Creating a Layered Boat Wood Finish

Are you loving the look of old salvage trim, but don’t love the price and availability?  When we needed some fun colored trim for a project on a vintage camper, Chantelle decided to make her own!  We were perusing ideas on Pinterest and came across this picture:

So, we visited the website Sew Homegrown, got inspired, and decided to try the technique using our furniture paint!  First, Chantelle gathered the wood she wanted to use for her project.  The wood she had was actually old grooved board, but you can start with whatever wood you like, even plain new pine from a big box store!  If beginning with raw wood, you may want to paint a base coat for color foundation. Wood Beam, a Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint Seasonal Paint Pick, is a nice, dark brown and would be a good choice.

To make salvaged boat wood trim, you will need several colors (4–7 give a nice variety), some 2 x 4 wood blocks, and Styrofoam plates.

Begin by dipping the block into a pool of paint, and dragging the block across your piece of wood to spread the paint on your board.

You will have some areas that skip across, and that is exactly the look you are wanting!  Remember, it’s perfect when it’s not!

Continue doing this to all the wood pieces needed for your project.  The coats of paint will need to dry before placing another color on top, so make sure your work area allows for the space you will need to spread out.  Chantelle worked outside, so the paint would dry quickly.  Make several boards in a variety of colors because you want the look to be authentic, like you found several boards salvaged from an area on an old boat!

Adding several different layers creates the most interest and texture on the board. Continue adding color until you get the look you want.

Before proceeding with cutting the wood to place into her project, Chantelle laid the painted wood pieces out in a varied pattern to make sure there was variety of color and the look she desired.  All the pieces were finished using our Matte Finish for water-resistant protection.

These pieces were headed into a panel inset inside a vintage camper Chantelle and her husband were redoing.  For part one of the makeover, visit here.

Here is the finished project inside her camper!  Isn’t it adorable?  Making salvage boat wood trim was just the color and texture this little nook in her vintage camper needed!

It’s time to grab some paint for your next project! #paintfixeseverything