BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Create an Aged Verdigris Finish

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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A faux verdigris look is a fun way to upgrade the finish on ceramic, metal and wood objects that have seen better days. Here's how to get it.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Brushes
Clear-coat Spray Paints
Metallic Copper Or Gold Spray Paints
Sea Sponges For Sponge Painting
dark, medium and pastel verdigris-color acrylic paints

Step1

Clean the surface of the object you'll be painting. Let it dry.

Step2

Spray paint the object, or large areas of it, with metallic copper or metallic gold paint. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Step3

Paint much of the rest of the object with a dark teal green (a color about halfway between turquoise and hunter green) acrylic paint. Brush painting or sponge painting works best, but be sure to leave a fair amount of the metallic paint exposed, because you want an irregularly mottled finish. Allow to dry thoroughly. (You can use a blow-dryer to speed the process if the piece isn't too big.)

Step4

Highlight with a contrasting, lighter shade of verdigris green. You can achieve this color by mixing white paint into some of the green paint you used earlier, or purchase a separate color. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Step5

Highlight sparingly with small touches of a pale mint green paint that you purchase or mix. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Step6

Spray the entire surface with a protective layer of clear acrylic with a matte finish to discourage scratches.

Tips & Warnings

This finish is great for aluminum lawn furniture (it's easy to touch up because you don't need a perfect color match), ceramic-base lamps (avoid scratching with fingernails when you turn on the lamp), picture frames and wrought iron furniture.
Be sure you always let a bit of the copper or gold paint show through.
Use spray paint in well-ventilated areas to avoid being overcome by fumes.

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Comments

TERRIEMAE said

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on 6/3/2008 Thanks for the great idea. I'm always looking for ways to update or repair my old outdated or ruined finishes. I don't know what this finish looks like for sure but really want to know since I may be able to use it. Can you give me an example of what or something that may have a similar finish already? I'm trying to find a finish to change all of my brass finish chandeliers too, if I can. My deck furniture also since all of it has rusted, did not store for the winter. Shame on me! I also have a vendors booth at the 'Peddlers Mall', which allows antiques and any other items, from home, yard sales , flea mkts, antique shops, auctions, and even other vendor's booths etc. We vendors love buying each other's things and then seeing how it resales! :) I love doing crafts and my own restoring projects or just flat out changing the originality of something. Any info that I get, I could also use