Faux burl wood grain painting is a cool technique that lets us mimic the wood grain look on the interior panels of many classic cars.

We recently recreated the wood grain look on the 1939 Chrysler Royal restoration, our family project.

Tim’s sister and nephew came to the shop to help with this project. It was fun to work on such an artistic project, and they were a big help!

First, Tim painted the dash and all the trim pieces a lighter brown/ tan color for the base. Then, we used an assortment of brushes and gel wiping stain to get the desired wood effect. We painted dark brown dots in several areas to recreate the look of those darker knots you find in real wood.

Next, we used a slightly lighter wood stain to fill in the surrounding areas with paint brushes.

Once we had the stains on there, we used plastic bags to create the burl wood grain look. It’s an artistic process that is similar to the marble effect we do.

Tim and Julie did the same process on the dashboard, and then applied a clear coat on top of it.

Tim & Julie working on the dash

It sure is fun when we get to use paint brushes and plastic bags on a paint job. Look how beautiful the dash looks with the faux wood paint effect…

The faux wood paint on the trim pieces turned out really good too. They look very similar to the original wood grain finish.

Creating the wood grain look on the dash and the trim pieces for the car was a fun project. It’s just one piece of the project that is #RuthysResto, a complete classic restoration for the 1939 Chrysler Royal that was Tim’s grandma’s very first car.

The car is all painted now, and we are working on getting it put back together and getting all the finishing touches of the exterior/ body done. Then, we’ll put the new motor put back in and get the car running again. We need to replace electrical lines, fuel lines, brake lines, buy a new gas tank to replace the old one that had rust, and the list goes on. It’s a lot, but we’re in the home stretch!

Check out the Ruthy blog for more on this cherished restoration project of ours.

See the Restoration page to learn more about our restoration services, and of course, the Photo Gallery for all our beautiful After photos.

Contact us if you’ve got an auto body and paint project you’d like us to help with!