How to Do a Faux Zebrawood Look for Cabinets

Wash the cabinets with a solution of trisodium phosphate (TSP) and warm water using a clean rag. Wear rubber gloves to keep the solution off your skin. Mix the TSP in a bucket according to the manufacturer’s directions. Wipe the cabinets down with a clean damp rag, then dry them.

Look at a picture of zebrawood online at Hearne Hardwoods, Inc., (see the Resource section) and print it out as a photo so you can see how the natural wood looks, including its contours and the variations in the wood tones. None of the lines are perfectly straight and the lighter wood areas tend to have no clearly defined lines. Use this picture as your guide.

Coat the cabinets with the first layer of the brightest color of zebrawood -- a pale yellow. Paint the edges of the door at the same time. Work in the direction of the grain or in vertical strokes. Let it dry until the paint is dry to the touch.

Add a few thin strokes of light brown paint with a 1/2-inch paintbrush. Wrap the strokes of paint down over the edge of the cabinet door, brushing out any hard edges with a soft dry brush.

Continue adding darkening tones of paint, one layer at a time. Don't create any hard lines, but rather layers that blend together. Finish the effect with a dark chocolate brown paint in very thin strokes on top of a few thinner brown lines.

Repeat the same procedures for the base of the cabinets. Tape off the walls and the interior of the cabinets before starting. Keep the grain vertical and drag it around the edges to make the faux wood look as if it's solid zebrawood. Dry the cabinets completely, or for at least 24 hours.

Sand the painted surfaces lightly with 0000-grade steel wool and cover them with a glossy polyurethane finish, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Dry and add another coat for a more durable finish.

Reinstall the hardware and hang the cabinet doors.