If you have a fondness to the extravagant styled furniture, do consider investing in a beautiful Victorian cast iron bench to be the centerpiece of your garden.  Antique cast iron garden patio furniture is still some of the most desired furniture to date, but extremely rare to find and quite expensive for the [...]]]>

Painted Iron Furniture

If you have a fondness to the extravagant styled furniture, do consider investing in a beautiful Victorian cast iron bench to be the centerpiece of your garden.  Antique cast iron garden patio furniture is still some of the most desired furniture to date, but extremely rare to find and quite expensive for the average homeowner. Cast Iron furniture is rarely manufactured as aluminum patio furniture has become the popular choice because it still is quite durable without the high cost of iron.  Each year the aluminum patio furniture becomes more appealing as designs get more streamlined.  Target has come out with beautiful patio sets which have an upscale look, they would be just as nice inside the home than outside.  Although the aluminum sets are quite popular, ornate benches are almost non existent, forcing many people to buy antiques.  Victorian cast iron benches are the perfect choice for a rose garden, or a Romanic gazebo.  Cast iron is rare in our current market which makes it very unique. In comparison to any garden furniture to date, it still remains the extremely durable and can withstand harshest conditions such as rain, snow, hail and the sun over years without showing a shred of damage. Cast iron furniture can last a lifetime and can be cleaned with the simple products you have at home compared to the plastic furniture that breaks and yellows in the sun over just several months. Antique cast iron furniture is much more valuable than today's popular aluminum furniture, partly because the material is no longer manufactured. Today's furniture manufactures tend to go for the easiest production techniques that fetch the most money. A company can make much more money producing an array of low quality -low cost materials which then can be affordable to 90% of the public than to produce something only a small percentage of the population can afford. Companies also seem to be dodging the high quality materials because genuine natural materials are becoming quite rare which then becomes costly to make a profit. Today pressed board and plastics replaces wood in many dressers, armoires and closets. From a manufacturing standpoint, it is easier to produce because it is light weight, low quality and inexpensive.  The majority of the public isn't into quality, but low price.  Vintage cast cast cars are still in tact while today's modern plastics have been thrown away by the thousands. If that is not enough, plastic will never disintegrate, as it sits in the earths land fills for generations.

The Beauty Of Antique Victorian Cast Iron Furniture

The reign of Queen Victoria in England from 1837 to 1901 saw the start of the Victorian era, which grew from the elaborate Gothic style, into more of a development of romanticism which reflected in every style such as fashion, architecture and home furnishings. The Victorian era spawned into several well-known styles, including Gothic Revival, Italianate, Empire, and Queen Anne. The Victorian style was more beautiful than practical and excessive in design as we see in many of the cast iron furniture.  Wealth became a status symbol during this time, and their pocket books opened up to the best even if it was in the garden.  Many designers and architects took the ideas from the styling's of the French, Italian, Tudor, Egyptian, and Gothic architecture as the height of mass-production allowed the opportunity of an array of architectural elements to become easily accessible. Cast iron furniture became popular as it became more available.  Major manufacturers of the time, such as J. L. Mott Iron Works in New York let you create your own designs, offering through mail-order catalogs a wide selection of iron urns that could be customized by swapping out different bases. In addition many custom finishes were available at the time such as black,bronze and aged green. .

How To Clean YOUR Cast Iron Furniture

After a harsh winter, uncovered patio metal furniture can start showing signs of rust which in technical terms is a result of the oxidation of iron or metal from the presence of water and oxygen which reacts with the metal. Prolonged rust that has not been taken care of can cause permanent damage to cast furniture.  Although cleaning rusty furniture is a daunting task to many because it simply doesn't come off, there are some aged tricks to getting the rust off easier.

Natural household products can clean up the rust doing the arm and leg work for you. The acid in white vinegar or lemons eats away at rust leaving you with less work than normal. Leave the vinegar or lemons sit on the rust for a few moments. (Remember that the rust is not apart of the metal, but the layer on top) The vinegar will eat away at the rust lifting it up so it will come off easier when you scrub your bench.

Baking Soda is another natural product that is quite effective on rust. Make a paste of baking soda and water that will stick to the rust.  Leave it enough time to loosen the rust. Use a wire wool, or wire brush to scrub the rusted area. Do use gloves when cleaning any rust. Be sure to bring in your patio furniture throughout the winter months to prevent rust from returning.

How to Paint Cast Iron Furniture

The latest trends in 2010 are bright paint such as peacock blue, butter yellow, gloss white, apple green, canary yellow, or creamy butter colors. We see that with  decorator Charlotte Moss and Kelly Wearstler.  Hollywood Regency style uses a lot of bright colors against black and white toned rooms.  So don't be afraid of painting your outdoor cast iron benches a bright yellow.  Today we see explosive colors in all white interiors, or on the contrast, antique looks with old world finishes.

Be sure before you paint to clean the surface of the furniture with a wire brush. Scraping away all the cracked paint, and rust will ensure a better overall beautiful end result. Spray your furniture down with the garden hose to wash away the rust and extra particles that were lifted during cleaning. Allow your furniture to dry in the sun, being completely dry before attempting to paint.

Use an oil primer paint specially formulated for rust prevention, such as Rust-Oleum's Flat Rusty Metal Primer

Rust-Oleum Flat Rusty Metal Primer has a unique fish oil vehicle that penetrates rust to bare metal forcing out corrosive moisture and air. It has outstanding film forming properties which provide a tight bond, a long lasting protection to sound rusted steel.   If you are working with a smaller project, consider Rust Rust Reformer which instantly converts rust to a protected paintable surface.

Victorian Cast Iron Painted Architecture

Victorian Kramer Bros Cast Iron Garden Bench By Ebay Seller Sandstonelion

This Victorian Bench by Kramer Bros is absolutely beautiful.  Consider priming a white bench with a white primer.

Oil Metal Primer

1:       Rust Oleum Cover Stain Primer-Sealer - TINTABLE!

