Painting and finnishing.....

 

gilding with "gold finger"

This week I have been painting.....

I told you on Monday about my previous gung-ho approach to painting furniture, and about all those little bits and pieces I have laying around waiting for a lick of paint and finishing....So I have been doing some research on painting and finishing furniture, and thought I'd share my findings with you all...turns out: just wacking on the paint like I have done in the past, is not the "done" thing.....at least not if you want a professional looking result!!

Check out my pinterest board painting and finishing for useful links on painting furniture..

If you are new to furniture painting, it could be useful to start with some smaller pieces to get a feel for the paints and techniques....and for a little practise before you start transforming that old sideboard (or whatever you have waiting for an update).....

I am planning on using these last couple of weeks before the summer holidays, whilst I am Little Miss Moo-free (furniture painting with children around could easely end in disaster....or at the very best: fingerprints!) to finally paint all those pieces I have been putting off for ages....and at the end I am planning on doing a post summing up what I've learned about preparation of different types of furniture, types of paint and different techniques to use....

But lets start small:

I've had these pine frames and coatrack laying around for ages, waiting for an update...

I am not too enamoured with the current trend of painting all wood...I love the look of good quality wood, and think a little tender love and care on old pieces is more sympathetic than covering it all in paint.( I am currently on the lookout for a nice wooden nightstand, so I can prove this point...) But I can't stand the orange look of pine...

Today I want to talk about the basics of painting wood, and tell you all about a little trick I learned whilst working in the British film industry....

I want to start with this big IKEA mirror....

It too used to be orange Pine, but sometime last year I painted it this oldy worldy blue....

 At the time, I was planning on distressing it, but never got around to it....

So when I started thinking of finishing all these little bits and bobs, I remembered something usefull:

When I worked in the prop department of the film Stardust a good few years ago, we used something we called "goldfinger" to gild a lot of the props for the hall where the final show-down in the film took place....

It was easy to use and the effect was beautifull....

I thought this would be the perfect thing for finishing off my blue mirror....

 

After looking around on the net, I realised the product is actually called "Rub'n'buff"....

It is a metallic wax product, and as the name suggests, all you do is rub it on and buff....

It is often used as a cheaper alternative to gold leafing, as it averages in price around £5 a tube...

( A quick e-bay search should give you a list of suppliers)...

It comes in 16 metallic finishes, and can help you transform the finish on just about anything....

A little goes a long way, and depending on the wanted result it can be applied using a brush or a sponge, but I find the best way to apply, for better control, is to use your finger....hence the term "goldfinger".

It can create so many different finishes using different techniques: For a complete covering, apply lightly using an artist brush in several layers...use it on a sponge for stencilling, or dry brush it on to highlight more complicated mouldings....

Today I want to show you the goldfinger method on my blue painted mirror:

 

I've used Rub'n'buff in antique gold here...

Squeeze a little Rub'n'buff onto a tile (or other smooth surface)...dab a little on your finger....keep dabbing your finger on the tile to take off any excess....you don't need a lot....

...then with a light touch, rub your "goldfinger" over the detail in your wood....creating a golden highlight effect on your piece....

 

buff with a soft cloth to really bring out the shine...

 Use a solvent and degreaser to clean up any spills....this is also very useful if you feel like you have been too heavy handed (or should I say: heavy fingered?....maybe not!!) with the goldfinger...

....just spray a little on a sponge to wipe away and blend any excess...

This is really a cheats way to that antique gilded look, but it is really effective, don't you think? 

 I really wish I'd taken some pictures of this mirror before I painted it to show you the whole transformation......

So I thought I'd show you the entire process by painting and finishing my IKEA pine coatrack to match......done the proper way: 

This will all apply to painting wooden furniture....So you can use this as a prepping guide for your furniture painting projects..

First: take off the hard the hardware.....put it aside for safe keeping.

Clean the wood with a degreaser...
I used Wickes contractors Solvent and degreaser spray....same as above...
I really want to recommend this product as it has proven to have so many uses, and is so handy to have around....
....before lightly sanding to create a key for your paint to cling on to...
As a rule: you'll need to sand a piece if the current finish is shiny....you don't always need to sand it all the way back to the wood....just enough to create a surface for your paint to adhere to...
...More on this in a later post....

Then I sprayed my coatrack with a thin layer of primer...


...you don't need a thick coverage....just a thin layer will do...
...the primer will help seal the wood surface and creates a bond between the wood and your paint...

Paint your wood.....several thin layers are better than one heavy coat....2-3 should be enough.
I used Wickes chalky matt emulsion in Boudoir...same as my mirror , but any indoor paint would work....
 

...When your paint have dried and you are happy with the coverage, you are ready for  the gold finger....as with the mirror, use a little at the time, dabbing it on your finger, and gently rubbing it on over the edges of the detail in your wood...
Then buff with a clean dry cloth...

The goldfinger can also be used on the hardware.....just rub it on with your finger, to give your hardware a golden look....You can change the look of all your hardware around the house using rub'n'buff......gold to silver, silver to gold.....much cheaper than buying new....

Then reattach the hardware onto the wood....

Looks great don't you think....?
I used the same process and technique for the two boxframes....
(just remember to mask off the glass before priming and painting)
....Then I simply used some pretty paper to line the insides....

The butterfly was part of our table decoration at our wedding, and the horse shoe used to belong to Mr's Dad, and is his Lucky charm....

 I will definitely be using Rub'n'buff for other projects in the future....come Christmas our whole house will be gilded....

I hope you feel inspired to try some rub'n'buff (I am not paid to promote this product, I just really like it)...it is so versatile and effective....and really easy to use...Just remember: a little goes a long way...

Let me know if you have had any experience using rub'n'buff....and where would you use it?
Please comment below....

I will be back with another painting and finishing tutorial on Saturday:
I will show you how I transformed my friends bookshelf using Chalk paint.....

xxx
June