Instructions for Painting a Faux Birdseye Maple on a Plant Stand

Find a photograph or sample of birdseye maple to use as guide. An Internet search for images of birdseye maple will yield results with many photographs.

Apply a primer coat of paint to unfinished wood or wood painted with oil-based paint. Follow manufacturer's instructions.

Select a honey-colored or beige satin-finish paint. Paint your plant stand with two coats of paint, following manufactuer's instructions

Wipe whiting or gesso thinly onto the painted surface, using a lint-free cloth. Allow to dry. Whiting creates a smooth surface that increases the ability of a design coat to adhere to the surface.

Brush on a coat of tinted glaze. Drag a mottler through the glaze, shaking back and forth slightly and making overlapping strokes to create the wood grain effect of birdseye maple.

Fill a small bowl with water and add a few drops of vinegar to the water. Dip your fingertip into the water and lightly touch the mottled glaze. The vinegar water creates cissing, or little spots, in the glaze, giving the appearance of little craters, or birds' eyes. Repeat until the pattern is satisfactory.

Soften the look by brushing with a soft-bristled brush, lightly stroking. Wipe the brush with a cloth frequently to remove glaze. Allow to dry for at least 4 hours.

Create the lines and dots layer to complete the pattern. Brush on another coat of varnish or urethane and allow to dry. Apply a thin layer of whiting or gesso. After the gesso is dry, use a small artist's brush and medium to dark brown acrylic paint to paint in thin lines and dots, resembling the darker markings of birds eye maple. Allow the paint to dry completely. Seal with a layer of urethane or varnish.