2 A:  Rust-Oleum Rust, Quart, Flat White Clean Metal Primer

2B :   Rust-Oleum Rust, Flat White Clean Metal Primer IN A SPRAY

2C:    Rust Oleum VOC White Clean Metal Primer

You can get almost any color of paint in an oil based finish at your local Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore or better paint store.  Here are a couple suggestions that would make a statement:

1 A:   Rust-Oleum Hammered Metal Finish, Dark Bronze, 1-Quart

1 B:    Rust-Oleum Enamels Spray, Burnt Orange, 12-Ounce

1C:     Rust-Oleum Enamels Spray, Seafoam, 12-Ounce

1D:     Rust-Oleum Specialty Yellow Enamel Spray, 12-Ounce

1E:     Rust-Oleum Glossy Black

1F:   Rust Preventative Enamel 12 Oz - Medium Green

1G:  Rust Preventative Enamel 12 Oz -Blue

Poldo Como chest of drawers, $4,850 at the Conran Shop Made from beech and lacquered in a range of colors including vivid orange (Poldo Como chest of drawers, $4,850 at the Conran Shop

Choosing a paint can be perplexing at first as there are so many different colors to pick from. [...]]]>

High Gloss Rococo Bombe Chest

Poldo Como chest of drawers, $4,850 at the Conran Shop Made from beech and lacquered in a range of colors including vivid orange (Poldo Como chest of drawers, $4,850 at the Conran Shop

Choosing a paint can be perplexing at first as there are so many different colors to pick from. Having a wide range of colors options is a luxury and a result of years of innovation compared to the handful of color finishes just 100 years ago. Just as important as paint color consideration is sheen choice.  The main types of paints are Flat, Matte, Satin, Semi-gloss, Gloss, High-gloss, and Latex.

What is Paint Sheen?

Paint sheen is the level of glossiness in paint. High gloss paint will make your furniture or walls appear to have a glossy shine, compared to a flat paint which has no reflectiveness. Almost every brand of paint can be sold with a handful of sheen options, except for oil paint unfortunately. Flat oil paint is quite rare. You can buy the basic Flat Whiteand Flat Black paint made by rustoleum, and custom oil colors are often sold in satin such as Sherwin & Williams Paints, and semi gloss and gloss such though Parkers Paints, and Benjamin Moore.

Matte paint is one of the most popular sheen's on walls, as they are conceal imperfections better than glosses as they reflect far less light. It is quite important that when choosing a wall paint, that enamel is considered in high traffic areas. Often times children can scuff up walls in a hurry, or touch the walls leaving oily hand prints that can be very noticeable over time. Scrub able paints, or enamel paints are often the best choice for walls.

Satin paints are another very popular choice because of durability which has a soft finish that exudes warmth. Satin paint is the number one recommendation for furniture painting.

I have made the mistake in the past of using matte or flat paint as my final finish on some of my painted furniture pieces and it doesn't look right. I clued into my mistake after educating myself by looking at higher end painted furniture, and not one of them had a flat finish. Flat finishes are meant for walls that rarely get touched. Over time flat paint is very porous, and it will collect oil which ruins the finish very quickly. Although flat paint is almost imperative in painting, and we will tell you why below:

Green Lacquer Tall Chest From Fabulous Pieces on Esty

Antique Mahogany Bar Cart with Pistachio Gloss Green Lacquer Finish From Fabulous Pieces on Esty

Check out Fabulous Pieces on Esty, and consider venturing out to some unique colors such as her fabulous aqua cart, Rust-Oleum 245896 Enamels Spray, Seafoam KRYLON Pink Gloss Spray Paint, High Performance Enamel Gloss White, Gloss Caribbean Blue, Red Gloss, Gloss Spring Green

High Gloss Painted Bowed Chest

Flat Paint :

Flat Paint is commonly used on most walls, and has the lowest sheen available. Flat paint produces a very smooth finish and has non-reflective properties. Flat paint will conceal wall imperfectionsand it does this the very best compared to all other paint sheens. If you do have an older style home, consider flat paint with an enamel properties. This will enable you to scrub your walls, but also conceal the large amount of blemishes that exist on most every wall. Unless you have fresh drywalls, do not consider using a gloss or a semi gloss on your walls.

Flat paint lacks shine and is harder to scrub dirt and dust off without rubbing the dirt in further. Flat paint will not show any lines, cracks, or imperfections that exist, which makes it a miracle paint.  I would not suggest using really dark paint colors with flat paint on walls.  Flat paint is also most commonly used on ceilings, but not so much in high traffic areas where the wall will get dirty.

Matte and flat paint are almost the same sheen. Matte paint has a little more shine than flat but not much that it is a noticeable difference.

Satin or Eggshell

Satin or Eggshell paint is the prime choice for painting furniture. Furniture should always have some sort of sheen, either from the paint itself or from furniture wax.

Satin or eggshell paint has a low-luster and slightly sheen properties. They have a bit more luster compared to flat or matte paint, and gives more warmth and depth to a room compared to flat paint. The beauty of satin or eggshell paint is it still conceals imperfections quite well. It will not do quite as good of a job as flat when hiding defects on the wall, but it is more scrub able than matte paint.

Semi-Gloss

Semi Gloss paint is very durable and one of the easiest to clean. Semi gloss is often the most popular choice to use in bathrooms, and kitchens, and children's bedrooms, and is often used in high traffic areas due to the ability of being highly scrub able.

However, semi-gloss paint has some draw backs, making it a sheen most people steer away from. Semi gloss paint will not hide blemishes, but will magnify them. You will be able to see the crack or the roller marks from the paint brushes very easily.

Personally I do not use any type of gloss paint unless the furniture or wall is almost perfect.Either the walls are fresh drywall, or my furniture is sanded quite well. The reason for this is often times when you walk into a room with shiny walls, it is the first thing you notice, and often times as nice as the furniture may be, or the room beautifully decorated, your eyes are drawn back to the walls AND then to the imperfections. Your customers, or guests will notice the imperfections in an instant.

There are certain occasions where Semi gloss paints is a necessity such as Children's rooms, back splashes in kitchens or bathrooms.  Also, semi gloss paint is imperative in creating some specialty faux finishes.Faux Marble is one finish that semi, gloss, or high gloss paint is used. Marble will always have a high gloss shine, so therefore if your walls were painted in a faux marble the sheen should be expected to be shiny.

Martha Stewart Chinoiserie Sideboard

Gloss

Gloss should be an absolute must on baseboard, trim and and door frames. Not only will it be durable to scrub, but it will also show off the ornate details that trim work and architectural moldings are so famous for. There is nothing more beautiful than a glossy front door that has incredible depth in the paint. It certainly screams luxury! Again, the draw backs are it reveals imperfections, so be sure to sand well before and between coats.

