseal. Duraseal is a sanding sealer that I use for many cabinet projects.  I always tint it and it gives me a base color, grain filler, and sealed surface in one step.

Thin Duraseal 10%-25% for brush/roll applications and more for spraying depending on your spray system.  I mixed a mocha shade (seen above) and a red brown shade that I alternated between planks.  On some planks I applied two coats just to give me the natural variations you would find in Barn wood.  I let my Duraseal dry 2 hours before staining. Depending on the wood you will want to sand the Duraseal when dry for a lovely smooth base coat.  I wanted my pine to retain some grain so I skipped sanding.

I like to stain with a mix of Faux Creme Color Concentrate, Stain & Seal, and FX Thinner to make a nice rich wiping stain.  I mixed two different colors: One a deep coffee color and the other a warm neutral brown. Again I alternated shades, even applying the two colors at the same time to some planks.  I love using these big fat glazing brushes because they hold so much stain.

One of the nice things about water-based staining (besides the smell and clean-up) is you may use water in the project.



Keep a water spritzer handy and just spray the surface to remove more of your stain or to move it along a long surface length.

I wiped the surface with a dry terry towel or cheesecloth to even the stain and control the color sheerness.

At this stage the planks look like regular stained wood.  The next step makes them look like Barn wood.  I mixed FE Lime Paint & Wash with Stain & Seal and/or Faux Creme Colors. Our lime wash is solid in the bottom with separated liquid on top.  I don't bother to whip it which doesn't work very well anyway.  I dump the liquid into another container and spoon out a TBSP of the solid lime.  Then I add 2 more Tbsps of the liquid.  I did this in 3 different containers before re-boxing the Lime solid and liquid.

I added 1/3 cup Pickling White Stain & Seal to each Lime mix and then fine tinted with more Stain & Seal or Faux Creme Colors.  One of my lime washes is silver based, another pale grey, and the third a mid-range taupe.  I thinned my washes with 1/2 FX Thinner and 1/2 Water. These 3 pints did all 146 planks.  Although the lime content is low, wear gloves when working with any lime-base product.

I used my fat glazing brush to apply the lime wash and then wiped it back with a dry terry towel.  Don't over load lime washes or you will end up with a white pickled mess.  Lime dries quickly so you can see the tone within minutes.  At that point you can dry brush in more of your wash. I just had fun and worked between the 3 colors applying some separately and others together. The Lime Wash gives the wood a pretty chalky patina and alters the understain slightly.

What helped the most on this project was lining up the pieces as I worked on each layer. This gave me an indication of the color mix I was getting-Good thing I have a large space to work in because moving 12 foot long planks all day is tiring.

This is the day that we found out we were short and I needed to finish 22 extra pieces-my smile is a little forced.  I like the Lime Wash to dry over night so I can see how it shades the piece.

My final step was to apply Master Finishing Wax to add more color, seal the pieces, and give them a hand-rubbed finish to the patina.  I've found this water-based wax to be a good choice for sealing the low content lime wash.  Plus you may always glaze on top of this wax which is a welcome bonus. Adding 10% So-Slow will help the wax flow over large surfaces. MFWax may be tinted with Stain & Seal, Faux Color, or Faux Creme Colors making it a versatile addition to cabinetry and furniture finishes.

I dip a wadded up piece of cheesecloth or squared terry towel into the wax and apply it in long strokes going with the grain. Some pieces just got the un-tinted wax.

While other pieces were finished with a pale tan wax. MF Wax dries within 40 minutes and may be sanded (400 grit or higher) or re-applied if needed. I did neither-thank goodness for selecting a weathered look-LOL!

The guys installed the planks with finishing nails in the ceiling joists and did a great job of mixing the colors and the plank lengths. Every night I would take some touch up stain to fix any saw cuts or raw edges that showed.

An added benefit of the new ceiling was the ability to add lighting. This will be a new modern ceiling fan with a light.  We also added some eyeball lights to highlight art. Since I have my whole room scaffolded and the new ceiling looks so great I am up-grading the walls this weekend! When I am done I will post the finished project.

The Total Package: Heather McDonald-Hulet Part Two

I've been to this house and I'm excited to see more of Heather's project. Let's pick-up where we left off. Where does this hallway lead to?

Architectural Photographs

The stunning Hearth Room Kitchen

Heather used several Modellos in this project and not one to waste any materials, she used a leftover one above the fireplace:

And this is the kitchen...

Architectural Photographs

I am a cabinet person and a patina person, and a stencil person so this whole kitchen sets my heart aflutter. Heather applied all the cabinet finishes. Let's take a look at the components.

The refrigerator cover with Royal Design Stencils used on the raised panels. I love when stencils are used to create an inlaid wood effect.

The island is our Harrison Crackle finish from Furniture Traditions class. When someone does a great application of a class finish I am so happy that it is a useful sample and it worked in the real world-whew!

But I can only teach techniques and product-the talent is Heathers.

Harrison Crackle is also used on the accent cabinet.  The range area has many pretty finishes set off by the faux patina hood.

Architectural Photographs

This is the sunroom off the kitchen. As Heather notes there is no faux but the colors are fun and the lime green, chocolate and grey blue are right on trend.  Love the fan!

This is the Office Powder Bath that I will call the Jewel Bath. When you have a large home you need to give your bathrooms a name so your guests don't get confused. Such as "Oh, use the Jewel Bath or the Leather Bath." People visiting this home will just make excuses to use the bathrooms-each one has such a great finish!

