One reason I love painting furniture so much is the huge variety of looks and finishes you can get with paint.  I mean, some of the stuff that other furniture artists put out is just amazing.  That made me think about my favorite techniques, so I thought I’d share my top 5 favorite techniques with you!
IMG 6319 1 My Top 5 Paint Finishing Techniques

#5 Stamp a Design

Iron Orchid Designs makes these FABULOUS stamps that provide endless possibility for design.  There are florals and borders and birds and bees…Seriously cool stuff.  It takes some practice to figure out how much paint to apply to get a great image, but once that’s done stamping is easy.  For this piece I used Fusion Mineral Paint but you could easily use ink as well.  I found the best way to apply the paint is with a brayer.  Roll the paint on and then stamp the image.  Voile!  This piece was done in Little Lamb with Casement stamped on using the Rose Toile stamp.

IMG 6328 1 1 My Top 5 Paint Finishing Techniques
IMG 6329 1 1 My Top 5 Paint Finishing Techniques

#4 Stencil a Pattern

Another great way to spice up a piece is by stenciling a pattern on it.  I’m kind of crazy about this buffalo check.  If you haven’t noticed, it’s all the rage!  This was simple to do, too!  The secret to stenciling is to stencil with a dry brush, and when you think it’s dry, dab more paint off on a paper towel!  You want to apply 2-3 light coats of paint.  Being anxious and over zealous can lead to paint bleeding under the stencil.  Fort York Red and Coal Black were perfect for this Buffalo Check stencil.

#3 Driftwood Finish

I have more people ask about how to create this finish than anything else I do.  The amazing thing is that it’s sooooo easy!  First, I painted a base coat of Ash.  Then I mixed up a combo of 1/2 Driftwood Stain and Finishing Oil and 1/2 White Stain and Finishing Oil, put some on an applicator pad, wiped across the table and didn’t wipe off.  That’s it!  It takes 12-24 hours to dry but it’s worth the wait!  Want to see a video?  I put one on my Facebook page you might like!

IMG 6332 1 1 My Top 5 Paint Finishing Techniques
IMG 6302 1 1 My Top 5 Paint Finishing Techniques

#4  Apply an IOD Transfer

The great thing about my favorite techniques is that they’re so simple!  These IOD transfers look spectacular so it’s hard to believe how easy they are to apply.  They can but cut apart to fit any piece.  Tape in place, rub to transfer the image, and wax to seal it.  Some of the images are black outlines that can be applied as is or hand tinted to add your choice of color!  This one was done in Little Piggy (retired) with the Flora Parisiensis transfer.

#1  Glaze Using Stain

This really is my most favorite technique.  I’ve used it dozens of times and love the results every time.  Fusion Mineral Paint is not porous and is self sealing, so it’s easy to apply finishes without worrying about staining the paint.  It’s simple to use Fusion’s Stain and Finishing Oil like a glaze.  Brush some on and wipe it back.  With 6 colors to choose from there are endless possible looks!  I used Cappuccino Stain and Finishing Oil over Heirloom.

IMG 6331 1 1 My Top 5 Paint Finishing Techniques
So there you have it; my five favorite finishing techniques.  Which one do you want to try?  Or better yet, what techniques do you love to use?  Do share!

Cyndi