How to Add Glaze to Wood Furniture

Our parents called it "antiquing," applying a finish that highlights or ages a piece of wood furniture.The crafts people call it faux finish--meaning a finish that looks like something other than new wood furniture. The most often-used material to provide depth and interest on wood furniture is glaze, the descendant of the gesso you used in high school art class to mix your acrylic paints. Today's glazes are thick, translucent materials that come premixed or ready to tint to provide effects that go way past the old "antiquing" craze.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Glaze
• Extender
• Brushes
• Sea sponge
• Cheesecloth
• Wax paper
• Sandpaper, fine
• Newspaper
• Paint thinner for oil-based glaze
• India ink (optional)

1. Most new wood furniture comes with a finish that you will need to sand or even strip if it's a polyurethane. If you're working with old furniture and have painted or stained it, you're ready to start without any stripping. Once you've prepared your furniture's surface, let it dry thoroughly and clean it with a tack cloth to remove any sanding residue.

2. Know what kind of glaze you need. Oil-based glazes are messy and smelly but are workable for longer periods. They are used over oil-based or alkyd finishes. Water-based glazes are used over latex paints but generally need an "extender" to keep them from drying too fast. Both types are available in most hardware and paint stores, already mixed in a wide variety of colors. If you choose to mix your own water-based glaze, mix equal parts glaze and extender, then add very small bits of tint or pigment until you get the color you want. Practice on a piece of scrap wood to be sure that your glaze is right.

3. Know what effect you want to achieve. If you want highlights, you'll sponge on your glaze rather thickly, then wipe off with cheesecloth, leaving very little color on the high points and quite a bit on the low points. If you're going for an antique look, brush the glaze on, wait a few minutes and wipe lightly in the direction of the wood grain (finish with a few spatters of India ink from the tips of a dry brush for a professional finish). Experiment with your glaze and application tools before you start on your piece, and you'll be much more confident and have a more consistent result when you finish.

4. Remove any hardware or upholstery from your furniture before you start. Hardware provides an obstacle that throws the "grain" or detail of what you want off, and it's easier to remove those chair seats than to try to get paint or India ink out of the fabric. Since no two people detail the same way, divide the tasks if you're working with a companion, so that one of you does a layer then the other does the next, rather than both working on the same layer of detail.

5. This mirror frame is ready for a finish coat over the black base and red detail.

   Start on an area of the piece that is not the first thing someone sees when looking at the piece. If you don't like the effect, you can always remove the glaze and start over. Apply the glaze slowly and evenly, comparing what you've done with what you're doing. Always be sure to work the glaze into the corners of the detail before you smooth it on the pattern. Always go with the grain for an antique finish and generally work around the piece going with the grain for any effect. When applying a marbleized or sponged finish, always do a complete piece or at least a complete side before taking a break.

6. Let your glaze dry completely--overnight is best--before sanding lightly and protecting with furniture wax, spar varnish or other clear coat. Polyurethane is not the best choice for wood floors or furniture because the plastic in it doesn't let the wood breathe.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many faux finish kits on the market; most products come with complete instructions, a list of supplies needed and examples of results.

• Buy the best detail tools you can afford and keep them clean and dry. I have a sea sponge that I've used for 30 years that's outlasted every cellulose sponge I've ever bought.