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Various techniques in decoupage

Techniques and methods - Decorative aging of objects.

A current trend now: the transformation of various pieces of furniture, their decorative finishing. Methods of influencing the surface are chosen in accordance with the interior, preferences, or simply according to the mood. In this article we tried to describe the basic techniques, materials, sequence of actions and their results.

Let's consider the options:

• Dry brush • Patination • Glazing • Spraying • Crackle • “Rubbed” technique (Shabby Chic) • Etching (staining) • Brushing • Additional mechanical impact

"Dry brush"

Dry brushing
is a technique borrowed by decorators from painters. And if in painting this method is used to create an image, then in practical decor it is an excellent way to age an object and add more years to it.

The essence of the technique:

put a little paint on a flat synthetic brush, wipe off the excess, this is done on paper (palette, rag) until each hair of the brush produces a separate line.

And now, with light movements, lightly touching the object, we “dirty” it, paying special attention to the protruding parts: ribs, convex pattern, etc.

This way the relief is emphasized and abrasions are imitated.

Varieties of compositions for patination of furniture

Patination of furniture surfaces can be carried out using different means. Each of them has its own pros and cons.

stain

This is the simplest and most common method of treating the surface of wood, which helps to achieve an aging effect. The stain penetrates into the deep layers of the wood and provides protection from ultraviolet radiation, moisture and pests. The compositions may differ in shade and, as a result, imitate different coatings. The color range varies from gray to green.

According to the formula, the following types of stain are distinguished:

• Water-based - used when you want to highlight the structure of the wood surface, as it raises its fibers and makes it more noticeable. This material gives the surface the color of fine wood. It does not require a solvent.
• Alcohol - has antiseptic characteristics that increase the service life of wood. Thanks to the use of the substance, it is possible to avoid the appearance of fungi in the structure of the tree. The basis of this stain is considered to be a dye in ethanol. To achieve a decorative effect, it is important to work as quickly as possible. The fact is that the composition dries very quickly. In most cases, the material is applied to wooden surfaces using a spray can or spray gun. It is used for small surfaces.
• Oil based – easy to apply and provides uniform coverage. The material does not lift wood fibers, but allows you to emphasize the pattern of the solid wood. To dilute oil stain, ordinary white spirit is suitable.

Wood stain is considered a very self-sufficient material. It is practically not combined with gold or silver patina, or with craquelure. It is also worth considering that the substance is not suitable for application to chipboard or MDF.

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Wax

This material is considered quite comfortable. In most cases it is used as a topcoat. A water-based wax paste or vintage wax is suitable for this purpose. Paints based on this substance take a long time to dry and rub easily. Therefore, they are usually used for relief surfaces. Also, the material can be used even for unpainted wood. This helps highlight its structure and create protection from water.

The paste is made by mixing natural wax and metal pigment. This material provides excellent adhesion even to the plastic surface of MDF panels. Therefore, it can be used on wood without a primer. The paste helps give the furniture a gilded effect. It can also be used to obtain a silver or bronze coating.

In addition, there are colorless waxy substances. They help give the coating a pearlescent shimmer and are actively used in furniture repairs. Working with such a substance is not difficult. It must be applied to the surface and rubbed in thoroughly. After which the area should be polished and excess removed. After 24 hours, the coating will dry and the product can be used.

Acrylic

This material is suitable for patination of almost any coating - from solid wood to MDF plastic panels. The advantage of acrylic dyes is their diversity. They differ in shades and effects. With the help of such substances it is possible to imitate burnout, rust, and darkening.

Acrylic is suitable for working on the entire surface or only on the relief parts of furniture. For this purpose, a gilding or darkening effect is often used.

In addition to simply applying paint, acrylic can be used in other ways. After applying and drying the substance, it is recommended to rub the surface with sandpaper. This will help to get the effect of wear that has appeared over time. Then the furniture needs to be varnished.

For patination, the following shades of acrylic paint are most often used:

• white;
• silver;
• gold;
• blue;
• black.

As a rule, when choosing a patina shade for painting, you should focus on the fittings and other elements of the room.

Bitumen

Bitumen is based on a concrete polymer. White spirit, water, and turpentine are used as solvents. The finished bitumen mixture has a special texture, which greatly facilitates the application process.

Bitumen helps create the desired effects when painting or patination. With its help, it is possible to easily obtain an imitation of an aged surface.

