When did the glaze craze end....
I have always only used a handful of "furniture finishes."
Naturally, there is the stain and oil finish. Again, rarely do I use poly on furniture unless it is to seal paint...never on a natural or stained piece. For those I use an oil finish...always.
Paint...I use spray paint, plaster/chalk paint and occasionally acrylic paint.
That's about it.
Glaze...when did we stop using glaze to accent pieces? I think it was when waxing furniture took over. Now you can "accent" a painted piece by waxing it with different colored waxes.
But what most people don't know is that wax is not actually a "finish." It bonds with the paint, but it really doesn't protect the wood from the elements or wear and tear. And if you ever want to paint over a waxed piece, you will have to strip the old wax.
Last month I featured this awesome dining room table I picked up at an auction. I shared how I stripped all the old finish and how I stained and oiled the top.
And then it sat...with the base unfinished and my head buzzing with ideas on what to do with it...okay so it was actually buzzing from frustration and confusion.
I just did not know what I wanted to do with it.
Part of the problem is the fact that at some point I want to use my mid century chairs. I love the Duncan Phyfe chairs...especially after I painted and reupholstered them! But I have these awesome mid century chairs I want desperately to use after I get them oiled and when I can find the RIGHT fabric!
Here is a before and after...before I stripped and oiled and after...these chairs are hidden gems!
So here is my problem. I will not paint the mid century chairs...I believe that is a crime in most states! I still haven't decided whether I am going to use them, but just incase....
So I wanted to paint the base of the table...but that kind of seemed like a violation of some antique wood law or something. There is so much beautiful detailing on the base that really needs to be highlighted!
I thought about doing the "plaster paint/distressing" treatment. But honestly, I think that may be something that will fall by the wayside at some point in the future and I like treatments that are a little more "timeless." I LIKE plaster painted and distressed pieces, I just don't want to use it on pieces I plan on keeping for years.
My original plan was to paint the base a light color and then somehow highlight, or accent, the engraving detail and the wood grain! My thought process....if I am going to leave the chairs stained, I should paint the base.
Then I remembered the can of glaze I have in the garage! Bingo!
I originally did a "white wash" with watered down off-white paint and then applied a black glaze. Unfortunately, it just looked kinda muddy gray. So I decided to go with a black glaze over the entire base...wiping it down so the grain showed through. After that dried, I sanded it lightly with a 220 grit paper...that allowed the grain and detailing to show through a bit more. Then I applied 3 coats of tung oil finish.
Beautiful! I love it! I originally planned to go with a light colored finish, but I really love the "translucent" black. I probably could have just gone with a white glaze...but it's done and I really like it.
I have decided I am going to add glaze back into my arsenal of products. I want to try it with different colors of paint and on different woods. I just love how it allows the grain to show through and has more of a colored stain appearance than a paint appearance. I think that is the whole point.
Glaze...it may be a "craze" that is over, but it certainly has a place in any arsenal of furniture finishes!
