DIY Chippy Finish Lamp
, by Alex Beard, 6 min reading time
Ever wanted to add the perfect piece of antique decor to your home, but didn’t know where to start?
In this week’s tutorial, we’re going to show you how to EASILY DIY your very own Chippy Finish Lamp using one we found laying around!
The results are breathtaking and yet so simple to achieve for any DIY enthusiast.
No matter if this is your first home decor refinish project or your thousandth, you are sure to enjoy taking an average lamp and turning it into an extraordinary piece of antiqued decor.
STEP 1: Find Your Lamp
Of course, the first step to any DIY home decor project is finding the piece you are going to be transforming.
We chose to start with a blue lacquered lamp we found at a local thrift store.
The great part about refinishing with Amy Howard at Home products is, you can apply this technique to any kind of lamp (porcelain, ceramic, glass, concrete, wood, metal, etc)!
Step 2: Apply Your Base Coat
Next, we’re going to apply our base coat to the lamp using Amy Howard at Home One-Step Paint in Bauhaus Buff.
This is going to be the layer that we apply our Cracked Patina to that we then sandwich in between or next color to achieve a chippy finish.
Make sure to apply two coats of One-Step Paint to ensure complete coverage.
When choosing your color, it is important to remember that this base color will be showing through your top color in the areas that the finish is “chippy”.
For the application of One-Step Paint, we recommend our WEDGE SPECIALTY BRUSH for larger lamps or the 1.5” Nylon Tapered Brush for smaller lamps.
Step 3: Apply Your Cracked Patina
Now’s the fun part. After your base coat of One-Step Paint has dried, pour a small amount of our Cracked Patina into a bowl and begin thoroughly applying it to your lamp.
For applying your Cracked Patina, we recommend using a 2.5” Flat Chip Brush.
The more Cracked Patina you apply to your lamp, the “chippier” your finish will be.
NOTE: Applying more Cracked Patina with increase the drying time.
Make sure that your lamp is completely covered in Cracked Patina and let it try for 2-3 hours until it has reached a Tac.
A tac simply means that you Cracked Patina is not completely dry, and still has a small amount of stickiness.
This will be important as you add your topcoat so the finish can begin to get that lovely “chippy” finish.
Step 4: Begin Your Top Coat
Now that you have applied your Cracked Patina and allowed it to come to tack, begin applying your second coat of One Step Paint (preferably in a different color) one section at a time.
For our lamp, we used our Selznick Gray One-Step Paint to off-set the Bauhaus Buff for a beautiful antiqued “chippy” finish.
Once you have applied the first section of your topcoat, use your fingers to lightly pull up on the topcoat and pull away small sections until you achieve the desired finish.
Once you have a “chippy” finish in the consistency you like, complete the rest of your lamps top-coat.
Step 5: Lightly Sand Your Finish
After your top coat of One-Step Paint has dried, come back with a small amount of sand-paper and lightly sand your “chippy” finish to smooth out your textures.
How much of the “chippy” finish you sand is completely up to you.
Step 6: Apply Light Antique Wax
Now that we have lightly sanded down our “chippy” finish, we’re going to come back and apply our Amy Howard At Home Light Antique Wax.
This light Antique Wax is not only going to help protect our piece, but also provide a beautiful patina and allow adhesion of our Dust Of Ages that we are going to add in the next step.
To apply the Light Antique Wax, we recommend using our 2” Round Hog Hair Brush and lightly offloading some into a rag before applying to your lamp in a cross-hatch motion.
It’s important to apply the wax evenly across your lamp, but don’t apply too much or you can expect the drying process to take a bit longer.
Step 6: Aging Our Chippy Finish
After applying your wax and letting it come to tack, we are going to add the final touches with the Amy Howard At Home Dust Of Ages.
Dust Of Ages works to give your lamp hundreds of years of character in just one simple technique.
You can begin by thoroughly applying the Dust Of Ages onto your lamp, this is where your Light Antique Wax is going to act as a binder to hold the Dust Of Ages in place.
After covering your piece with Dust Of Ages, simply come back with a rag or brush and lightly go over the outside of your lamp, allowing the dust to settle into every crack and crevice.
And that’s it!
Now you have your very own piece of antiqued home decor with a “chippy” finish with authentic vintage charm.
Here’s the list of products used in our tutorial!