To achieve good results, you should carefully apply the composition to the wood. This should be done with a brush or cotton pad. Then you can resort to accelerated drying with a hairdryer or a longer process at room temperature. In the second case, this will take approximately 6 hours.

There is also a bituminous patina made on a wax basis. It helps to get rid of excess shine that occurs when gilding surfaces. The composition must be applied with a cotton pad. This layer takes 20 hours to dry.

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Shellac

This type of paint-varnish helps to achieve a yellowish or red-brown coating. If you use shellac as a stand-alone product, you will be able to maintain the basic shade and visible structure of the base. Most often, the composition is used as a covering layer for other compositions. It is often used for decoupage and coloring techniques.

Oil

The oil solution helps to favorably beat the structure of the wood, giving it a more saturated shade. The material resembles shellac mortar. However, it is prohibited to use it for the decoupage technique. Oil does not fix the paper, but dissolves it. Most often, the product is used to protect less resistant dyes.

Applying patina or patination

Patina

is a greenish-brown coating that forms on copper and bronze objects as a result of oxidation under the influence of the environment. In a broader sense, patina refers to signs of aging on any objects made from any materials.

Patination in decoration is an imitation of darkening of the surface, which in its natural form appears as color changes after a long period of time and frequent contact with hands. Patina can be dark, colored, metallic, white (liming).

The patination composition is applied to the edges, corners of the object, or vice versa, into the recesses of the relief parts. There are several types of patination.

1. Bituminous patina

Bituminous varnish is applied to the surface and the excess is immediately wiped off. The varnish remains only in the recesses, shading the surface. Secured with shellac varnish.

2. Acrylic-based patina

Acrylic paint, heavily diluted with water, is poured into the recesses of the relief, and the excess is wiped off with a clean cloth. 3. Chemical patina

A special oxidizer is applied to the paint with fine metal particles, which causes the metal surface to age (oxidize) within a few minutes.

4. Shellac varnish

Shellac varnish gives surfaces a warm light yellow or red-orange hue. Widely used in woodworking to emphasize the texture of wood, used as a protective and covering agent.

5. Waxy patina

Rub over the surface and tint selected areas. It takes a long time to dry. Gives the surface a soft silky sheen.

More detailed article about patination methods

Features of the patination technique

Initially, the concept of “patina” characterized only a darkened coating on copper products - over time, a film of oxides gave the metal an “aged” appearance. Later, the word began to be used to reflect the vintage look of other materials - wood, bronze, iron, plaster. Recently, houses, cottages and even city apartments have been decorated in an antique style. Artificially aged wooden furniture with “antique” fittings looks especially stylish.

Modern technologies help to age – patina – any materials. Industrial methods are difficult for home use, but there are various patination compounds on sale that allow you to increase the age of materials in a simpler way. They help imitate the natural color changes of products by applying special coatings. When patination, conventional paints are replaced with specialized compounds without affecting the internal structure of wood or other material.

The simplest aging method is to rub wax into the corners, raised protrusions, and edges of the product. The result is an effect of “age-related” changes in the surface, ideal for decorating a room in a retro style. Such a coating also has a practical function - it protects the base from external influences and imparts water-repellent properties. If the result is unsatisfactory, the home patina can always be removed without significant harm to the product.

Glaze

Glaze

is a painting technique in which the lower layer of paint is visible through the upper translucent one. The technique is widely used not only in painting, but also in interior design, including the painting of objects. The technique allows you to obtain deep iridescent colors due to the translucency of the glaze layers.

Various paints and coloring compositions are suitable for glazing: watercolor, oil, acrylic paints, strongly brewed tea.

It is convenient to use a solution of acrylic paints. A wide palette allows you to get the desired color. The paints are easily mixed with each other, diluted with water or acrylic paint thinner to the desired consistency, dry quickly after application, are resistant to moisture and mechanical stress and can be used on any surface.

Technological process:

Using a synthetic brush or sponge, apply the solution to the prepared surface, wait for it to dry and evaluate the result. Glazing does not allow you to completely paint over the structure of the base or the previously applied image; it only sets the tone. To enhance the effect, you can apply a second layer of glaze paint and then the color intensity will increase. If you apply several translucent layers of paint of different colors, the result will be different shades that show through each other.