High Gloss

High-gloss paint is a gloss paint that is glossed to the max. High gloss paint reflects so much light that it will draws in the light reflection from every angle.

High Gloss paints are perfect for high end furniture with plenty of curves, such as bombe dressers, french chairs, french chests, grand pianos and so forth. Heavily carved architectural moldings would be the ideal choice for high gloss finishes.
How to Achieve a Professional High Gloss Finish.

Tip #1 - Be sure your Surface is Flawless

Furniture:

If you are going after a high gloss finish, be sure to sand your piece of furniture with the finest sandpaper to begin. Next, use a flat paint in the exact same color you are planning on using in a gloss. Painting with gloss paint is sort of like painting with a lot of clear glaze. I made the mistake of using a high gloss on some walls without a base coat. I started off with the gloss, and after 6 coats it still didn't cover. It was an absolute mess, because after 6 coats, you could see endless roller marks. Start off with your flat coat to start, and be sure your coverage is perfect before working with the gloss. This means your finish should be cover your furniture completely, with it sanded to perfection before working with the gloss. Spraying furniture is often the supreme choice when working with gloss paint, although foam brushes do such a good job, so don't discount hand painting as long as it is combined with sanding.

Walls:

A Primer is a requirement, with a number of coats of the same color in flat to begin. Be sure your walls are fully covered in the flat paint before you begin working with the high gloss paint. Again your flat and high gloss paint will be the exact same color.

If you are planning to paint gloss paint over existing flat walls, you will need two coats of paint to avoid flashing (unevenness of sheen throughout the wall). Two coats improve consistency of sheen and enhance color tone.

Tip #2 Work With A Smooth Roller or Brush

Be sure to work with a SMOOTH roller that will leave no marks on your walls, such as a Ultra smooth polyurethane roller, or foam roller.

6-Inch Foam Roller Refills,  3-Inch Foam Roller,  Foam Roller Cover,  Ace Foam Trim Roller ,  20 Foam Paint Brushes

These painting tips will help your walls and furniture look like a professional finish with each project you undertake. Be sure to not rush your self, and allow some some extra time and your furniture will look amazing.

Steven Gambrel From Modern Interior Design Ideas and Pictures

Steven Gambrel's Home Pictures can be found here on Modern Interior Design Ideas and Pictures

Glossy Painted Walls Designer Melissa Rufty

Steven Gambrel's Glossy Painted Walls

Apartment Therapy had a post featuring a designer from the Netherlands, who designed a home around frames of metallic color.  Designer Marcel Prins,who was designing the Berrington House in Munich, painted all the walls in metallic paint in blocks of different hues of green, bronze, and gold.  The Berrington-house features 24 colours metallic colors [...]]]>

Marcel Prins Metallic Painted Walls

Apartment Therapy had a post featuring a designer from the Netherlands, who designed a home around frames of metallic color.  Designer Marcel Prins,who was designing the Berrington House in Munich, painted all the walls in metallic paint in blocks of different hues of green, bronze, and gold.  The Berrington-house features 24 colours metallic colors that flow from one room to another in different shades.  Metallic paint has a glamorous feel to it that when decorating, you want to consider like objects with similar properties with glossy finishes such as marble, lacquered furniture, glass and mirrors.  Metallic paint will almost bring light into any room because of its over all shine.

Metallic paint also called polychromatic or "metal flake" paint, is used on the majority of new cars as metallic paint can show off the  contours of bodywork better than solid paint.  Small metal flakes in the paint create a sparkling effect.

Consider a Pattern in Metallic Paint, and combine it with complementary colors such as bronze with yellow, or Gold and brown.

Marcel Prins

Marcel Prins

Marcel Prins

Marcel Prins

Marcel Prins

Ralph Lauren Regant Metallic Collection

Ralph Lauren Metallic Paint Technique

Marble can be achieved by using a thick plastic garbage bag.   The finished look, gives a marble appearance, so when choosing your colors, look at authentic marble for a natural set of colors what would work in your home.

The following technique was gathered from  Susan Driggers Painted Finishes For Walls & Furniture

This technique involves 2 [...]]]>

Marble Techniques

Marble can be achieved by using a thick plastic garbage bag.   The finished look, gives a marble appearance, so when choosing your colors, look at authentic marble for a natural set of colors what would work in your home.

The following technique was gathered from  Susan Driggers Painted Finishes For Walls & Furniture

This technique involves 2 basic steps.  To achieve a greater depth in the finished product, take the second step and repeat it adding more glaze and less paint.  The key to this faux finish is the glaze which gives a transparent finish.

1. Paint your wall in a soft beige white.  Look at natural marble and pick the best color as your base coat.  Let the wall dry.

2.  The next step is adding the glazed paint which will be applyed on the wall using a garbage bag.

Take a pre-mixed glaze of a darker color of your original color.  Yellows or shades of white with a bit of brown work well.  Work again with colors you find in marble.  Work in small sections to make it look like big slabs of marble.  Tape off large squares on your wall to break up the pattern.

Take your paint roller, and roll on the glaze in a section of the square you are working in.  Let it dry a slight bit* Take your heavy weight garbage bag, and press it on to the wall.  Run your hands on the garbage bag, allowing the bag to be pressed into the paint.  Don't move the bag around, just simply roll your arm or hands on the bag, allowing the bag to stick to the wall.  Simply take off the garbage bag, and your left with a crinkled print on your walls.

Additional thoughts......

-Be sure to clean off the paint mess in the next square when you are done.

-To create the marble veins, you could simply take a small paint brush and use brown paint and mostly GLAZE, and paint in the small veins found in marble ON THE WALL.  Take your garbage bag, and roll the glaze on the garbage bag, and press it on the wall.

-Marble has milky layers to it.  So if you are adding additonal steps, allow your glaze  to be a bit of a milky white brown or yellow mixture.  Additonal steps should be more glaze and less paint, because you do not want the original pattern to be disturbed much.

