Don’t be afraid of special paint, aging effects

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/09/2006 (7025 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PAINTING and decorating furnishings has been popular throughout the centuries because it is a simple and attainable way of personalizing any room. You don’t need much money or time to take on a refinishing project, and no specialized skills are required. Special paint effects and aging techniques may sound scary to you if you are a novice, but they are more about letting your imagination soar and taking the initiative to make something that is yours alone. If you have the interest, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to transform an ordinary chair, table, lamp or picture frame into an heirloom.

One of my favourite ways to decorate furniture is to take something new and make it look old. An aged patina brings with it years of history, even if it is only imagined. There is so much beauty in colours faded and weathered by time and the elements. And the paint colours you choose are your closest link to another era, country or lifestyle.

To recreate the look of furniture that you would find in settlers homes a century ago, turn to the palette of colours in the original milk paints they used. These were shades drawn from the earth, from berries, seeds and coal, which made up subdued greens, blues, reds, browns, grays, black and white. The Victorians loved rich, complex colours and mixed strong lavender, magenta, and moss green with golden amber and garnet to layer their homes in muted glory. A visit to the Caribbean Islands offers up a glorious mix of furniture painted in their happy, sunny shades of yellow, turquoise, coral and pink.

In order to achieve an authentic, antique look, it’s best to choose a style that would fit. Look for inexpensive reproductions if you are starting with a new piece, or second hand finds will always do nicely. The table shown here is an example of a mass-produced Indonesian design that I wanted to personalize. I painted on layers of colour and sanded them back to give the illusion of wear. I also used crackle medium in small areas. This causes the paint to split and crack, adding to the aging process.

The technique can be applied to any surface providing you follow a few important preparation steps. If the surface has been sealed or is a laminate, you must begin by washing with a heavy duty detergent such as TSP and then sanding to rough it up. Apply a high adhesion paint primer that is designed to cover slippery finishes or oil-based paints.

Since I would be sanding through the layers of paint, I added some peach paint to the primer so that it wouldn’t appear as white. The border was taped off, then the peach-coloured primer was brushed on to the area inside the border and allowed to dry. Crackle medium (available at art and crafts stores) was brushed onto random small patches. Once dry, one coat of red paint was brushed over the whole surface. Cracks will appear as it dries. Now sand down areas to reveal some of the pink layer. Re-tape and paint the border with yellow and sand back to reveal some of the original wood. Apply the green paint to the border and while it is still wet wipe it back with a rag to expose yellow and wood. To highlight the patina, seal with wax and buff the surface.

Note: On this table there were large nail heads around the border, which I painted over and then sanded back to match the illusion of age.

Debbie Travis’ House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please e-mail your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.