How to make your own gold patina

You can make a gold patina with your own hands as follows:

1. The wooden surface is coated with a primer to protect it from moisture and improve adhesion to decorative compounds.
2. After 8 - 10 hours, bitumen varnish is applied to the smooth, untreated surface, which reveals the wood grain, ages the material and makes it slightly darker.
3. The top of the product is painted with a golden acrylic composition and allowed to dry for six hours.
4. Bitumen varnish is quickly applied with a synthetic brush. It is covered with a special fixative on top.

Following the listed algorithm of actions, you can make a golden patina on a wooden product at home with your own hands.

Spray

Spray

- droplets-splashes on the surface of the decorated product, which create the image of a thing that has passed through time, reflect the history of its use.

An artistically stained item in such a simple way receives a unique visual charm and a relief that is pleasant to tactile perception. This is all very important, since the items chosen for decoration are decorated for a beloved home and for people dear to the heart.

The process itself is very entertaining. Before you begin, you need to prepare your workplace. For example, cover the surface with newspaper or cloth. The tools you will need are a toothbrush or a hard brush. Materials: paints and water in a glass.

Progress:

Wet the brush with water and put a small amount of paint on it. We try using a fingernail or a toothpick to release drops onto the still test surface of the sample, simply running the tool along the bristles.

If you have a small comb, you can experiment with it, running a brush with paint over the teeth.

With a wide brush, you can simply shake off the drops or tap the brush on your hand, then small colored droplets break off the brush and fly down. Having decided on the application process, it’s time to cast some magic. Spraying is the last operation before varnishing. Drops applied on top of the varnish will differ from the general glossiness of the surface of the object, this effect will introduce an additional effect of a gap in time.

Useful tips

To make patination of wooden crafts with your own hands as successful as possible, it is important to listen to the following advice from experts:

1. In order for the silver, gold or bronze shade of the patina to look natural on the wood, it is important to properly prepare it first. If the wood is dark in color, the material is coated with an appropriate patina to deepen the color. If the product is light or was previously painted with white paint, then select a silver or gold color.
2. If there are a lot of carvings on a wooden craft, it is recommended to treat it at home with wax or bitumen. It is better to cover a dark background with acrylic silver mass.
3. It is recommended to patina at home only on a matte surface. Since a glossy craft gives too much shine, it won’t be possible to create an antique finish.
4. Gold or silver details should be harmoniously combined with the corresponding fittings.

When applying metallic paints at home, it is important not to overdo the layers. Otherwise, the result will not be an elegantly aged piece, but a shiny, polished trinket.

Advice! Patina should not be used to cover areas with which a person will often come into contact during use. Since the decorative coating in such places can quickly deteriorate.

Crackle

Crackle

- artificial aging technique, creating cracks in the paint or varnish layer.

Craquelures are divided into one-step (single-phase) and two-step (two-phase)

One-step craquelure

looks like a cracked layer of paint, through the cracks of which the lower layer of paint or the base of the product is visible. The base can be anything: glass, metal, plastic, wood and similar materials.

Two-step craquelure

looks like a network of thin cracks (cracked varnish) on the surface of any image or coating.

2. Eggshell crackle

Gives a bright, high-relief cracking effect. A clean shell is glued onto PVA or acrylic varnish in pieces at some distance from each other. Sometimes the relief is further emphasized by patination or the “dry brush” technique.

Faceted varnish

Colored self-crack varnish. Apply a thick layer to the surface and leave to dry. Forms large cracks.

4. Two-component microcraquelure

Gives the effect of thin cracks - cobwebs. Transparent, so it is often used over images.

After drying, cracks are often emphasized by patination.

5. Craquelure paint

Self-cracking paint with a one-step craquelure effect.

More detailed article about techniques for creating craquelure

Patina on metal: step-by-step instructions

Patination is often carried out on parts that are exposed to heat during operation - the external parts of the barbecue, fireplace elements, as well as furniture fittings, various corners and linings. In addition to increasing attractiveness, such actions help protect surfaces from damage and rust. The most popular colors for metal patination are gold, silver and white.

To work you will need:

• acrylic paint,
• a set of pieces of gold leaf,
• synthetic brush,
• alcohol,
• glue for gold leaf,
• finishing varnish for gold leaf.

