How Do You Create An “Antique” Finish With Paint Crackling?
Paint crackling, a type of faux-finishing, can transform a new piece of furniture that looks a little too new into the antique-looking piece you could never afford. Most advice on paint crackling understandably focus on aesthetics, but what gets glossed over is the practicality of a fake antique finish–it’s the closest you can come to customizing a relic. Want a rocking chair that looks worn and weatherbeaten, but can’t find or afford one that matches the color of your drapes? Can’t locate an antique armoire that goes with the rug? By learning to create a paint-crackle finish, you no longer have to concern yourself with such questions. Stain the new piece. Only one coat of stain will be needed. Since the stain will only be showing through hairline cracks in the paint, the coat need not be perfectly uniform. Allow a drying time of at least 4 hours. After the stain has dried thoroughly, apply one even coat of shellac in all of the areas where you want crackling to occur. When the first