Bryonie Porter creates outstanding wallpapered furniture from the most famous wallpaper companies such as Cole & Son, Osborne & Little, and Timorous Beasties. She does a wonderful job of matching up the paint with the colors in the wallpaper.  Do take a look at her wonderful website with many more of her wallpaper creations.   [...]]]>

Map Chest by Bryonie Porter

Bryonie Porter creates outstanding wallpapered furniture from the most famous wallpaper companies such as Cole & Son, Osborne & Little, and Timorous Beasties. She does a wonderful job of matching up the paint with the colors in the wallpaper.  Do take a look at her wonderful website with many more of her wallpaper creations.   Decoupage looks quite complicated, but it is much easier than it looks.  With a little patience, you can cover a lovely chest with beautiful wallpaper using some easy techniques that will allow you to have an ornatly detailed piece of furntiure without the laborous time painting the details.   We show you some simple tricks to creating the perfect decoupage wallpaper chest.

How to Decoupage Furniture 101

1.  Make sure that your object is dry, smooth, and free from any kind of imperfections. I would always suggest slighly sanding your piece of furniture so that the glue has something to grab on to.

2.  Cut out your image first.  This is the most tedious and important part of the whole process.  You want to be patient to get a great cut.

4.  Submerge your print in water which will allow you to manipulate the print on your furniture with ease

- Avoid decoupaging with thin paper because it overly wrinkles, and tears very easily.  Many copy stores now produce beautiful prints that can blown up to cover any large piece of furniture.  Do not use ink-jet photo copies as they will smear in water and with water based varish products.

4.Using a foam paint brush, and glue, apply glue all over the furniture area you are covering.   Work section by section.  Align the paper with the furniture edges, and carefully apply the cutout to the surface of the furniture.

Keep your hands wet or the paper will tear. Use a wet paint brush sponge and and work out excess glue, water, and air. Work  outward from the center using a foam roller to flatten the surface and even out the glue under neath your print.

-Avoid bending or crumpling the print, as it gives the finished product a bumpy, ugly look.

-Within the first hour after the application, check your furniture piece to smooth out any air bubbles with wet fingers.  Let your furniture dry overnight.

5.  The next day after your piece is dry you will need to apply a sealer.  It is extremely important that your first coat is a water based polycrylic.  If you use an oil based polyurethane, it will leave spots in your collage, and potentially ruin it.

Modge Podge is another option which seals collages which dries to a rock hard finish.  It can be used to glue your paper down and and seal your final piece.  Modge Podge is available in Gloss, Satin and Matte finishes.  Mod Podge also has an excellent line of fabric glue.

A water based polycrylic is always the very best option on white painted furniture, as an oil based polyurthane will always turn yellow over night and keep getting darker in color over time.  Polycrylic comes in a satin and semi gloss, and gloss finish.  It also comes in a beautiful spray, which makes it much easier to produce a clean even finish.  The polycrylic or Mod Podge are excellent products will seal your furniture, but if you wish to additionally add an oil based spray lacquer, use it after you have applied 2 layers of polycrylic. 

If your collage is lightly colored, I would caution you against using anything but water based.  For darker prints, a polyurthane spray  will yellow over time.  Acrylic lacquer avoids the yellowing problems associated with nitrocellulose lacquer.  Acrylic resins go on crystal-clear and stay that way over time.  The most widely used Acrylic lacquers is called CAB-acrylic lacquer, made with cellulose acetate butyrate and acrylic resins.

Pink Desk By Bryonie Porter Wallpaper by xxxx

Pink Toile Chest by Bryonie Porter Wallpaper by Timorous Beasties – London Toile

Bluewillow By Bryonie Porter Using Osborne & Little

Blue Toile By Bryonie Porter Wallpaper by Timorous Beasties

Sponging was such a popular faux finish pushed in the 80's that everyone gave it a try.  Bad sponging jobs from amateur painters have turned the majority of the public off from sponging faux finishes all together. I am an active buyer on craigslist, and way too often [...]]]>

Painting Texture Examples and Ideas By Tomoe89

Sponging was such a popular faux finish pushed in the 80's that everyone gave it a try.  Bad sponging jobs from amateur painters have turned the majority of the public off from sponging faux finishes all together. I am an active buyer on craigslist, and way too often have I seen very poor sponging finishes in homes that is no wonder that sponging has such a bad rap. Everyone has seen this finish done wrong. Sponge painting is one of the key tools in every professional faux artists tool kit that if it is done properly can be one of the most fantastic finishes around. We want to show you the main reasons this faux finish fails and what you can do to get it right.

1. Sponge Faux Finishes Fail When They Become Fantasy Finishes.

Paint applications are designed to replicate different materials found in nature. Have you ever heard of pink marble? Neither have I, so why would you paint it in your home? Faux finishes are created for the illusion of expensive materials or natural finishes found in nature without the cost of them.When Versailles was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, the Opéra was constructed entirely of wood. Some areas consisted of marble, but much was painted to resemble marble in a technique known as faux marble. The furniture was made of real gold, but I suppose money cannot buy everything they wanted, so painting gave the illusion of the material they hoped to buy to complete architecture in their design.

One example of fantasy painting mistakes is the faux wood designs in odd ball colors.Wood rockers (click on the rocker to see product details) used to create faux wood are one of the very best tools any decorative artist should own. When this simple tool is used with the right colors, it can re-create the most realistic expensive wood that would other wise retail for thousands.  Faux wood doors, cabinets and whole wood rooms can be re-created using a wood rocker. The trick again is color.

Woolie Wood Graining Tool

Stained wood in odd colors such as blue and green just do not work well, because blue wood cannot be found in nature. Painting wood is entirely different.  Staining wood in odd colors isn't wrong, it just isn't a high end look.

The point of faux finishes are to be illusions to the eye and realistic to some degree. An excellent example of this is by artist Jean Pronovost, where real marble is mixed with faux marble. Odd colors are a dead give away that the finish is artificial. As you can see in their design, you wouldn't have known the tub surround was fake marble unless they pointed it out.

An faux artist never wants a viewer to figure out what tool they used to complete a faux finish, but rather to guess if the work is real wood, marble, or stone. Today fantasy finishes are a fad of the past. 18th century finishes which resemble the high end natural finishes have always remained popular.

Sponging can be used to create the beautiful Tuscan wall finishes you would find in Italy and Spain.  Sponging can also create beautiful lime stone walls, and natural elements you just cannot buy at home depot. Choosing the right colors can really go along way in creating a natural looking stone wall.

2. Sponge Faux Finishes Fail When They Don't Have A Lighter Base Coat.

Many people think that the sponge does the work in the overall finish, which is not true. In fact, your base coat is one of the most important elements along side the glaze in this finish.

