Marbling, brushing and other special effects

About antiquing and the materials that take furniture decades back in time have been discussed on several occasions. But there are materials and techniques that can be used to achieve other special effects on wood. You may wonder why such effects are needed when natural wood is so beautiful. Certainly, in many cases you are right. But there are also less spectacular, but cheaper wood species which, with a good finish, can be used to make quality furniture. This is the case with the finish Arte poveraand the finishes shown below.

Marbled effect

As the name suggests, the finish tries to imitate the look of marble. It's also called walnut root because, with the right choice of colors, you can replicate the look of walnut root veneer, a veneer with a very special look.

Achieving the effect does not involve complicated technology. Choose an opaque background color over which other colors are dabbed. Dabbing is done with a sponge or crumpled paper (a paper towel, for example). The coloring solutions used are fast-drying, acetone-based. More than one color can be used, dabbing each color in turn.

When only two colors are used - the primer and one other - a colored primer can be applied as a base, over which, after drying, a solvent-based stain of the other color is applied. After the second coat has dried, dab with acetone-soaked paper. At the end, protect the whole effect with clear varnish.

Comb effect

The finish looks as if the finishing materials have been applied with a brush and the brush marks are still visible. The process is very simple. You apply a fairly consistent coat of color, let it flash a bit to make it more viscous, then make the marks that suggest brushing with a comb. The combs can be either finer or coarser toothed, depending on how bold you want the effect to be.

To make it even more visible, once the coating is completely dry combed apply another coat of paint of a different color. After drying, the paint is sanded so that it is removed from the color in the high areas of the effect, just like the weathering method distress. The difference between colors will accentuate the brushing effect. Apply a coat of clear varnish over the effect to protect it.

Skates for special effects

We have talked about skids on many occasions when it comes to the artificial ageing of wood. However, skates are not just for artificial ageing.

Exist coloured patinas with which you can achieve very nice and interesting special effects. Often, using these runners is a way of integrating the furniture into the home decor. The colors of the skates can be as diverse and special as you like: blue, orange, purple, pink, green, turquoise, etc. Colored skates are usually applied over an opaque colored primer or varnish, less often over a transparent primer. To fix the patina, a transparent varnish is always applied on top.

A special category of colored skates are metallic skatesThis category includes gold, silver and bronze. But they're not the only metallic colors you can use. As with coloured skates, metallics come in a wide range of colours. Furniture and wooden objects on which metallic patinas are applied become "precious", giving the impression of luxury. They should also be fixed with a final coat of clear varnish.

The pores in hardwood can create beautiful designs. Often, however, without a proper finish, the design is not very visible and gets lost. To make it stand out pore-marking patinas. They are specially formulated patinas to "fall" into the pores and mark them. They can be applied with a cloth or a spray gun, then the excess is removed by wiping or sanding with steel wool. Pore marking can be done on wood in its natural color, stained wood or opaque stained wood.

To be easily removed, it is recommended to apply the patina over a coat of primer, even on uncolored wood. Finally - a coat of clear varnish for fixing.

The wood used and the design chosen often seem sufficient to create an impressive, eye-catching object. However, using certain materials and finishing techniques can create special effects that can add value and give less valuable wood or wood-based panels an extra chance.

I hope you find the above information useful. As always, additions are welcome. And if you have any questions or queries, please leave them below in the space provided. I will be sure to reply