How do you make plastic to look like wood?

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried adapting the suggestions and was able to do it within a few hours.

On the Beverly Hillbillies truck I glued wood "splints" (used in chemistry for flame tests) to the truck bed, stained and weathered them. These look just like wood stir sticks but are a little thinner.

Also, Google and YouTube are your friends!

I have used two methods. I photographed an oak door with my digital camera and used the image to create an inkjet decal, which I applied to wood areas.

I also paint them.  I use a method similar to hypertex. I paint a lighter tone first, then apply a darker brown with a somewhat-dry brush.

It is amazing what you can do with varying amount of paint on a brush.  Not only can you apply it normally wet, but in addition to dry brushing, which makes a transparent coat of paint similar to dot filtering, but you can use a continuous variation in wetness, and each degree of wetness can produce a somewhat different effect.

I know a guy who would lay down a light brown base coat and then draw in the wood grain with a colored pencil. My hands aren't steady enough to do that!

This oil paint technique may also work on truck beds.

www.clubhyper.com/.../woodgrainel_1.htm

Here is a fairly old article done by an FSM ship modeler www.steelnavy.com/wood%20deck.htm

Rex