Distressed Finishes A Few Trade Secrets Revealed

There are several other ways to obtain antique or distressed finishes to areas which have been gilded, or have had a crackle glaze finish applied to it.

 

gold leaf finishWhen you are laying the leaf, gently twist the pad as you press down gently to get the gold leaf to adhere, this will have the effect of breaking up the gold leaf in irregular areas, such as is shown in the picture on the left, you can also scrape of areas of the gold before the size has dried with a cocktail stick or small slip of wood. These types of distressed finishes can be applied with any metal leaf.

 

 

 crackle glaze

When applying a crackle glaze to a paper surface you can rub in some raw linseed oil after the crackle has been achieved, this will dull down the surface giving a mat appearance, make sure you rub the oil in well and remove the surplus with a cotton cloth, this will speed up the drying time.

This picture shows this method of distressing a piece to good effect.

 

 

 

distressed finishes

 

If you want something that looks truly ancient after using a crackle glaze and antique glaze plus the coating of raw linseed oil, I suggest you place the object in either strong hot sunlight for about 3 hours, or failing hot sunlight, place the object in a pre heated warm oven (gas mark 1-2) for about 3 hours, this will cause the crackle to lift in an irregular manner, see the picture below. I cannot give hard and fast rules about this process, therefore I advise that you check the work periodically.

 

 

 

 

distressed finishes

This is a close up of the picture above it was achieved in 5 steps.

Step 1 The application of the crackle base coat.

Step 2 The application of the crackle top coat.

Step 3 The application of the antique glaze.

Step 4 The application of the Linseed Oil.

Step 5 Place in warm oven or strong hot sunlight.

 

 

gold leaf crackle glaze

You can apply this trick of the trade to most gilded finishes with good effect, but check the piece occasionally as this is a trial and error process for which hard and fast rules cannot be applied.

All the recipes and process's are contained in a detailed manual entitled How to Achieve Antique & Other Distressed Finishes to Imitation gold Leaf

 

 

Genuine gold leaf does not tarnish, even outside, but it does build up an accretion of dirt over a period of time. One way to simulate this build up of dirt, is to dissolve in water some ordinary brown earth and paint it on the leaf. Let the water evaporate...this can be speeded up with hair drier...the dirt will remain, this can be sealed with shellac if intended for indoor use, or with marine varnish if intended for outside use.

 

So far we have looked at the various distressed finishes that can be applied to gold leaf, but these same simple finishes can equally be applied to painted surfaces of all kinds to create shabby chic furniture.

 

 

EVERY MONTH I SEND OUT A NEWSLETTER WHICH AIMS TO BRING YOU INTERESTING ITEMS CONCERNING THE WORLD OF GILDING AND RELATED CRAFTS. IF YOU WOULD CARE TO SUBSCRIBE PLEASE JUST MAIL Richard at [email protected] and put "gold-vault" in the subject box.

 

 
 
edenworkshops
 
Hi there, I've been browsing your wonderful website and I can't wait to have a go at some of the techniques you explore on there. Your manuals are definitely the best Iv'e found on the internet. 
Seb Dale 
  
I just want to salute your generosity in giving away your gilding knowledge. Excellent guide books,  I was not able to find such a simplified explanation in any book at the local library. 
Ghassan Haddad 
  
After looking at various sites and suppliers on the net, your site is just wonderful - clear, accessible, descriptive and demystifying. Thanks so much for making your knowledge available! Liz 
 
You did a brilliant job of mentoring me through my project, it turned out very well, I am extremely happy with the results.
Brendon
 
Your manuals are excellent. I easily worked my way through your gilded manuscript project and the result is now framed and hanging in my living room. Thank you.
Pauline