Antiquing Glaze Over White Paint
If you want a white piece that has a bit more character, look no further than antiquing glaze! We’ll walk you through the process of using antiquing glaze over white paint and share tips on how to create this beautiful, aged effect.
With these painting techniques for furniture, it’s easy to add farmhouse style charm to your home. So, keep reading to see how you can use glaze to give your furniture this unique look!
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See more AFTER photos below these printable instructions!
Antiquing Glaze Over White Paint
Materials
Instructions
- First, remove the hardware and clean the piece with Krud Kutter and a damp rag. These simple steps will give you a clean surface for your new paint and prevent any dirt or grime from causing issues with the new finish.
- Scuff sand the piece and spray clear shellac all over it to help the paint stick and prevent stain bleed through.
- Mix up a batch of homemade chalk paint using latex paint, calcium carbonate powder, and water. Apply the white paint with a sprayer for an even finish, using about three coats for full coverage. Spray a few coats of waterbased polyurethane to seal it.
- Thin out the Van Dyke brown glaze with water and apply it with a cheap brush, working in small sections and following the wood grain. Wipe off excess glaze with a baby wipe after 20-40 seconds. Repeat for a second coat on desired areas, and then seal the antiquing glaze with more waterbased polyurethane.
- Cut cedar wood planks to fit the top of the piece, leaving a 1.5 inch overhang on each side. Sand the planks smooth with an orbital sander and 220 grit sanding discs.
- Stain the new wood top with a dark walnut stain, leaving it on longer for a darker finish or wiping it off right away for a lighter look. Let it dry for 24 hours before attaching it to the dresser with finishing nails. After 48 hours, spray poly over the dry stained top.
- Spray paint old hardware with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze. Once dry, attach it back onto the white dresser for a fresh update.
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More Before and After Makeovers
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Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.
White is a classic and versatile choice for furniture – it’s clean and bright and can work with any decor style. But sometimes, a light colored piece can feel a bit too plain, and you may want to give it more character.
That’s where antiquing glaze comes in! By just adding it on top of your white finish, you can get a simple yet impactful transformation. Plus, you get to control how much or how little antiquing you want to do.
We’ll guide you through the steps from painting furniture white to applying the glaze and sealing everything. We’ll also share some helpful tips and tricks along the way! When you’re ready, let’s get started!
Supplies Used for Antiquing Glaze Over White Paint
- Electric Screwdriver
- Krud Kutter
- Damp Rag
- Bondo
- Sandpaper
- Clear Shellac
- Latex Paint
- Calcium Carbonate Powder
- Wagner Paint Sprayer
- Waterbased Polyurethane
- Van Dyke Brown Glaze
- Cheap Brush
- Cedar Wood Planks
- DeWalt Orbital Sander
- 220 Grit Sanding Discs
- Dark Walnut Wood Stain
- Lint Free Cloth
- 2 Inch Finishing Nails
- Nail Gun
- Oil Rubbed Bronze Rustoleum Spray Paint
Prep Before Painting and Glazing
Okay, so for this makeover, the first step was obviously removing the hardware with our electric screwdriver. We’re reusing the hardware, but we did give it a fresh color before putting it back on (more on that later!).
Then, we wiped off the piece with some Krud Kutter and a damp rag. With this, we’re left with a clean surface to work with, and we won’t have to worry about any dirt or grime causing issues with our finish.
As you can see on the sides of the top of the dresser, a piece of laminate or veneer was missing or had chipped off. I filled those edges on both sides of the dresser with Bondo just to make it smooth and then sanded it when it was dry. Learn more about using Bondo wood repair in this post.
We scuff sanded the rest of the piece and then sprayed clear shellac to help with adhesion and prevent bleedthrough stains. Get more tips on how to stop stains from coming through paint using clear shellac in this post.
Paint Dresser White
To do this, we followed our homemade chalk paint recipe and mixed Heavy Cream latex paint and calcium carbonate powder with water. For other simple ingredients you can use, you can check out other best chalk paint recipes here.
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And then, we sprayed it on using our Wagner sprayer. It made the process so much easier and gave such a nice, even finish. It took about three coats to get the coverage just right. You may need more, especially if you are applying a light color over dark wood.
Next, we moved on to the topcoat. We also used the sprayer to apply a few coats of Varathane waterbased poly to make the finish durable and ready for the layer of glaze. Check out the different ways how to apply polycrylic to painted furniture here.
How to Apply Antiquing Glaze Over White Paint
We thinned out our Van Dyke brown glaze with a little water to give ourselves more time to work with it. Then, using a cheap brush, we worked on small sections at a time, following the wood grain and making sure to get into all the corners and details.
We let the antique layer sit for 20-40 seconds and then wiped off most of it with a baby wipe. This first coat was light and spread evenly, and we left it to dry for a full day so the next coat wouldn’t pull up the first one. We did the second layer the next day on certain spots where we wanted the glaze to highlight the details more.
Then we top coated with a few more coats of waterbased polyurethane to seal in the aged effect. Our post on how to paint and glaze furniture has a more detailed guide on this step!
Cut New Top for Dresser
For the top, we got some cedar wood planks, and we made sure to use a variety of 3-inch and 5-inch wide planks. We used the combination of both to get to the right depth we needed for this piece because we didn’t have a table saw or anything.
We wanted an overhang of about 2 inches on either side, so we cut the boards about 4 inches longer than the dresser top’s length. Then, we sanded the planks smooth with our DeWalt orbital sander and 220 grit sanding discs.
Stain Wood Top
We used a dark walnut wood stain and worked on the top section by section. Make sure to go with the grain of the wood so the stain looks natural and blends nicely. Leave the stain longer if you want a darker finish.
Or, if you want a lighter stain, you can wipe it off right away with a clean, lint free cloth. Be sure to follow the direction of the grain to keep it looking even. After that, let the stain dry for about 24 hours so the color sets completely.
We attached the wood to the top of the dresser using 2-inch finishing nails and our nail gun. Once the stain had dried for 48 hours, we topcoated it with water based poly – we sprayed it on, just like we did with the rest of the piece.
Refresh Old Hardware
And then, as we mentioned earlier, for the hardware, we updated it with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint, let it dry, and attached it to the dresser. Here’s a guide on how to spray paint drawer pulls, and here’s how to paint a dresser white where we updated the hardware with the same product.
And just like that, it was done! Check out how antiquing glaze over white paint turned out!
More Painted Furniture makeovers
- Painting Furniture White
- Old Sideboard Makeover
- Glazed Ladder Back Chairs
- White Wash Furniture With Chalk Paint
- Two Toned Painted and Stained Furniture
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