Most times an experienced painter doesn't have to tape off their walls, but in this finish, it is almost imperative to tape the corners and ceiling because you are forcing a sponge into corners which would create a mess without tape.   A base coat of paint in a solid color should be applied as your first step.

Great painters don't happen over night. I have had my fair share of bad sponging jobs! Oh ya!

One of the biggest mistakes I have made was working with dark colors as my base coat. I have noticed that the best sponging finishes are those with a lighter base color.  Working with a lighter base coat, allows your glaze be a shade darker than your base paint.  Working with slight shade differences gives you a more professional appearance, such as the natural stone range above.  Working from there, you can add in some additional toned colors using a entirely different tool to give it more of a natural look.

With a dark base color, the overall effect just looks like mud.  You then have no opportunity to add several layers of glaze.

Great painters need to learn from their mistakes.  I got interested in decorting in my 20's, and helped an ex boyfriend fix up his condo.  I suggested we paint the door frames in silver.  I think back to that design idea and shake my head.  What was I thinking?

I have made my fair share of bad sponging jobs, as every painter has.  I once used a burnt orange as my base color, and used the sponge to create an over all effect in brown. It was a disaster. Again, the choice of the base color was wrong, and unnatural. Lighter colors work the best which allow a lot of room to add more than one colored glaze.

3. Sponge Faux Finishes Fail When Glaze is not utilized as the second tool.

Almost everyone associates faux sponging with blotchy blemished effect which is what most people achieve with sponging.

Why does this happen?

A. The sponge is often overloaded with paint that it looks blotchy. One way or another you will have to pay for this mistake. I remember very well the days it took me to sand down the finish on our bedroom walls from applying too much paint instead of glaze.

B. Don't work on a faux finish if you don't have the energyto take it slow. Everyone wants quick results, but this is a finish that you want to take your time with.

A faux sponge roller allows you to get the finish on the wall, and use a different medium such as a hand broom, or rags to break up the patterned finish.  (Click on the picture to get to the product)

C. Get your paint pre-mixed with glaze. This prevents you from dipping your sponge right into the paint and then into the glaze, which always turns out saturated with paint than a translucent finish.

One of the most important secrets to sponging is to only have your base coat in straight paint. ALL the rest of the applications should be with glaze. Either using a trowel, or a rag, or a sponge, your application should be using glaze.

What is glaze exactly?

Glazes are binders which only minimal paint is added which makes the overall color more transparent. The more glaze that is added, the more transparent the finish. When working with glazes, be aware that they tend to dry quickly, so have some water in a pie pan easily available to make some corrections.

 Best Look Faux Finish Glaze

Blend & Glaze Decorative Painting Liquid

Ici Paints RL2420 04 QT Faux Int Ltx Glaze

There are two types of glazes: water-based and oil-based.

A. Latex or water-based glaze is very easily to work with and can be cleaned up with soap and water. If you are working with glaze for the first time, take a sample board and try out a couple techniques before attempting your walls.

B. Oil-based glazes are more durable, but they also need much more time to dry.  Oil based finishes will have been used with paint thinner in order to work with the glaze.

4. Sponge Faux Finishes Fail When ONLY The Sponge is used.

One application tool sometimes isn't enough when an artist is trying to re-create stone. Different methods are used to apply paints, glazes, and texture when an artist is trying to create faux stone, wood, and other natural surfaces. A variety of paintbrushes, sea sponges, putty knives, and rags can be used to create different textures.  In the past I have used plastic packing material to create texture.  At one point I was using my kitchen broom. Look around and see what you can use from what you have.  Take a bunch of rags and elastic bands, and attach them to your roller.

Don't be afraid of picking up a hand broom and moving your glaze around. Multiple tools are going to provide a more natural look than one simple application using your sponge.

Layering on colors are time-consuming, but well worth it. The most important part is to carefully choose colors that work well together. You want to work from lighter base coats to shades of the same color which are darker.

Floppy Faux Roller - Floppy Faux Roller
Wagner Spray WallMagic 4-Inch Rag Roll Dual Roller Covers

Purdy 031925-003 6-Inch Large Sea Sponges
Complete Faux Finish Kits - 14320 Rag Faux Kit
Wagner Spray Tech. 0510161J Wall Magic Dual Roller Kit

Woolie Glaze Donut Paint Tool

Another technique involves newspaper. Pressing paper into glaze and removing can create a beautiful finish.

5. Sponge Faux Finishes Fail When The Design Is Not Muted.

The biggest trick to sponging is to allow your overall finish to be muted, and subtle. Just like you began with an over all base coat of paint, you want to finish with an over all coat of glaze. A day after you have completed your overall sponged effect, use a roller and paint every area (ceiling to the baseboards) using a mixed glaze in the color you sponged with. It is amazing what this will do to tone down your obvious brush effects, making it much more subtle. You will not see the overall effect until the glaze dries. This step pushes amateur painting techniques into professional ones.

Painting Texture Examples and Ideas By Places By Pecchio

This bow-front French Louis XV Style "Coromandel" Commode features lacquered black paint and Chinoiserie motifs on ebonized mahogany. This chest found at Negrel Antiques in Austin Texas is a shining example of how beautiful Chinoiserie motifs can enhance the beauty of a chest. This particular chest has 2 drawers with cabriole legs with [...]]]>

This bow-front French Louis XV Style "Coromandel" Commode features lacquered black paint and Chinoiserie motifs on ebonized mahogany. This chest found at Negrel Antiques in Austin Texas is a shining example of how beautiful Chinoiserie motifs can enhance the beauty of a chest. This particular chest has 2 drawers with cabriole legs with bronze sabots. The white marble top gives this chest a beautiful contrast against the black lacquer and hand painted chinoiserie. The bronze hardware and acanthus leaf designs really stand out against the black lacquer, and complement the complexity of the chinoiserie designs. The keyhole escutcheons and rococo handles are original hardware during the Louis XV period.

