How to Paint Subfloors White With Faux Wood Grain

Examine the subfloor for any obstruction that will prevent you from covering it fully and evenly. Remove any carpet tack strips left in the floor by breaking them into sections with a hammer and then using the claw end of the hammer to pull them out of the floor. Fill in any small holes left by nails or any scratches or gouges with a wood filler that’s as close to the floor color as possible, using a putty knife to place the filler, and then scraping over the filler surface to level it out. Allow the filler to dry, and then sand the areas smooth with medium grit sandpaper.

Sweep away any debris from the floor with a stiff-bristled broom and then clean the surface with a floor cleaner made from adding mild liquid soap to water while mixing until there’s enough soap added to create suds. Mop the floor with the cleaner, avoiding saturation of the surface with liquid. Rinse with clean water and pat dry with a towel.

Cover the floor with two coats of primer, using a paint roller to apply the primer as close to the wall as possible, and then finishing the application with a paintbrush where the roller cannot reach. Use a primer the color of the lightest color in the wood that you wish to create. For example, a walnut wood graining needs a yellow or gold colored primer. Allow the primer to dry for two hours and then cover with a glaze that’s the color of the darkest color in your wood. For the walnut example, brush a brown glaze over the yellow/gold primer. Allow the glaze to dry for about two hours as well.

Cover the primer with three coats of white interior paint to conceal the primer. Use the same method of application as with the primer, allowing each coat to dry for 15 minutes before applying the next. Work in sections so that you can apply the graining tool as you apply the paint.

Run the graining tool in rows down the subfloor to leave the impression of graining in the final paint layer. Use a slight rocking motion while applying the tool to get a more natural growth appearance instead of straight lines. The tool removes the white paint, revealing the primer/glaze beneath. Run a dry paintbrush lightly over the grained surface to blend the look of the grain in with the white paint. Allow the final paint coating to dry for 24 hours.