First, you need to degrease the metal part with alcohol and wipe it with a rag. Using a brush, you should paint the surface with acrylic paint, applying it in 2 layers, and after drying, lubricate the base with glue and randomly arrange the pieces of gold leaf, carefully press them with a brush. Then you need to remove the excess from the edges of the product. It is important that the material does not completely cover the surface, and areas of paint are visible in different places. At the end of the work, the part must be coated with finishing varnish.

Patina for wood and metal will serve as an excellent design technique, giving simple products nobility and special charm. Patination is easy and very exciting - everyone should try it!

Delicate abrasions in the style of Shabby Chic or the Candle Rubbing Technique

The technique is simple and consistent. The corners, sides, joints of the primed planes of the object are covered with paint of a rich shade, the paint layer is rubbed with paraffin, then covered with light paint, most often 2 layers are required.

Now the mechanics:

Use sandpaper to remove the top layer where paraffin and the first layer of paint were applied. This is how abrasions, imitation of use, and the effect of aging appear.

This technique traditionally uses delicate pastel colors

with “sweet” shades, as if faded by the sun or faded with time:

• light pink;

• ivory color;

• creamy;

• hyacinth;

• lavender;

• white (but not snow-white, but as if slightly yellowed with time);

• pistachio;

• linen.

You can complement the “shabby chic” look with painting, motifs from decoupage cards or napkins, or add splashes. The final coat will be several layers of acrylic matte varnish.

What tools and materials will be needed

To patina wooden products at home with your own hands, you need to prepare the following materials:

• coloring composition with an aging effect (bronze, silver or gold plated);
• regular paint or varnish.

Paint can be replaced with wax, stain, shellac or bitumen. Depending on the type of patination of wooden products with your own hands, the composition and proportions of the patina for wood will be different.

To age furniture, crafts and other interesting things you will also need the following tools:

• brushes with a roller;
• sandpaper;
• primer;
• furniture varnish;
• rags to remove excess coloring compounds;
• swabs made of cotton wool and foam rubber.

You can do patination at home with compositions formed by yourself. If you don’t want to tinker with a homemade patina, you can purchase a ready-made substance that will effectively and harmoniously age the wood.

Etching

Suitable for items of any size made of wood. Deciduous tree species lend themselves best to this processing method. In this way, you can give wood noble, rich shades without losing the natural beauty of the material’s texture.

Etching is carried out with various compositions - mordants. Some of them have complex names or a strong smell, but along with them there are many recipes available for making with your own hands, such as tea, coffee, compositions from leaves, bark; Potassium permanganate, blue, and vinegar are used. For those who feel like a bit of a chemist, tinting wooden surfaces is quite a suitable activity.

The process can happen in two ways:

1. Hand dyeing using a fiber-free cloth swab or a synthetic brush.

2. Dyeing by soaking in an etching composition.

Most often, the process takes place at elevated temperatures. After selecting and purchasing (mixing) the desired composition, the wood is cleaned of excess and sanded with sandpaper. Then there’s the etching-staining process itself. As a rule, the mordant recipe includes the time of exposure to the composition and the expected result. Basically, control is done visually and, of course, this is where creativity comes in.

Patina in the interior

However, waiting for your chest of drawers or copper doorknob to age on its own can be a very long time, especially if your items do not have a rich history. But you want to admire the patina in the interior now, which is why we have selected several master classes for you on how to create almost real patina with your own hands! So, choose what you like best!

The effect of different stains on different types of wood

DIY instructions

It is recommended to carry out work outdoors using personal protective equipment. First, it is recommended to prepare furniture or ordinary wood. Only after this is it permissible to apply dyes.

If you plan to work with solid wood furniture, you must first clean it with sandpaper or a wire brush.

This will help get rid of old paint and varnish. Then, if there are significant damages, it is recommended to repair them with wood putty, dry them and sand them again. The next step is to apply a wood primer and leave to dry for 10 hours. The specific time is indicated on the packaging.

Stain

Patination with stain is considered one of the simplest options for aging furniture. First, the surface needs to be treated with a wire brush. This helps remove soft fibers and highlight the grain of the wood. Then you can apply the composition. This can be done with the following tools:

• sponge;
• brush;
• roller;
• spray.

To get an even coating, you can use the following techniques:

• Wet the furniture with warm water and wipe with a dry cloth to remove excess. After this, you can proceed to applying the composition.
• Impregnate the wood with a special conditioner. It is recommended to apply it at intervals of 20 minutes until the composition stops being absorbed. Then you should wait 30 minutes and only then apply the substance.

