Hey Friends!
Today I’m sharing how to make your own furniture appliqués and turn just about anything into a one-of-a-kind piece. I’ll be using Iron Orchid Design moulds for the first time. It was really easy and a cost-effective way to add a lot of flair to a lot of things!
Here’s what I started with:
I found this chest on a Facebook trading site and I knew I wanted it! It was in great shape and so pretty!
It DID have hardware, but in my haste to get started, I almost forgot to get a before picture.
I didn’t have in mind what I wanted to do when I brought it home, but I knew I wanted to dress him up! I had seen a chest on Pinterest that I loved and so I decided I would use it for inspiration. It had beautiful ornate embellishments on the top drawers. Here’s a picture of the chest I’m talking about here. Isn’t it gorgeous? I started thinking about how I could embellish my chest, and I thought about the vintage moulds from Iron Orchid Design. They have so many to choose from, so it took me a while to decide on the ones I wanted to use.
That’s probably my biggest problem when it comes to painting furniture! There are so many different techniques out there and so many that I love! I can usually look at a piece and visualize how I want it to look, but it can sometimes take me a while to get there. I’m a perfectionist, so I pretty much plan out every detail.
SUPPLY LIST:
- Chest ( or anything you want to embellish)
- Iron Orchid Design vintage Moulds
- Modern Masters metallic paint in warm silver
- General Finishes Van Dyke brown glaze
- General Finishes topcoat in Satin
- Gilding Wax in antique gold
- Paper Clay
- Corn Starch ( or powder )
- Glue
- Artist brush
- Dewalt Orbital Sander
- Flexible sandpaper 220 grit
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. IT DOES NOT ADD ANY ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.
STEPS TO MAKING YOUR OWN FURNITURE APPLIQUES
STEP #1 – PREPPING THE FURNITURE (Not fun, but totally worth it)
The first thing I do when painting furniture is to clean it well with TSP, diluted with water. I then sand it lightly to remove any scratches or unevenness in the finish. Finally, I prime with 2 coats of Zinnser primer.
STEP #2 – FILLING THE MOULD
The paper clay was pretty moist and reminded me of Play Doh! From instructional videos I had watched, I knew the clay could stick a little, so using a small artist brush, I brushed a little corn starch in each mould before putting the clay in. (Any kind of powder would work for this).
Taking just enough clay to fill the mould, I pressed it down firmly to capture all the small details in the mould.
I also used one of those dough rollers I bought, a long time ago, at a Pampered Chef party (and never used). This part is not necessary, but it did work well!
STEP #3 – REMOVING THE MOULD
Once you’ve gotten the clay pressed and flattened in the mould, remove any excess from the edges by rubbing with your thumb in an outward motion, i.e., start at the edges and gently rub the clay off with your thumb.
Next, you’ll want to bend the mould around the edges, loosening up the clay until you can pop it out!
STEP #4 – GLUING THE APPLIQUE ON
You will want to glue the appliqué on while it’s still moist and pliable. You don’t have to do it immediately, but don’t wait until it hardens because it may crack when applying to your surface. Also, if your surface isn’t flat, it won’t “mould” to it. I made several different appliqués and played around with the layout before deciding which ones I wanted to use; so, you have time.
Many types of glue can be used including wood glue, gorilla glue, and PVA glue. I took the chest drawers out so they would be laying flat. It that’s not the case for your piece, you can hold them in place with painter’s tape to secure them and keep them from sliding out of place.
STEP #5 – PAINT AND TOPCOAT
I painted the drawers and the appliqués with the same base color, which was Shadow Mountain by Behr. I used General Finishes glaze in Van Dyke Brown and High Performance topcoat in Satin. To enhance the details, I used gold Gilding Wax. I just love how it all turned out!
I would love to hear what you think about this makeover…or if you’ve ever tried IOD moulds. If you have any tips you’d like to share or any questions, please feel free to let me know!
Today’s a good day to do something Creative! Have Fun!
Joanie
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