# Thinning out paint to soak in wood



## StormStrikes (Jul 9, 2010)

I was experimenting around a bit today with painting some wood trying to imitate the look of stained wood, but with color (I was working with reddish colors so not too far from actual stains), a color called brick dust specifically.

Instead of painting or brushing it on, I was applying, rubbing it in the wood with a rag. I have to say it came out exceptionally well, far better than I though it would. In fact, my wife asked me how I was able to get 'that' stain to look that well. Imagine her shock when I told her it was paint.

Anyway, I tried several variations; single coats, multiple coats and I even tried a sample piece using a pre-stain before rubbing the paint onto the wood. That, more than any other, turned out the best.

So that got me to thinking. Rubbing the paint in would be rather time consuming vs. just painting it on with a brush. But I love how rubbing it on allows some of the wood grain to come through and the advantage, to me anyway, is that I have a large number of colors to choose from that way. More than it seems I do with traditional wood stains. So how would I and can I even thin out the paint in such a way that it would soak into the wood grain in a similar way but still be applied with a brush to speed up the application? If so, what ratio of thinner should I use and what kind of thinner should I use?

Ive just kinda fallen in love with how things look applying a regular paint with a rag and I would like to explore further but also find a suitable way to thin out the paint so its not quite as time consuming.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.


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## StormStrikes (Jul 9, 2010)

I forgot to mention that I will be using/experimenting with a latex based paint. I know you can use water to thin out latex paints but Im not sure if its the 'best' thing to use and if so how much of it to use or what ratio to use.


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## Soapdish (Jan 18, 2010)

Do you have any pictures of this? Sounds like a good idea, I'd like to see how it looks. Thanks for the info.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

I've been reading some finishing books by some of the masters... Bob Flexner's Amazon.com: Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish (9780762106219): Bob Flexner: Books and Jeff Jewett's Amazon.com: Great Wood Finishes (9781561582884): Jeff Jewitt: Books, as recommended to me here in the forum. 

I can't speak for thinning latex but if you want a palatte of colors to mix yourself, they both recommend dye stains that you can mix with alcohol, lacquer thinner, shellac, solvent-based lacquer, water-based finishes, catalyzed varnishes or lacquers.

They talk about wiping and spraying on, wiping off and letting dry... they sound very versatile. You can see them advertised TransTint® Dyes - Rockler Woodworking Tools. Click on the "more info" tab to learn more about the products. To learn even more, visit Wood Stain in a Nutshell - Buzz Saw, The Rockler Woodworking and Hardware Blog

I haven't used these products yet but they sure caught my eye! I first saw them demonstrated by Marc Spagnuolo in one of his podcast videos on "Popping the grain" in some tiger maple, which led me to getting Jeff and Bob's books.

I thought you might find them interesting.


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