Paint it yourself

How to do a crackle technique on furniture

Step 1:

Sand the furniture with paper sand 150. Clean the surface with TSP (TriSodium Phosphate).

Step 2:

Paint the surface with primer, if is natural wood you can use regular water base prime. If the surface had the varnish or any kinds of shine finish, you need to primer with Cover Stain, oil base primer.

Step 3:

When the primer is dry you need to painting the surface with dark brown or same dark color that you want to see behind of crackle.

Step 4:

When the dark color (you can use regular latex flat or acrilic paint) is dry you need to paint 1 coat of crackle solution, you can use Lowe's, Sherwin Williams, Moder Master or any brand.

A hydrophilic coating designed to make latex topcoats crackle. The latex topcoat cracks when applied on top of the crackle medium allowing the base coat color to show through. This results in a rich, aged antique finish that can be bold and bright or calm and subdued.

Step 5:

When the surface is sticky, it's time to paint the final layer with a color contrast to the base, in this case use a dark brown for the base then I will paint the final coat of ligth color, for example, white or beige.

When you are painting the final color, do it with short strokes loaded with paint, you do not return the brush happen again in the same place that erases the crackle.

Note: Please not use Martha Stewards ( Home Depot) crackle because it wasn't work well.

Step 6:

When the crackle is dry, probably a 5 to 8 hours, you can do the antique on the top is you like it.

Take a 1 cup of Glaze with 2 tea spons of Dark brown or any color that you like looks the antique, you can use black, white, brown, green, blue...., them Mix the solution of glaze and color, take a disposable brush and a clean cloth, then with the brush strokes gives the vertical surface and with the cloth is overtaking the excesses, if you like it is well marked antique not much to remove the rag.

Step 7:

When the antique is dry in a few hours, you can painting this furniture with the water base clear coat, satin, semi-gloss or gloss, depends on how bright you like the final result.

In a few easy steps you can have a beautiful piece of art painted with your own hands.

A few samples with diferents colors !