Looking for a way to give your painted pieces an interesting
designer touch? Crackle paint finishes are extremely popular
these days, and for good reason. They add a touch of old-fashioned
charm and warmth to wood pieces and blend in nicely with
most decorating schemes.
Walk into any hardware or home improvement store and
you'll find lots of different crackle finishing products
on the shelf, any number of which might work just fine
for your project. Some of them can be pretty complicated
and tricky to use, but creating a painted crackle finish
doesn't have to be. Here's a fast, fun way to make crackle
with inexpensive, easy to find items.
You'll need some acrylic paint, like the ones you'll find
in craft stores, and Titebond Liquid Hide Glue. Start with
a smooth, well sanded wood surface to allow the paint and
glue to flow out, and always practice on a piece of scrap
wood first to get a feel for how this technique will work
on your project.
First consider your color choices. When the top coat of
paint crackles it reveals the color of the substrate beneath
it. To make the most of this effect the top coat of paint
and the substrate should contrast well - that is, one should
be dark in value and one should be light in value. You
can also crackle over raw wood if that's what you want
to show through.
For a painted substrate, start by painting a smooth,
even coat of color. Both latex and oil based paints work
as the substrate. When the paint is dry, apply one coat
of hide glue with a brush or sponge applicator. It is important
to try to apply the coat of glue in one pass without going
back and reworking it or smoothing it out. Wait several
hours, about four or five, until the glue feels dry to
the touch, and then apply the top coat of paint, once again
trying to get the paint on in one pass without reworking
it. Within seconds you should see the paint start to crackle.
When it is dry, protect it with a coat of clear finish.
You can use waterbased or oil based varnish or polyurethane,
or clear shellac. Of the three, waterbased clear coats
will retain the color of your paints the best.
. . . Jane McKittrick, Guest Writer
|
project.
Some of them can be pretty complicated and tricky to
use, but creating a painted crackle finish doesn’t
have to be. Here’s a fast, fun way to make crackle
with inexpensive, easy to find items. " 
