How to Make Glaze for Faux Finishes
Faux finishes are those that imitate a substance. This may mean marble, stone, wood grain, leather or a number of fabric finishes such as linen or silk. Most of the faux techniques involve a process of that involves glaze. Glaze is generally a clear synthetic liquid that can be mixed with universal tints, latex paints or craft paints to achieve the desired color. Paint is used most often by do-it-yourselfers, while many professionals enjoy mixing their own colors with universal tints. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Clear glaze
- Latex house paint
- Universal tints
- Stir stick
- Buckets or old containers for mixing
- Paper or plastic plate
- Measuring spoons
- Poster board
- Paint brush
- Rag
Instructions
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Mixing Paint and Glaze for a Faux Finish
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1
Choose a latex paint that is close to the color you intend to use in your finish and bring home a paint chip before you have the paint mixed. Selecting several colors within the range of colors you are considering will allow you to see the colors in your home with your lighting. When you have the color of your choice, have a quart of the interior paint mixed.
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2
Mix a tablespoon of the paint with three tablespoons of the glaze on a paper or plastic plate. Brush the glaze on your sample poster board and use a rag or other tool to achieve the look you're after. Allow the sample to dry.
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3
Hold the poster board up to the wall or ceiling that you're planning to faux finish and look at the results. If you want a look that is more transparent, add more glaze and repeat step 2. Take notes of the proportion of paint to glaze so that when you find the amount of transparency that allows you to achieve your technique, you'll be able to mix a large enough batch for an entire room. Amounts vary greatly depending on the technique you're after.
Mixing a Glaze Using Universal Tints
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4
Choose a universal tint for maximum transparency. Be sure, however, that your glaze can be mixed with a tint and doesn't require a paint to allow it to dry. Wet Edge is an example of a professional glaze that must be mixed with paint or it will not dry. Glacis is an excellent glaze and must only be mixed with a tint.
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5
Measure out three tablespoons of glaze onto a plate and add a teaspoon of universal tint. These are much stronger colors so be careful not to get the color too saturated. If it is, add more glaze until you have mixed the desired color.
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6
Brush your glaze on a poster board to test your technique and the color. In general, a glaze made with a tint will change very little when it's dry.
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7
Experiment with mixing two colors and applying them at the same time to blend the colors. Layering colors is a great way to get added depth. Allow the first layer of glaze to completely dry and then complete another technique with a different color glaze over it.
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Tips & Warnings
Hobby or craft stores that carry craft paints often have a limited supply of universal tints as well. Look for umber, van dyke brown, raw sienna, black and other common art colors in the craft paint aisle.
Paint stores sometimes carry a few glazes that are mixed with basic colors, such as umber. These will be more transparent than glazes mixed with paints.
For the base coat paint, a satin or eggshell finish will give the best results because your glaze will glide over it more easily.
Glazes made from latex paints will darken as they dry. Those made with universal tints will change color very little when they're dry.
Wear old clothes when you're mixing paint and glaze because glazes can splatter, along with paints.
If you're pregnant, you may want to wear latex gloves when working with paint and glaze.