Chinoiserie Painted Furniture Louis XV Chest

Chinoiserie Painted Furniture Louis XV Chest

Martha Stewart appeared on Squawk Box several months ago, (A stock market and currency business news program of CNN)  and spilled her feelings about Kmart who disappointed her greatly.  She was at that time looking for a new  home for her products, so it comes at no surprise that Home Depot [...]]]>

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart appeared on Squawk Box several months ago, (A stock market and currency business news program of CNN)  and spilled her feelings about Kmart who disappointed her greatly.  She was at that time looking for a new  home for her products, so it comes at no surprise that Home Depot will be carrying her paint line and cleaning products starting in March.

Sears and Kmart stores began selling the Martha Stewart Everyday home line in 1997, but in October of this year Sears and Martha Stewart did not extend the contract. Martha Stewart Living reported that 43 percent of its merchandising revenue in 2008 came from the Kmart line, but as Kmart lowered its royalty payments, so did MSL's revenue.  Martha Stewart Living's agreement with Lowe's ended Sept. 1 as well.

I'm thrilled to be working with The Home Depot to provide consumers with a beautiful paint palette inspired by nature and unique objects," said Martha Stewart, Founder of MSLO.

Talking with a home depot paint associate a few days ago, about the switch from Ralph Lauren to Martha Stewart was one which Home Depot was more on page with.  The associate commented that Ralph Lauren was a "clothing designer, not really a home improvement guru".  This was not an official statement of Home Depot, just the inside chatter of their associates.  Ralph Lauren was always the nicest paints in Home Depot, but many people by-passed their paints, for something less expensive.  Ralph Lauren's paints generally were 10 dollars more expensive, and after adding the savings up, no body blames the customer for saving a 60 dollars on average.

Ralph Lauren up to this point has been the best paint to be offered through Home Depot.  What has made Ralph Lauren's line special is they have carried the specialty products such as Faux glaze options, a wide range of metallics, and other finishes such as candlelight paint, swede finishes, and River Rock, which will no longer be available as they are clearing their shelves to make room for Martha Stewart.   They didn't offer a million choices like Behr, but rather hand picked great colors, than every shade under the sun.  Ralph Lauren also did an exceptional job of organizing their paint chips for their customers into several different categories which they called Lifestyle Colors, such as Thoroughbred, and Vintage masters which were among my favorite.   With Ralph Lauren, they offered something for every customer, such as colors for the bright California home, modern colors for the New York Formal Loft, and also classics for the Equestrian Connecticut Ranch.  I think we are all interested to see where they go next.

So what do we have to look forward to withMartha Stewart?

Martha Stewart has exceptional taste, who can deny that?  She knows how to pick the best colors for the greatest impact.  The Martha Stewart Living paint palette will consist of 280 handpicked colors created by Martha Stewart and the MSLO design team.  All their colors can be mixed for indoor and outdoor use.  Samples will be available in 8-ounce samples, enough to take home and test on the walls.  Interior paint will be available in 4 sheens, and exterior paint will be available in 2 sheens.  12 of "Martha's Picks" will be available pre-tinted paint.  The Martha Stewart paint line will be manufactured by Dutch conglomerate AkzoNobel, which has its U.S. headquarters in Strongsville.

"Partnering with Martha Stewart on a new brand of paint allows us to continue our efforts in enabling our customers to easily coordinate décor and design elements when taking on home improvement projects, all while staying true to our commitment to value and everyday low price," said Gordy Erickson, senior vice president of Merchandising, Decor. "We are also excited to announce the addition of Martha Stewart Clean to our cleaning category. Martha Stewart Clean will offer consumers an environmentally friendly yet effective option in cleaning."

"I don't paint window frames white anymore because the bright trim interrupts the view outside." Martha Stewart

This mudroom shows pastel colors using paint color Araucana Olive above, and Ameraucana Moss below. The floor is Araucana Teal.

Painted ceilings can open up spaces than close a space.  Many people are too frightened to paint the ceiling in a different color in fear that it will make their space smaller.  In this room, Araucana Turquoise was used on the ceiling, while a rich cream, Silkie White, is painted on to the trim work. The floor, in Crevecoeur, has the fine gloss of dinnerware. Hallway walls beyond are Araucana Green.  This is a perfect example of how beautiful a ceiling that is painted can look.

Green is a classic paint color for furniture.  This room works well, as the sheen is different on the furniture than on the walls.

Three different tones accentuate the paneling; the console is painted to match.  Martha Stewart also adds green in hanging lamp, glass vessels, and sconce's mirror which play off the walls.

Orange and Blue work well together if they are within the classic pastel colors.  The wood tones and the gold act as neutrals pulling the rooms together.

A black painted bamboo chest works perfectly with the dark gray walls.  A collection of silver platters line the walls and work perfectly with the paint color

Bombe chests are some of the uniquest furniture because of its distinctive curvy features and round design which are not commonly found in other furniture styles.  This furniture is often very rare or often quite expensive to purchase but every once in a while bombe sets are seen on ebay for extraordinary prices.  If you are willing [...]]]>

Hand Painted Burl Wood Chest

Bombe chests are some of the uniquest furniture because of its distinctive curvy features and round design which are not commonly found in other furniture styles.  This furniture is often very rare or often quite expensive to purchase but every once in a while bombe sets are seen on ebay for extraordinary prices.  If you are willing to pay the shipping for a deal on the price you might do quite well.

When I saw a listing for a bombe set in our local area I jumped on the sale.   A year before I found my set, I had kept a picture of a Widdicomb bombe end table in my favorites picture file and it happened to be that today I have the exact same set.  I debated what I wanted to do with the set for almost a year because we paid so much money for the set and I wanted something that was dramatic.  I was in the process of painting some other pieces in faux burl so I decided to do the same with this Widdicomb  chest.  I lightly sanded the original white manufacture finish, and faux paint it in burl wood.  Please do check out several of my other posts of how to faux finish burl wood.  I haven't attempted chinoiserie finishes, so possibly that will be my next project when I attempt to paint the matching end tables.  See the pictures below, and be sure to comment on what you think.

About Widdicomb Furniture:

Widdicomb furniture has been known for style and quality.  George Widdicomb immigrated from England and settled in Grand Rapids Michigan, and gathered around him twelve craftsmen with whom he set up a small cabinet shop. The business was put on hold until after the Civil War, when George was joined by his four sons, John, Harry, William and George, Jr. Ralph Widdicombe a nephew of Jon, was awarded first prize for his Modern bedroom suite at the Paris Exposition in 1900. Known for his classical designs influenced by European designs, Ralph Widdicombe introduced Louis XV Provincial designs, which were the first of their kind to be made in the United States. It started off the popularity for French Provincial that still continues.

