THE HOUSE WHISPERER

BEFORE YOU THROW THAT AWAY…

CRACKLE FINISHES

I have recently been asked to help bring new life into older decorative pieces and as a result, have a little collection of mirrors and lamps that need a new look. It is something that I run across quite a bit and am happy to meet the challenge of such a transformation. I know that the mirrors would cost hundreds of dollars to replace and with just a few hours and some paint techniques – they look like new…or in this case, older!

Crackle finishes have been around for some time and have evolved from Tole painting applications to Shabby Chic to a general antiquing method.

For this week’s segment, I will be reworking two mirrors and a lamp base to take them from the 1980’s into this century with a crackle and a pop!

Here’s How –

You will need…

Crackle finish medium or White glue (yes, just white Elmer’s glue)

Cheap disposable brushes

Primer (if piece is unpainted)

Base coat (choose colors that provide contrast and use only flat or satin paint)

Second contrasting paint

Water based sealer (varathane)

Patience

-Clean and dry piece to be crackled.  Paint with primer if it is unpainted. Let dry.

-Paint on base coat and let dry.

-Using cheap bristle brush, apply thick coat of crackle medium or white glue. If using glue, wait until it forms a ‘skin’ but is NOT completely dry and then apply your second paint color.

-Apply your second color in one stroke. If you brush back and forth, you will smooth out the crackle effect. As it dries it will form a nice crackle.

-Always seal a crackle finish as it is an unstable finish and will be easy to chip otherwise.

-Rub an aging glaze over the piece. Reseal if desired.

TIPS – using the disposable bristle brushes gives your crackle some nice texture as it dries.

-          Brush in different directions to make sure the crackle is not too uniform.

-          If using white glue, be sure and apply second coat of paint before it dries completely.

Have fun with your cracklin’ and don’t forget to write to me and tell me about your projects or anything you would like me to work on for our segment. I love new ideas and am always on the look out!