How to Paint Wood to Look like Metal – A Convenient Guide

Last month I was in a rush of painting several wooden pieces of furniture. I saw a good deal of furniture shops having wood stuff but with a metal look. I gazed at them, wondered how to paint wood look like metal.

Then, I researched on the web. There were just basic concepts of painting. So, I did the job myself.

You can consider it as a DIY wood painting project. Once I started collecting materials, I was in confusion if I could do it. Then, I painted the wood table and a desk where I put some photo frames, books, showpieces, etc. Last, I realized painting wood surfaces and giving them a metal look is a really effortless job.

Now that I have done it, I have shared the complete processes of painting wooden surfaces. You will love to have the result if you follow my steps. Okay! Follow me!

Basic Idea

When you combine paint and stain, including specific painting methods, the painting result will be a metallic look on wooden things. By stain, I mean spray-on, acrylic, latex varieties. By techniques, I prefer blotting, dry brushing, glazing, and others.

How to Paint Wood to Look Like Metal

You will need several tools to paint the wood for the metal outlook. Collect them and start painting. Below you can find a method to turn wood surface look like wrought iron:

Tools Needed:

Once you have collected these tools, you can start following the below steps:

First Step- Preparation

Prepare yourself and the working space for painting the wood stuff. You can also keep the painting tools in the workspace after preparation. My suggestion would be to cover yourself first. To protect yourself adequately, put on a respirator or mask, shirts with long sleeves, and shoes. It will help you stay active and out of dust during the painting.

Try to put the painting object far from other things. Otherwise, items can be messy to clean. Then, clean the painting area to avoid dust mixed with paint or stick to the painted object. Use a drop cloth or old newspaper down to prevent flooring damages or stains.

Second Step – Sand the Wood Surface

I have seen many painters suggesting sand the woods for painting like other surfaces like metal and concrete. Again, some people do not sand the wood, which I think is not a good idea. So, take the sandpaper and sand the wood thing. Suppose you want to paint some wood chairs, shutters.

Use 220-grit sandpaper for sanding the chairs. After sanding the chairs gently, there will be some dust. You can use a dry cloth to clean the dust.

Third Step – Start Painting Base Coat

I found that the base coat helps to stick the main paint to the surface well. This also increases the lifetime of the main paint. Now, take the acrylic paint and start painting with a painting brush. Use the back-and-forth method to paint the entire surface. For corners or hard-to-reach areas, you can choose small-size brushes.

After painting the base coat, leave the wood thing (in my example, chairs) to dry. The drying time is mentioned on the paint’s container or manual. Usually, it is 30-90 minutes on average to dry. It can be more or less; in terms of the paint, you choose. Finally, clean the paintbrush in the soapy solution.

Fourth Step – the External Coat of Paint

As I mentioned, to give a wrought iron look on wood, this step is about using wrought iron paint. Pick up the can of paint and shake it well to provide an even coat on the wood.

Take another paintbrush or one used in the third step and start painting the final (wrought iron) paint on the base coat. Do the painting evenly on the surface with the same consistent pressure. Again, wait for drying the paint. You can do more coats, like twice or thrice to get the best finish. Last, clean the brushes again in soapy water and let the paint dry.

Fifth Step – Apply Sealant on Wood

I used rust solution for the antique, aged look like metals appear on the surface in this step. However, it is unnecessary if you dislike the outcome. If you really wish to do so, use a disposable brush, and start covering the chairs. Usually, it will take half a day to enable rust for development.

Then, start applying a clear coat on the wooden chairs. It works as a protection of wood from excessive rusting. Give time to dry the sealant. Once you did it, clean the chairs with a clean, dry cloth and place them wherever you want to use the chairs.

Finally, you have completed the painting job. Your wooden chairs will look like wrought iron. Below are some alternative ideas to paint wood for a metal look:

Alternative Methods

Method One

• Sand the wood first and use the light gray primer evenly on the surface.
• Apply a second coat of metallic silver color spray paint after drying the primer.
• Let the silver paint dry and respray the paint as another coat.
• Pick a clean, dry brush to apply a darker gray color gel stain on the edges.
• Leave the wood stuff for some hours for complete drying.
• Apply a black-gray paint with a small brush that gives the surface a shadow effect.
• Diffuse the color with another dry brush around the edges.
• You can add highlights of latex paint with a brush.
• Apply a sealant on the total area and let it dry.

Method Two

If you want to get galvanized metal effect on the wood chairs, you can follow these steps:

• Sand the wood stuff and clean the dust.
• Apply gray spray paint or a wood primer to use as a base coat.
• Apply silver paint with a paintbrush on the wood.
• Blot off the excess paint and pounce the brush over the primed surface.
• Apply some black paint and follow the previous step of blot and pounce.
• Apply some white paint like you did with black color.
• Take a cloth or paper towel to smear white paint for a mottled look.
• Pushing the paint into wood grain will give the wood a more weathered look.
• Apply a thin film of silver metal paint.
• Dab most silver paint with cloth or paper towel.
• Drag the brush over every coat for a better blend of colors and a smooth surface.