Get This Look: Chippy Barnwood Painted Finish

January 07 2021, by Gene Howard, 4 min reading time

On Get This Look this week, Amy shows you how to recreate a Chippy Barnwood Painted Finish! Watch her video below and give it a try. You're going to LOVE how this turns out...

Products Needed:

Instructions:

1. If you're starting with raw wood you will want to stain it. Amy used English Walnut Gel Stain, apply it with the grain and liberally everywhere. Then lightly wipe it off with a lint free rag, be sure you don't have any streaks. Gel Stain will take about 30 minutes to dry on raw wood.

2. Now it's time for Cracked Gesso! Cracked Gesso is the key and allows us to get this gorgeous finish. You will want to mix the Gesso with water, you are looking for a consistency similar to thin sour cream or pancake batter. Amy took 2 hearty spoonfuls and mixed it with tap water. Be sure to stir the granules very well. The more cracks you want, the more Gesso you want to put on.

3. Apply your Gesso with a chip brush, going with the grain. Be sure to get the Gesso all over the piece. Lighten up your touch as you are going over the piece, this way you will avoid brush strokes. Allow this to dry for 30-40 minutes. Now sand your Gesso with 220 grit sandpaper before your next coat, sand with the grain. There will be residue coming up, this is what we want! Apply your second coat of Cracked Gesso, let it dry, and sand.

4. Time to mix your Milk Paint. You want this to be much thinner than your Gesso, we will do a 1:1 ratio of Milk Paint and water. The Milk Paint will be runny, this is perfect! Take your Chip Brush and apply the Milk Paint over your Cracked Gesso, 100% coverage. Let your Milk Paint dry.

5. Take your Antiquing Glaze and get two cups, one that is water and one that is Antiquing Glaze. Amy cut her Antiquing Glaze with a little bit of water for this project. Take your sea sponge and dip it in your water, then dip it in your Antiquing Glaze. Start pouncing your sponge on your piece and work in sections, work in organic sections. Wet the entire section with your Glaze. Put your sponge in your water to clean it, dip in the Antiquing Glaze and do another pass. Pat with a lint-free rag so you can see how the paint is being pulled. Add more glaze to areas where you want the paint to be pulled more.

6. If too much product came off when you were Antiquing, easily fix it with your Milk Paint! Use the side of your chip brush to re-apply. Let this dry for 15 minutes.

7. Take your Light Wax and Chip Brush, load up your brush and offload. Lightly apply the wax here and there. You do not want heavy coverage. Take your Dark Wax on a different brush, load it up and offload. Come around the edges of your piece and dust the wax then fan it into the center.

8. Sprinkle some Dust of Ages onto your piece and work it into the finish with a Chip Brush. Then buff it with a lint-free rag, in the same direction as how you painted and antiqued the piece.