Antiquing Glaze

  

I have a new love: antiquing glaze. It is easy to use and instantly adds like 100 years of tasteful grime to any piece. I'll explain my methods and show you this (as yet unfinished) jewelry box. 

I used Valspar Antiquing Glaze which I applied straight from the bottle with a flat paintbrush to get it into all the crevices, then used a damp rag (okay, t-shirt sleeve) to wipe away the excess. I also made sure that I wiped with the wood grain to make it look more authentic. the glaze is workable for about 15 minutes, which is more than enough time to get it how you want it. Lastly, seal it with your finish of choice. I used Minwax Paste Finishing Wax. It is that simple!

A couple hints:
1. make sure your paint is dry before glazing (I'm starting with the obvious one here)
2. Start with more than you think you'll need and gradually keep wiping it away
3. A damper rag is better than drier

A bottle of the stuff will set you back a whopping 8 bucks, and even if you apply it generously, it will last a long time. I've done 2 end tables, a dresser, and a jewelry box with only about a quarter of the bottle.

I'll show more pictures of this box when I have knobs for the drawers and door, and I've relined the drawers. Stay tuned!

Table Rehab

I've been working on a little project this week, and I'm proud to share it! I bought this little table at Goodwill for seven bucks or so. It was in pretty bad shape, but I revamped it and now I think it looks pretty great!

This is the before. It could be worse, but let's face it -- not much. There was almost no varnish on the top, but actually that's exactly how I wanted it. Less sanding.

 

I sanded it down and primed it with Kilz.

After the primer dried, I sanded it again and applied two coats of Olympic paint in Lime Meringue (B68-1) satin finish. It's a really light jade green. I bought two sample cans, but it only took about half of one for the whole table. I very lightly sanded the table again before the second coat of paint.

After the paint had thoroughly dried (I gave it 24 hours, which I thought might not be enough, but it was fine) I took the sanding sponges to the edges and distressed them. I made sure to not make the distressed patches too uniform and I considered where the paint would naturally get rubbed off over time.

Then I used Valspar antiquing glaze and rubbed it all over with a damp scrap of old t-shirt to give it more of a weathered, almost whitewashed appearance. It does look grungier doesn't it? Tastefully so, though.

Lastly, I painted on a layer of paste wax. I let it dry for about half an hour, then took a microfiber dust rag and buffed it. Before the buffing I was a little apprehensive. The finish was very matte and not particularly smooth, but after I buffed it, it gave it a very smooth finish with just a bit of sheen.

Looks nice for a first attempt, doesn't it? It's sitting next to the couch now. It's perfect as an end table. Now I just need to redo the rest of the room around it!