Upcycled Buffet -How to create crackle #shabbychic #cottage #paintedfurniture #chalkpaint #cracklepaint

This is a well made Bassett piece of furniture that I picked up on FB Marketplace. It was a great deal at $75.00. Admittedly, it's very good looking in  black distress but  not for what I was planning.

Here's what I did to change it up.

I wanted a very, very shabby looking piece with crackle and layers and thick paint texture. Eventually, it will be in the room with mostly cream and white with accent colors of aqua and teals. 

Step 1. Give the entire piece a good cleaning.

Step 2. Brush on Elmer's white glue and allow to dry. This is the background for the next color paint. When the paint is applied it creates a chemical reaction that crackles the paint.

Step 3. Brush on white paint. This is my background color. During this part of the application you need to use a brush filled with paint and brush it on quickly . You have seconds to run your brush back and forth before the crackle begins. If you brush back over the paint once the crackle begins you will lift the paint off the piece and that's not what you want to do.

I recommend trying this process on a sample board in advance. In this way you'll be able to see how the crackle happens and in what time frame.

Step 4. After the crackle coat dries you can add your second layer of paint. 

Step 5. Using 120 grit  paper, sand around the edges especially, and in any other places you want to reveal more of the first coat of paint.   I am NOT a lightly sanded kinda girl, I usually over sand and then go back in and add some more paint here and there and sand a bit more. I also use wet sanding here and there. Wet sanding is done shortly after the piece first dries. Using a damp lint free cloth you wipe back and forth along edges to remove paint. It may take some effort to get the paint soft and removable but it's a good process to have in your pocket, a tool for your tool box.

Step 6. Wipe off all the dust.

Step 7. I brushed on some white paint to the center of the drawers and doors. As soon as I brush the white on I used a damp cloth to remove, blot and soften the look and thickness of the white.

Step 9. Wax, in this case, I used a dark wax.

You can see the difference that the dark wax makes here.

Step 10. Paint hardware rose gold. You can do this easily by mixing copper paint with pearl paint, both sold in the paint section of craft stores.

I love the rose gold painted hardware , however I think the rose gold hardware would have looked better with the pure white crackle paint and at the end of this project I can see this project in all white with peaks of teal. But for now....

It is temporarily being used as a tv stand. Remember we are newly moved and waiting to pick up our storage trailer in SC. 

Thanks for reading along.

With love and gratitude,

Michele

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