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Well aged


From habitat plus - special paint effects

Antiquing and chalk paint techniques

A coffee table aged with Resene FX Crackle

This coffee table uses Resene FX Crackle to create a rustic look. Apply a base colour of Resene Sambuca before painting a layer of Resene FX Crackle then apply a topcoat of Resene Castaway (try Resene Okey Dokey).

Antiquing

Our quick tricks to age furniture.

  1. Smear petroleum jelly on areas of the furniture that would normally wear, such as sharper edges or corners (see the side table below right). Paint the furniture with a waterborne enamel, such as Resene Lustacryl, allow to fully dry then wipe away the petroleum jelly to expose the raw timber underneath. You can also use this technique using two colours – paint the basecoat (this is Resene Twizel), then add the petroleum jelly, then a topcoat. Once the petroleum jelly is completely removed, finish the full piece of furniture with Resene Aquaclear to protect the paint and the bare timber.

  2. Dragging creates a finely striped effect often associated with antiques. Dragging (often referred to as strie) is a finely striped paint effect created by dragging a dry brush or comb through the wet paint. Where the brush makes contact with the surface, the dragging medium is removed to reveal the basecoat.

  3. Another quick and easy aged technique is to simply sand away the paint to expose the timber. Or by using two different colours, say a cream first, then a slate blue on top, when you sand away the paint you can expose layers of both the first cream coat and the timber. You can use wire wool instead of sandpaper, but do this before the topcoat of paint hardens properly.

  4. Try Resene FX Crackle finish. The crackle glaze allows peeks of the base colour to show through and contrast with the topcoat colour. Apply a basecoat of colour (this is Resene Sambuca), then brush on a smooth even coat of Resene FX Crackle. Allow to dry then fairly quickly, brush on your topcoat colour (this is Resene Castaway). Apply in one direction. As the paint dries, the cracks will form. This happens quite quickly. Don’t brush the paint once it has crackled otherwise you will damage the finish.

Painted plant pots with a cracked paint finish

A distressed stool side table

Pots: These pots are painted with basecoats of Resene Moccaccino, Resene Wafer and Resene Wild West before being given an ‘aged’ topcoat using Resene FX Crackle and Resene Half Pot PourriSide table: Wall colour in Resene Coast and Resene Seachange and the floor is Resene Colorwood Limed Oak. The distressed stool side table is painted in Resene Twizel using petroleum jelly to expose the raw timber beneath.

Chalk paint

Karen Walker Chalk Colour from Resene ColorShops creates a beautiful velvety matte finish when applied to furniture and other surfaces, even small decorative items. For most surfaces, simply wipe down and start painting – no priming, sanding or sealing needed. Depending on the look you want to create, apply one or two coats of Karen Walker Chalk Colour and finish with Karen Walker Soft Wax or for a more ‘aged’ French provincial look, use Karen Walker Vintage Wax.

Vases painted in Karen Walker Chalk Colour

A dusty pastel hallway with table finished in Chalk Colour and Vintage Wax

Vases: Wall in Resene Quarter Sorrell Brown and plinth in Resene Sorrell Brown. Circular plinth and round vase in Resene Weathered Orange. Vases from left in Resene Sorrell Brown, Resene Quarter Sorrell Brown, Resene Grain Brown and Resene Weathered YellowHallway: Dusky pastels add soft elegance to this hallway. The table is in Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Grain Brown and finished in Karen Walker Vintage Wax. The wall is painted in Resene Half Washed Green and the floor is Resene Powder Blue.
 

updated August 2021
Habitat plus - paint effects


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