Crackle Glaze Tutorial

It's finally here!  This is the method I used for my birdcage redo and for my current secret project.  Here's what you will need:

• Something to glaze!  It must be painted, but it can be any type of paint you want.  If you need to paint your piece, you will need to let it cure for 24 hours before continuing on.
• Weathered Crackle Glaze
• Flat Finish Paint
• Paintbrush
• Disposable bowl or plate

Just as a reminder, here is what I started with:

Since I started with unfinished wood, I had to prime and paint it before I could get started on the glazing.

Then, I waited a full day before I did the glazing, as per the instructions on the glaze.  When you are ready to begin glazing, make sure you have a good 2-3 hour chunk of time.  First, apply the glaze on every surface where you want the paint to crack.  The thicker the glaze, the bigger the cracks will be.

Let the glaze dry for at least one hour but no more than four hours.  If you let it dry longer than this, the glaze won't work.  Now for the fun part!  Whip out your flat finish paint.  (Note: You must use flat finish paint for the top color in order for the glaze to work.)  I used Ivory Lace from Valspar.

Start brushing your paint on, taking care to cover everything in as few strokes as possible.  If you brush the paint around too much, the glaze will start to gum up.  The paint will start to crackle almost immediately.  Most of the cracks run along the brush stroke, with some bigger ones running perpendicular.  I'm glad I decided go around the circle instead of straight up-and-down.

As the paint continues to cure, more and more cracks will appear until the paint is dry.  You never quite know how it will turn out, but that is part of the fun of the look.

Once your paint is dry, you should seal it with a clear topcoat.  It's looking real nice.  I should have the other half of this project finished this week.