In May of 2002, the John Widdicomb Company closed its Grand Rapids doors and now operates as a division of the renowned L. & J.G. Stickley, Inc., John Widdicomb is now manufactured in Manlius, New York. The John Widdicomb line includes nearly one hundred French, Italian, English, and Russian reproductions. The Widdicomb name has been internationally known for over one hundred forty-five years.

In this picture I had already sanded, primed and painted my first color on the dresser when this picture was taken.  I had finished the sides and the top in the faux burl finish as you can see.

Using a inexpensive chip brush I cut out (small) notches in the brush which will give you the small curvy intricate patterns you see in burl wood.  Using paint thinner, it is a matter of adding the oil paint and thinner in a small bowl and getting the right consistancy on your brush which gives you a translucent effect when you create the patterns with your brush.  The best tip is to go ahead and try it. You will not get it perfect the first couple of tries, but you will find what works after about 15 minutes.  Since it takes days for the oil paint to try you can make some corrections with your paint thinner compared to regular paint and glaze.

Winton Oil 200ml Burnt Umber, Klean-Strip ''Green'' Lacquer Thinner, Quart, Wood Chip Brush -- 4 Inch

In person you can see the lighter and darker areas created with the oil paint.  I am pleased with the finish except for the drip marks on the one area of the chest.  Overall, it looks tremendous for a fake finish.

If you look close at the hardware in this picture you can see the regular handles and the additional ornaments I was beginning to ad.  Louis style key holes or escutcheon's are very hard to find, so sometimes I make my own if I do not find the set I want elsewhere.

I used a product called "Oven Bake Clay" which doesn't dry out in the air but rather hardens in the oven.  You can finish molding your pieces and leave them for weeks and they will not harden like regular clay.

When my pieces have been baked, I finish them off by spray painting them gold and then apply "simple" gold leaf which looks like real brass.   My suggestions from ebay are below.  Even though I buy the sculpey clay  brand in black you could use any color because you are most likely to spray them gold or silver.  On ebay they are much cheaper than the prices in craft stores.

I begin making a mold of the item I want to duplicate.  I have found what works best for me is to warm up the clay only for a few moments in your hand, but not over doing it. by making it very soft and plyable.    If the clay is a bit harder it allows a better release of the item you are planning on duplicating.

When you have your piece of clay evenly spread out on your suface, sprinkle on some baby powder which gives you an easier release of your item.  I use a sharp knife and start at the side of my piece and gently use my hands to release the item from the mold.

Della Robbia Oven Bake Clay 4lb

Sculpey III Set of 10- Pearls and Pastels

Simple Leaf Leafing Sheets 5.5 Inch x5.5 Inch -Gold

How To Make Clay Furniture Ornaments

 These are duplicates of the orginal dresser pulls made from the oven bake clay.

The key holes were also made from clay which was then finished with gold leaf foil.

Burl Wood Makeover

This antique chest by Polly McArthur & Associates shows an exquisite design with raised gesso ornament and decorated with brass mounts and hardware.   This bombe chest has a marble top and is painted in a chinoiserie design.  What a chest!!

Painted Chinoiserie Bombe Furniture Chest

Painted Chinoiserie Bombe Furniture Chest

One of the prettiest aspects [...]]]>

Painted Chinoiserie Bombe Furniture Chest

This antique chest by Polly McArthur & Associates shows an exquisite design with raised gesso ornament and decorated with brass mounts and hardware.   This bombe chest has a marble top and is painted in a chinoiserie design.  What a chest!!

Painted Chinoiserie Bombe Furniture Chest

Painted Chinoiserie Bombe Furniture Chest

One of the prettiest aspects of this chest is the marble top.  The combination of yellow, pink, red and blacks is remarkable, and one of the prettiest marbles I have ever seen.  If someone had the patience, this would be an excellent example of marble to faux paint.

This outstanding chest has some of the most beautifully aged paint I have seen.  The color is striking, which is considered a pea green base colour and if you look closely at the pictures you can see a natural crackle that took place over the years.  This chest is Japanese painted with raised gesso decoration [...]]]>

Japanese Painted Furniture Chest

This outstanding chest has some of the most beautifully aged paint I have seen.  The color is striking, which is considered a pea green base colour and if you look closely at the pictures you can see a natural crackle that took place over the years.  This chest is Japanese painted with raised gesso decoration and an outstanding marble top. The seller, Polly McArthur & Associates says they purchased this outstanding chest from an apartment on the Place des Vosges.  Check out the pictures

Japanese Painted Furniture Chest

This outstanding Louis XV chest is elaborately painted in Chinoiserie style.  The patina is absolutely stunning, and obviously free hand painted.  This chest is listed on ebay for just over 9K.  The green color is dynamite, and the exquiste marble top gives this piece a regal elegance.

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Painted Louis Chinoiserie Chest

This outstanding Louis XV chest is elaborately painted in Chinoiserie style.  The patina is absolutely stunning, and obviously free hand painted.  This chest is listed on ebay for just over 9K.  The green color is dynamite, and the exquiste marble top gives this piece a regal elegance.

]]> http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/painted-louis-chinoiserie-chest/feed 1 http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/shabby-painted-furniture http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/shabby-painted-furniture#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:30:38 +0000 admin http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/?p=2003 Late 19th C. Louis XVI Style Hand Painted Demilune Commode Ruby lane

Cottage Style furniture is gaining popularity as people are looking to open up their spaces with the use of whiter or pastels. Furniture pieces are often painted with many layers showing through obviously worn areas. Fabrics tend to lean towards the cottons and [...]]]>

Late 19th C. Louis XVI Style Hand Painted Demilune Commode Ruby lane

Cottage Style furniture is gaining popularity as people are looking to open up their spaces with the use of whiter or pastels. Furniture pieces are often painted with many layers showing through obviously worn areas. Fabrics tend to lean towards the cottons and linens. Linen was found in the french homes, and is particular popular today in reproducing this look. Whites and pastels that are bleached out give a beach like presence lend way to lighter and brighter homes.

Popular decor items are pillows made of vintage barkcloth fabric, vintage linens, chenille bedspreads, vintage chandeliers, and anything with roses on it. It is a soft, relaxed romantic way of decorating that looks comfortable and inviting.

