woodgraining-flogging

Home | Interior Painting | Faux Finishes | Wallpaper

Painting and Decorating Concourse

734-464-3883

Flogging is a woodgraining technique which is used to create wood pores. Many woodgrain backgrounds for a variety of different woods are flogged. See Woodgraining Backgrounds.

The "Flogger" is the name given to a specialty brush used for this purpose. Floggers are flat brushes with long bristles. The shape of this brush makes the "patting" action of flogging (also referred to as "stippling" in some older books and references) easier to do.

Woodgraining Techniques

Flogging

Creating wood pores with a Flogger

After base coating your work with the proper primer and color, allow to dry the prescribed amount of time. Using the glaze of your choice, apply it to the surface in the direction of the grain (the wood grain will run lengthwise on each board). Next, using a dry brush, drag out the glaze from end to end.

Dragging Technique:

Cheap, stiff bristle brushes work nicely for dragging. Inexpensive chip brushes, also work well for dragging because they lack bristle density which allows for fingering (a term describing the clumping together of groups of bristles) and good line definition and variety. Chip brushes are prone to losing bristles, so be sure to look your work over and remove any bristles with the tip of your brush before proceeding to the next step.

The actual technique of dragging is a simple one. Hold your brush flat, at almost parallel to the surface and pull through the glaze in a meandering way from one end to the other end. Since this is a negative removal method you will wipe the excess glaze off the brush after each pass back into your glaze can. This will keep the brush clean for glaze removal.

Flogging Technique:

Immediately after dragging and while the glaze is still wet and open, proceed with the flogging.

Flogging is done in a light patting motion with a flat brush - held parallel to the surface being flogged. View below for the direction of flogging (this is opposite what one would "naturally" choose to do). You don't use the tips of the brush for flogging, you use the flat sides of the bristles.

Our "terms of use" governs your use of our website; by using our website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of our "terms of use", do not use our website.