Rustic finish veneer doors that you can do yourself
On a recent visit to a South African game park called Mjejane I was impressed by a simply, hand finished door with a rustic finish. The doors were made from Euro Oak veneer with a white liner laminate on the inside to give the doors a woodgrain background. A Victorian Ash or Tassie oak veneer can be used to give a straighter grain rather than the cathedral grain of the Euro or American Oak.
In the right surroundings and character of the modern rustic home, this door looks stunning and is all the more impressive when it is complemented by a suitable stone looking benchtop and tiled or glass splashback. The veneer door costs in the raw about $50-60 (730x 450mm approximately) and the finshing cost is your time and effort.
Hand staining is not difficult to do but does require some practice. Use some offcuts from your door cutting job to practice the staining and finishing.Our sister company Builders Bargain Centre does this type of work. The doors in the picture have been done using a brown stain, a very light sky blue and a white stain. The first stain is applied using the brown stain with a squeezed out rag so as not to apply too much stain at once. Do this in a streaky fashion over 80-90% of the door , then the blue stain over the brown and about 10-15% of the remaining area and then apply a white stain with a wetter rag to the whole door. The first brown stain will tend to absorb more and the subsequent stains will absorb less into the previously stained areas. The white gives the limed appearance to the door. Finish the door with a polyurethane in satin or matt or use a Tung oil like "Organoil" and then burnish the surface to give a warm finish. Practice this technique and apply the stains in your own balance of colours.
There is great creative satisfaction in knowing you have completed your own kitchen, study or wardrobe.
