Our friends had a major makeover on their home. Every bit of trim in the home was replaced and stained a beautiful rustic shade from Varathane called BriarSmoke.

Unfortunately, the frames of their French doors were that orangey looking faux oak. They now stood out like a sore thumb. They didn’t want to buy new doors, so they asked me if they could be painted.

I knew that type of door could as I had painted them before. I also was confident that our Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint (MLPC) could be blended to match pretty closely.

Materials used:

* Base color – Round Bales (MLPC)

* Blending colors – French Roast and Gray Goose, and a little more Round Bales. (MLPC)

* Water

* Several size brushes including a flat artist brush I used for blending

But first things first – I did a sample board. Even I was impressed how closely it matched!

I did forget to take pics, but hope I can explain the technique I used. First of all, my friend had cleaned the door well and even taped off the glass for me.

After painting just one coat of Round Bales on the doors, I was ready to blend. I didn’t need full coverage, as I would be blending other colors with it.

1. I put French Roast on a 1″ chippy brush and painted some random stripes on a small section.

2. I took the flat 1″ artist brush, dipped it in water and blotted it on paper town and blended those stripes, sometimes leaving a little of the round bales showing.

3. I used the same Round Bales brush (sometimes adding a touch more paint) and blended it with the French Roast.

4. I continued blending and adding both paints until I got the look I wanted.

5. I then randomly painted just a few dabs of Gray Goose and blended it in with the Round Bales.

The result was very close to the trim and after drying overnight almost spot on!

That’s it! These French doors now look like all the other doors in the house, match the trim, and saved my friends from having to buy new doors. Pardon the shadow on the lower left door.