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raising the grain in wood

driftwood | Posted in General Discussion on April 15, 2008 07:16am

im getting ready to build the post detail on my front pourch,, i wanted to pour concrete that looks like old gray bleached out wood…

so my concrete forms have to be made from panels with raised grain wood..

how do i get the grain raised say in a 2×12 so that the concrete takes the grain..

ive seen colums poured that got covered with fake rock that i thought were old growth (because of there size) support post …they were beautiful
then they covered them up with the pink and blue lick and stick rock

tanks again and again

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Replies

  1. TomT226 | Apr 15, 2008 07:24pm | #1

    You could sand-blast or wire brush the forms with an angle grinder, or face the forms with some wood grain siding scraps.

     

    1. driftwood | Apr 15, 2008 08:08pm | #2

      O yeah...wood grain siding ....i was just working with some of that OSB #### that has the smooth wood grain on it its 3/8 thick but i can mount it to my panels...wow never thought about that perfect thanks for kicking my braintj

      1. TomT226 | Apr 16, 2008 01:09am | #4

        I have many head injuries from kicking mine... 

  2. Piffin | Apr 16, 2008 12:35am | #3

    sand blast

     

     

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  3. frenchy | Apr 16, 2008 02:02am | #5

    driftwood,

     stop buy a sawmill and buy some fresh milled wood.. a whole lot cheaper that way.

      

  4. hasbeen | Apr 16, 2008 02:39am | #6

    Like frenchy said, buy rough sawn wood from a saw mill. If you really want it rough, lay the boards out in the sun so that ever board gets weather.

    You'll have to turn them daily if you do it, otherwise they'll cup like crazy.

    "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."

    ~ Voltaire

    1. driftwood | Apr 16, 2008 09:27am | #8

      o i forgot to tell you i live in Rainagain i.e. oregon so the sun drying is out but finding a mill is in...sandblasting it mad expensive for me and i think it tends to leave the wood hairy?or i would think.. that LP siding im talking about guy wanted to use it for soffits.. its nice under there.
      i dont think i like it ...it just dont look very real .. samples tomorrowthought about burning it with a tourch or weed burneri will let yall know thanks

  5. EricGunnerson | Apr 16, 2008 07:36am | #7

    A good powerwasher does this pretty quickly to a deck if you hold the nozzle close to it, so I'd guess that you could get the reverse grain in just a few minutes.

  6. User avater
    jarhead2 | Apr 16, 2008 09:34am | #9

    Why not use a tectured wood look piece of Hardie lap siding?

    View Image

     

    View Image

     

     

     

     

     

    “Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem.”
                    Reagan....

    Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.
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  7. IdahoDon | Apr 17, 2008 03:27am | #10

    Check your concrete supply house and they can show you various liners or premade pannels for just what you want.  Of course it's probably cheaper to simply pressure wash.

    Also, Makita makes a sander for bringing out the grain, but it's expensive and would be much slower than pressure washing with a good strong machine.

     

    Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

  8. dovetail97128 | Apr 17, 2008 04:55am | #11

    Pressure washer . Work the tip close to the surface.
    Or check out to see who has poured some footings/foundation near you recently.

    Nothing like wet mud on green lumber to raise the grain.

    They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
  9. Ebe | Apr 17, 2008 08:40am | #12

    I don't pretend to know much about concrete but they make a wood graining tool for painting that simulates wood grain appearance. 

    I was wondering if you could use this tool after you have troweled the concrete and get just enough "cream" to come to the top to make this tool a possibility?

    Just a thought.

    heres an attachment of what I meant.

    Good luck on what ever you decide to do.

    Ebe

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