Creating a dimensional, antiqued finish using paint and wax

Did you know that you can revive an old piece of furniture or frame and give it some character with a few products that may be already in your paint supply box?

In this post, we're going to show you how applying (and removing) paint, sanding, and using antiquing wax can bring out the dimension of your painting project.


Here is the original plaster and wood frame.   It had a gorgeous floral design in beautiful gold tones, but it also had damage and wear in several places.  It would just be too expensive to repair the chips, so it was destined for the trash.

We received some samples of Maison Blanche paint recently and decided to try it out on a few smaller pieces.

Supplies List:
La Craie Paint (we used Maison Blanche paint in hurricane)
Annie Sloan Soft Wax
Miss Mustard Seed's Antiquing Wax
220 grit sandpaper (optional)

The Process:
Before you start, make sure the surface is dry and clean of dirt and debris (a dry paint brush can help get dust and debris from crevices).  Remove any obvious bits that are flaking or falling off your piece.  Use your judgement - if you think the piece will flake off if you try to paint over it, you may want to remove the really loose pieces now. 
 
Heather painted the frame using the paint directly out of the can.  We used Maison Blanche paint in hurricane for this project.  During the painting process, she created gold highlights by using her rag to pull of bits of wet paint and reveal portions of the original gold frame.  Let the paint dry.

Use 220 grit sandpaper and lightly sand some places to reveal the wood and create more signs of wear and tear.   You can see a few gold highlights (from where the paint was ragged off) and some places where the paint was lightly sanded in the picture below.

Time to wax!  Antiquing wax adds another dimension and really helps bring out the beautiful design in this frame.

Lucketts Painting Tip:   If you feel your antiquing wax is too dark or the pigment is too strong straight out of the jar, you can cut it down by mixing it with your favorite wax right on your rag.  Heather mixed Miss Mustard Seed's antiquing wax with Annie Sloan's soft wax --- mixing products is okay!

Using a rag, rub the wax in to the design.  Be sure to focus on low parts of the design and crevices where dirt would naturally accumulate.  Play with it until you get the distressed look you desire.

The dark antiquing wax is settling in to the crevices bringing out the details in the design!

So remember to (1) use a rag while the paint is wet to pull off bits of paint to reveal the original surface, (2) sand lightly to reveal the wood, and (3) use antiquing wax to get in to crevices and really bring out the details of the design on your project.   And that is one of the processes we use to create a dimensional antiqued finish!

Special thanks to Heather, one of our dealers at The Old Lucketts Store, for sharing her process and tips with us!

This article was graciously featured in Virginia Country Life Magazine!  Here is the direct link to the article.   

Please visit VCL for the best of Virginia for cuisine, culture, homes and gardens, kids, pets, and everything else Virginia.  

Thank you VCL for featuring this post on your blog!




You're always asking us if we have paint in stock.  We're happy to announce that Maison Blanche  paints will be available for purchase at The Old Lucketts Store (retail store only) starting early February!

Maison Blanche paints