@PwP: Thanks! Whenever somebody asks what style I'm going for I just say Stylised Realism xD
@Azunaki: I have never even heard of those forums before you mentioned it, but I just did a quick browse and I'm guessing you are mentioning the post by Dev? There has been kind of a boom of hand painted textures over at Polycount, he was among one of the people to post, his thread inspired and helped me to create my textures.
@Quik:Haha, thanks!
@Asteric: Yes, it would seem to.

But, on the other hand, painting over a wood photo might help you/me/whoever notice color variations, and the shape of the grain and wood. But that would only really be for if you were trying to go for a really realistic style wood plank.
Thanks for the comments guys! I'll see what I can come up with today. I still don't like my latest attempts, so I'm going to keep trying...