Rustic, Industrial, and Glam

This year has brought a lot of new opportunities for us here at Furniture Alchemy, and one of our newest products to work with is Modern Masters Metallic paints and finishes.

Since we have typically worked with latex, acrylics, and chalk paints so far, getting a lot of custom requests for metallic finishes has been a big change.  I have really enjoyed "rising to the occasion" to learn lots of new tips and tricks for using metallic paints, as well as how to distress it which can be tricky! Metallic finishes really show a concept of "Rustic, Industrial, and Glam" which combines three of my favorite styles all in one.

Here are a few of our pieces that we've done this year using this new concept:

This piece was painted using a combination of Modern Masters Metallic "Silver" with an antiqued glaze, and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in "Graphite"

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Graphite" paired with Modern Masters "Oyster" and "Champagne"

Modern Masters "Warm Silver" as an undercoat for this gorgeous antique dresser painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "French Linen" and "Graphite"

For this piece, we mixed Modern Masters Metallic "Silver" and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Provence" together for a gorgeous look! The two paints can be mixed together easily, and the silver gives the Provence just a bit of shine. I like to think it gives it the look of a gorgeous summery sky!

Painted in Modern Masters "Champagne" with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Cream"

 

Modern Masters "Champagne" used as a base coat for this rustic, cream painted dresser

Also, here are just a few "quick tips" that I've discovered for painting with Metallic finishes:

• Make sure your final brush strokes go in the same direction, for a smoother metallic finish!
• Most definitely use a primer (or a chalk paint base) when painting furniture with metallics, it helps the metallic paint to "stick" to the piece.
• If using metallic paint as a base coat, after applying the desired top coat paint, distress it with a damp cloth in lieu of sandpaper or steel wool, to avoid scratching the metallic finish.  Once the top coat is dry, rub it lightly with the damp cloth to reveal the metallic paint underneath.
• Make sure to finish your piece of with a clear protective finish to avoid scratching and peeling of the metallic paint. We've used both the Modern Masters "MasterClear" top coat, as well as General Finishes high performance top coat, both with great results!