Sort of a streaky coloured varnish type paint wanted.

[Brian Lacey]

Part of our bungalow inside is wood clad, stained and clear varnished. The door frames are 'painted' in what I can only describe as a 'varnish paint'. It is a streaky, stained look but not a wood stain with clear varnish topcoat. It chips off to show wood primer underneath. I cannot strip it (too much + curved mouldings) so need to recover in a similar streaky type paint/varnish.
I tried a google but the word 'varnish' gets in the way !
Does anyone know what this paint might be or what it is called so I can get some ?
Cheers
Brian.

 

[JohnD]

The technique is called Graining. It is intended to simulate the appearance of varnished hardwood by applying wood-coloured paint to a cheaper material.

For example Edwardian houses might have had their pine doors and frames grained to simulate Oak. The National Gallery has them grained to simulate mahogany.

It is done by painting the body of the wood in a background colour, for example mid brown, then using a special Graining Brush, which is shaped like a comb and has tufts of bristles, in colours to simulate the grain and knots. For example dark brown and yellow.

unless you are going to learn the skill, you won't be able to do it. I have had some success using wood dyes on ply to simulate hardwood planking.

You could perhaps touch up a small area by using a narrow artist's brush.

People who restore old buildings sometimes do it. The materials are still sold (or were, last time I looked)

 

[JohnD]

for example
http://pierrefinkelstein.com/2014/03/13/oak-graining-tools/

 

[Brian Lacey]

Thanks for the quick reply JohnD. I have had a good look at the Graining process and it is not that. It is a definite paint that has been just painted as normal. There is no 'working' of the surface to achieve the end result. As a child I seem to remember such a paint, not a solid colour but a streaked effect but it was a paint, just painted on the door.
Cheers
Brian.

 

[London Mike 49]

When you google ' paint varnish effect ' click on google images and you might see the type of finish that you are looking for. When you see something that resembles what you are looking for, click on that image and it may give you a link to a special paint or whatever.

Mike

 

[JohnD]

show us some photos.

It's possible to get marbled paint and spotted paint, but not striped paint.

 

[Brian Lacey]

This is a flat door frame, others are rounded and same effect but darker.
Thanks Mike 49, I'll give the images a go.
Cheers
Brian.

 

[JohnD]

looks like graining to me

 

[Robbie uk]

It does look a bit like Graining but it could also be a coat of stain sloshed onto the already painted casing and then varnished on top !

 

[geraldthehamster]

Scumbling
http://beamishtransportonline.co.uk/2010/06/scumbling-31-part-1/

 

[Brian Lacey]

Thanks all, all the info much appreciated.
Brian.