This finish done with Lusterstone has a delicate relief pattern with jewel details. Heather shows you that a partial stencil pattern may be effective. This is a favorite pattern, Large Flourish, from Royal Design Studio, that I have used on several projects myself. 

Here is a closeup of the ceiling finish, bronze trim, and more of the sparkle pattern around the doorway.

Next to this bathroom is an office with built in dark glazed cabinetry.

The walls are done is an animal skin finish with a chipped back plaster map on the ceiling.

The second powder bath on this level is a rich red tissue that Heather coordinated with the vessel sink.  A nice twist to a tissue finish is placing a relief pattern under the tissue. Glazing the tissue will pick up the pattern.

Architectural Photographs

Close-up of the relief pattern and the glaze colors:

Architectural Photographs



The pattern picks up the scroll quite nicely. This is Royal Design Studio Large Florentine Scrolls-also a very versatile stencil.  We will end this part of the tour in the Master Suite.

Architectural Photographs

Now remember, Heather coordinated this entire project including the furnishings. The Master Suite is in soothing blue green and cream with warm taupe silver accents.

Isn't that a glamorous headboard?  The walls have a soft woven treatment with a random pattern that fades in and out.

My favorite finishes for bedrooms are the ones that look like faded fabric or antique oriental carpets. I think we get hung up on strias or weaves that have to be perfectly horizontal or vertical-well good luck with that. This is a successful way to get the feel of wallpaper-like finishes without torturing the surface or your back!

This is a small hallway between the master bedroom and master bath area. It has a slightly stronger stria with the glaze colors matching those used in the bedding. I have to say I would love to have this bath even though my home is contemporary-maybe I could be tempted to change my whole house to have this bath..hmmm.

The wall treatment is similar to the master bedroom. Here the star is the vanity.  Suzanne Lynch and Julie Reuter are the talented finishers that finished the wonderful cabinetry in this room. As I've said before-Kansas City is home to some of the best finishers I've ever met.  Don't be fooled by the simplicity of a glazed cream cabinet-this is one of the hardest finishes to do well. If done poorly, the cabinets look dirty or uneven from piece to piece-white shows every blemish!

Nice job Ladies. The little pulls look like vintage button earrings. Heather went to great lengths to get this onyx for the vanity:

The effort was totally worth it. Isn't that counter design beautiful?

Next time, we have a choice. Where do we go next? Do we go up the stairs? Do we go down the stairs? How about I take a few days to decide while you take in all this pretty.





















The Total Package: Heather McDonald-Hulet Part One

We have special names to indicate when a person posses multiple gifts. In entertainment a person is a "triple threat" if they can sing, dance, and act.  One of my favorites is "The Total Package" used to indicate that a person posses both inner and outer beauty combined with talents that make them more then just a pretty face.

Meet Heather McDonald-Hulet. Heather is the Owner of Beautiful Homes a success decorative painting business based in Kansas City. Her work has been featured in multiple residential and commercial settings for over 15 years.  Heather is one of the first finishers I met when Surfaces opened nine years ago and she is one of the most energetic, funny, and outgoing finishers you will ever meet. She also has talent.  Recently Heather had the opportunity to not only showcase her decorative painting abilities but her design sensibilities as well.  The owner of this home...

asked Heather to serve as the Interior Designer handling the selections of counters, floors, furnishings, lighting, and the all items that pull a home together.  I first saw this huge project when Heather showed me the blueprints for the kitchen so it was exciting when she took me on a tour of the finished home. Now I get to share Heather's fantastic work with you.  So come on in...but notice the front door first.

Setting the stage right away is the beautiful front entry.

Many exterior doors are made of metal or fiberglass and a client wants to appearance of distressed wood and traditional methods of beating up a surface won't work. Heather added the look of a patina by applying a finish that is crackled and worn in areas-instant character to a new door.

As you enter the home there is a stunning ceiling accent. We've all done feature walls but what about a feature ceiling? This is a great way to break-up a large run of a plain white surface and add a focus-in this case to the table and arrangements that Heather also designed.  Heather worked with Bomar Ornamentation in Louiseberg, Kansas to select the "molding" pieces used through-out the home to define ceiling and wall treatments.

This is the stunning dining room right off the entry. Heather used an earthy palette through-out the house of warm golds, creams, sage, and Swedish blues transiting to more intense shades such as russet on the lower level.  The dining room has subtle plaster layers with a breakaway pattern.

I love this finish! The pattern is a Royal Designs Fabric Damask. Look at the attention to detail-even the light plate cover is special.  Heather did a great job of mixing plasters such as Lusterstone, Softex, and O'Villa through-out the home. 

These are details from the dining room ceiling with Bomar Ornamentation embellished with foils and glaze.

The center of the home is this beautiful living room with a Country Estate aesthetic:

The box beams are accented by patterned inserts rendered in a very soft way keeping with the rooms elegant and refined feel.

Heather also selected the amazing light fixtures used in the home.

The hallway floor is stone with wood inserts. The walls are a lovey low-key texture that Heather learned from Nicola Vigini years ago and remains a favorite to this day. There is so much too see in the home, that I am breaking it up into different posts.  So to see more of Heather's amazing work and where this hallway leads to...check out this site later in the week. 

And a side note: I am flattered that Finishing Act posts are shared on social network sites such as Facebook and Pinterest. I post my work to be shared in that way. When I post a guest artist though I want to make sure that nothing is re-posted without proper accreditation and permission from that artist. Thanks so much for respecting the talented people that have invited me (and you) into their projects.