Pink, mint green, and soft aqua are also popular colors seen in accessories and fabrics. Colors like Yellow, white, Grayish-Green, lighter pastels are very popular paint colors used on furniture.

- Distressed looks are achieved by painting your furniture 2 colors. After the last paint dries, you can sand down revealing the first coat of paint. This technique looks amazing when starting off with a darker color such as black, and using your top coat a lighter color such as white.

-White Washing (this technique is very easy and is called by many names) It is simply by applying a opaque (see-through) glaze or by painting then rubbing away the paint, or sanding away the top coat to show the wood or base coats. This technique allows you to see the beauty of the grain but still have the beauty of a painted piece

Hand-painted Green Pedestal Table VW Home

Pair of Shabby Chic Swedish Tea Tables Cupboards & Roses Swedish Antiques

]]> http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/shabby-painted-furniture/feed 0 http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/continental-painted-chest http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/continental-painted-chest#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:14:56 +0000 admin http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/?p=2011 Continental Painted Chest

Check out this stunning Chest from Antiques on Old Plank Road. The painted detail is absolutely stunning. This chest is 100% original painted "Cameo" chest of drawers. They say it is either continental or Italian in origin. This paint is a rate find as it is uncommon to find the original paint, [...]]]>

Continental Painted Chest

Check out this stunning Chest from Antiques on Old Plank Road. The painted detail is absolutely stunning. This chest is 100% original painted "Cameo" chest of drawers. They say it is either continental or Italian in origin. This paint is a rate find as it is uncommon to find the original paint, and crisp painting still in tact. The dealer information is Antiques on Old Plank Road located in Westmont, IL

Continental Painted Chest

Continental Painted Chest

]]> http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/continental-painted-chest/feed 0 http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/antique-windsor-chairs http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/archives/antique-windsor-chairs#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:42:24 +0000 admin http://paintedfurnitureonline.com/?p=1951 Windsor Chairs

The Windsor Chair was originally made for Porch and Garden Sitting Chairs, which eventually gained popularity and made its way into the home. Originally in the General Washington had 30 Windsor chairs at Mt. Vernon. It became a ideal chair for country living, but also variations found in finer city homes of the rich. [...]]]>

Windsor Chairs

The Windsor Chair was originally made for Porch and Garden Sitting Chairs, which eventually gained popularity and made its way into the home. Originally in the General Washington had 30 Windsor chairs at Mt. Vernon. It became a ideal chair for country living, but also variations found in finer city homes of the rich. Many agree that Philadelphia was the birthplace of the American Windsor Chair in as early as 1725. The Windsor chair is as stunning in the homes of today as they were in the past.

Regina Garay launched her firm in New York City in 1998 and has since grown into the Florida-based Garay Artisans, which is one of the most respected faux finishing businesses. Garay Artisans has won the national Grand Prize of 2009 (the Top Job Awards by The American Painting Contractor) for their [...]]]>

Regina Garay launched her firm in New York City in 1998 and has since grown into the Florida-based Garay Artisans, which is one of the most respected faux finishing businesses. Garay Artisans has won the national Grand Prize of 2009 (the Top Job Awards by The American Painting Contractor) for their beautiful work.

My Friend Nancy and I were discussing this designer photo, in - particular the lamps they feature on the sideboard. She is a faux painter herself, and has taught me some excellent tricks of the trade when it comes to producing superior paint finishes. The lamps to me look like rusted metal or [...]]]>

Concrete Lamps

My Friend Nancy and I were discussing this designer photo, in - particular the lamps they feature on the sideboard. She is a faux painter herself, and has taught me some excellent tricks of the trade when it comes to producing superior paint finishes. The lamps to me look like rusted metal or a concrete of some sort. I am interested if there are any other faux artists out there that would lend a few wise words how they would approch this paint finish. Please leave some comments at the end of the post.

Here is what I would do with lamps that have a good shape, but are not necessarily concrete:

Any sort of finish needs a good primer.  What good is a paint finish that you spend hours on, only to peel off?

Consider buying concrete which you can mix with water from your local hardware store.

-Trowel it on to your lamps.

-After you have it on, and it is fairly smooth following the lines of the lamp is - lightly create some dents into the filler and then smooth it over again.

In the picture above, it looks to me, like the lamps themselves are pretty smooth, but they do have a textured finish to them. Not like a sandy concrete, but a roughness look to them. So in other words I would make them fairly smooth with a few interesting pits, or small interest points.

-Let it sit over night

In the picture it looks like the bottom coat is like a metal that has rusted.

I would go with TaKahe-TH37 Ralph Lauren for that base coat. I have used this color plenty of times as a rust color, and it works really well.

Let it dry.

Using more plaster, trowel on additional plaster that is tinted with yellow paint to create a rustic effect much like the lamps in the picture.

After it is dry, consider adding glaze with a muted white yellow tone to soften the entire look and highlight the concrete dents.

The top color you could use HaystackVM85 Ralph Lauren, or Cobblestone-UL39...

Any Faux artists willing to share some wise wisdom?

I bought a French provincial Dixie 50's bedroom set a couple months ago which came with three pieces, - A french provincial 3 drawer hutch, a 6 drawer dresser and a mini dresser end table. I kept the 3 drawer hutch and sold the other two pieces.

I ditched the top [...]]]>

Faux Burl Wood Furniture Makeover

I bought a French provincial Dixie 50's bedroom set a couple months ago which came with three pieces, - A french provincial 3 drawer hutch, a 6 drawer dresser and a mini dresser end table. I kept the 3 drawer hutch and sold the other two pieces.

I ditched the top bookshelves and kept the bottom dresser as I really loved the idea of it being a bed side end table. I kept my eyes open for another identical dixie hutch, which I found a couple months later. I really wanted to give them a french makeover, which I had envisioned some type of spectacular stenciled finish, but I ended up deciding on a fake-faux burl finish.

The dresser originally came with a center hardware pull, so I filled in the holes with a wood filler, and sanded the front drawers until they were completely even.

I found another set of hardware that I put aside for a special piece, but I was missing three pulls to finish off the 2 dressers. Interesting enough, I ran into the exact identical pulls- AND in the amount I needed (A GOD blessing!) in a hardware store in DC.  I found the keyholes online on EBAY....  All in all, they will be treasured for years!

Faux Burl Painted Chest