The stain must be applied in 2 layers. Then you can apply a metallic patina to the protruding surfaces. The finished result must be fixed with wax or shellac.

Classic way

This method is suitable not only for wood, but also for furniture made of MDF or LSDP. To do patination, you need to do the following:

• Apply the first layer of acrylic paint. In the absence of specific requirements, it is worth making careful or, on the contrary, rough strokes. After application, the coating must be left for a day to dry.
• Remove a thin layer of dye with sandpaper. This will help to achieve an antique effect. After which the coating must be polished using a rag.
• Apply another layer of acrylic paint. It may be the same as the first one, or have a metallic sheen. This layer should be quite thin. Therefore, it must be carefully shaded. If desired, you can use sandpaper. The coating must be dried within 24 hours.
• Apply matte acrylic varnish and leave it to dry for half a day.

See also

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Craquelure

Applying craquelure is considered an unusual patination technique. As a result, a web of cracks can be created on the surface of the furniture. The desired effect can be achieved in different ways. The simplest option is to use beveled varnish. It is a water-based mixture. When it dries, it cracks. The more layers you apply, the more cracks you can get.

Facet varnish can be transparent or colored. It can be applied to any type of furniture. This type of patina is characterized by its amazing ease of application and affordable cost.

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You can get cracks on the surface in another way. It consists of alternately applying dye and varnish.

First, you need to apply acrylic paint to the furniture and let it dry. After this, you can use craquelure varnish and matte water-based dye. Then you should apply the finishing coat. It should be as thin as possible. Otherwise, the resulting cracks will not be visible.

There is also a two-phase patination technique. To use it, you need to apply 2-3 layers of shellac. In this case, each of them should be dried well. After this, it is recommended to cover the surface with craquelure varnish. When it dries, the cracks that have appeared on the surface should be wiped with bitumen wax and all the furniture should be coated with shellac. This helps make the cracks more pronounced. However, they will stand out less in structure.

Brushing

The most common method of mechanical aging of wood is brushing. Its name comes from the word Brush - “brush”.

The surface is treated with metal brushes, selecting the top soft fibers, leaving only the hard ones.

An ideal way to age if the furniture is made from:

• pine trees

• larch

• oak

• ash

This method will not work if the furniture is made of:

• teak

• maple

• cherries

• beech

• pears

Brushing wood with firing or smoking

It is performed using either an open fire, or, which is much more convenient, using a blowtorch or gas torch. By directing the flame onto the surface of the wood, you can achieve different shades of wood - from light golden to black. The color depends on the initial color of the wood and the number of fire passes. Then brushing is performed - treating the surface of the wood with a stiff wire brush. In this case, the softer, burnt parts of the wood are cleaned out, and the harder ones (annual rings) remain in place.

Another way is firing in hot sand.

Fine, clean sand is poured into a metal container and heated to a temperature not exceeding 200 degrees C. Place the products prepared for firing into the hot sand and keep there until they darken. If the tone of individual parts of the product should lighten gradually, then these parts are immersed vertically in sand. The lower layers of sand heat up more than the upper ones, so the lower part of the piece will be darker than the upper. Thus, the result is a tone that goes from light yellow to dark brown. The surface treated with brushes and fire can be tinted using the glaze or dry brush method, images can be added using the decoupage technique, or color can be added by spraying.

What is wood patination

Patination of wood is an artificial process of aging wood using special means. Using this technology, wooden interior elements are harmoniously decorated and complemented. In simple terms, patination is an imitation of the natural color change of wood.

Thanks to this technique, the appearance of wooden crafts or furniture at home is transformed with minimal financial and labor costs. This technology has a very big advantage. It lies in the fact that wood can be aged with your own hands at home.

To patina wooden products, patinas of different consistencies are used:

1. Thick, produced in the form of a paste. It is used to enrich wood.
2. Liquid, water-based or synthetic.
3. For an in-depth aging effect with a cracked finish, beveled varnish is used.

About special patination kits

To make the patination process easier, you can buy a ready-made kit. They are sold in construction stores. Thanks to the use of such a kit, you will be able to obtain the following effects:

• antique gilding;
• cracks;
• abrasions;
• natural green patina.

Typically, the kits are versatile and suitable for different surfaces - wood, plaster, metal.