Give Your Closet Door A Natural Wood Finish With A Simple Paint Trick

If you're ready to ditch your builder-grade closet doors, there are plenty of ways to do so. Of course, you could simply replace them, but that could prove to be costly — especially if you're looking to upgrade to stylish wooden doors. Luckily, you can achieve the look of natural wood at a fraction of the cost with a simple paint trick. Rather than spending a few hundred dollars to pick up solid wood doors from your local hardware store, you can quickly give your closet doors a decorative update with Retique It's TikTok-approved liquid wood. A jar of this unique paint contains at least 60% recycled wood fibers, meaning it can add an actual wood finish to almost any solid surface. As DIYers across the country have shown, it works wonders on everything from kitchen cabinets to old furniture, front doors, and, yes, closet doors.

In addition to being budget-friendly (you can achieve the look starting at $67), this hack is also super quick and easy. After unscrewing any hardware, clean your closet doors with a homemade mix of equal parts water and rubbing alcohol. Once they're dry, all you'll need to do is apply Retique It's liquid wood primer, followed by one of its stains, which come in a variety of colors. Here's how to achieve the best results.

For optimal results, you'll follow a two-step process, starting with Retique It's liquid wood primer. While it's available in three shades, the Light Wood hue is the most universal and will work as a base coat for almost any stain (opt for the Dark Wood hue if you'll use the Dark Cherry stain), really making the color pop. Apply one coat using long strokes, then wait about two hours for it to be completely dry before applying a second coat. If you're tight on time, speed up the process by using a hair dryer to help it dry in about 15 minutes instead.

While applying the primer, make sure all of your strokes are in the same direction. You'll again follow this same direction with long, even strokes of your chosen stain. If you want a smooth finish, opt for the gel stain, which comes in over 20 colors, ranging from classics, like mahogany, to eye-catching turquoise. You can apply up to four coats (letting the doors dry completely between each), keeping in mind that the more layers you apply, the darker the final result will be. Alternatively, if you want a grained wood finish for your doors, use the Wood'n Stain instead of the gel stain. This option is available in 16 traditional colors, and as you run the brand's graining tool through the wet stain, it'll transform into gorgeous grained wood right before your eyes.