| Shabby chic reared its ugly head about 10 years ago | | | | own colours by mixing paints to make a statement in a |
| as a cheap way of renovating furniture and giving your | | | | particular room. |
| home a different feel. Based on the French and | | | | Even use several layers with slightly different colours |
| Swedish painted furniture and gustavian country | | | | to create texture. |
| pieces that had become distressed with age and use, | | | | Next the sand paper - be very careful to use the right |
| it was the perfect way to find a cheap piece of | | | | grade and also composition as different types and |
| furniture - lets say a chest of drawers- and smother it | | | | weights of sandpaper give very different results - you |
| with white paint followed by a bout of sandpapering. | | | | may end up using several different types on a single |
| You see this at fairs like ardingly where dealers try to | | | | piece. |
| offload their own 'brown' victorian furniture with a new | | | | Think careful where you distress so it looks natural - |
| coat of paint. | | | | where would an old piece have got knocked about |
| This in turn spawned the reproduction industry that | | | | and where would it be marked from usage? Its |
| now pervades the high street with cheap Chinese | | | | actually fairly obvious when you think about. |
| imports, some of which claim a '7 stage antiquing | | | | Sometimes work with the grain and sometimes |
| process-. | | | | against it for effect and go slow - you can always do |
| What a load of cobblers. | | | | more but will have to repaint if you get too carried |
| If you are happy with the rather clunky repro look | | | | away. 'Slowly slowly' is the motto for this kind of work. |
| (which really is now a look in itself) then go for it. You | | | | The key stage is then creating the patina of dirt that |
| really see the difference not just in the paint finish but | | | | would accumulate on an old piece - this is what gives it |
| the poor quality of carvings especially on repro | | | | a convincing feel and an aura of authenticity. I saw a |
| armoires. | | | | cupboard recently done by someone which had been |
| But actually aging a piece convincing is a lot more | | | | painted and sanded back rather badly. |
| complicated and time consuming than just hitting the | | | | And that's just what it looked like because it didn't |
| sandpaper. | | | | have the sheen of 'dirt' that authentic pieces have. |
| First of all you need to prepare the surface to take the | | | | How do to do this well is somewhat of a trade secret |
| paint smoothly and use the right kind of paint | | | | and its down to getting the right colour mix for the |
| depending on the effect you are trying to create. | | | | 'antiquing' and applying it with subtlety. Again paying |
| Acrylic can be good in some circumstances although it | | | | attention to where dirt and grime would naturally |
| has a tendency to peel if the wood beneath it moves. | | | | accumulate. |
| Emulsion can be good for some topcoat finishing | | | | This is why repro stuff looks odd because you cant |
| techniques if used sparingly - really depends what you | | | | mass produce this feel convincingly as it takes time |
| are trying to achieve. Also be brave and create your | | | | and artistry to do well. |