Dry Brush Glaze to Antique Finishing

Dry brush glaze is one of the techniques in the application of the glaze. Glaze as a stain that is designed to be applied between the clear coating can be applied in several ways. It can be sprayed and wiped, brushed evenly, spattered, etc. Glaze is specially designed to be very flexible, layered, and applied over the clear coating. One technique to apply glaze to the furniture finishing is the dry brush. The dry brush glaze is applied by brushing it dryly. It means the glaze does not evenly layer on the surface but is only applied to some selected parts. The dry brush is brushing the glaze by keeping the brush dry or medium wet; it means that the brush does not carry too much glaze. The brush only loads some glaze at the tip of the brush. The dry brush is used to make many special effects, such as dirty-looking, cowtail effect, etc. The dry brush technique will produce a different effect than the brushing glaze wetly. Dry brush technique: let the glaze just stick to the surface without getting wet too much. This technique results in an uneven coloration and makes the gross effects more vivid.

Dry brushing is done mainly to make gross effects on the antique finishing. The dry brush in the antique finishing is done together with other antique effects such as spatter or smudge pad to produce an antique effect with a dirty and busy impression.

A dry brush will be able to make the glaze stick to the surface and snag prominent areas or corners that will be swept away by the brush when the brush is moved.

dry brush glaze and veiling lacquer to make antique furniture

How to do dry brush glaze

•  Prepare the surface

A dry brush is usually done on a sealer or top coat. The dry brush is always followed by the application of the clear coat on the top of the glaze. Make sure the sealer is already well sanded and ready for the next clear coating application. The texture of the surface will have a different effect on the dry brush result. The glaze will stick to the surface and make the texture of the surface more strong and visible. Make sure you have the correct texture if dealing with texture finish.

• Prepare the brush.

The brush for dry brush is the brush with a thick tip but is pliable. The badger brush and the paintbrush are the best tools to do the dry brush. Keep the brush flexible. If the brush has been used for a long time, it could become stiff because it brings a lot of glaze. When the brush is stiff, then we need to clean and wash the brush. Soak the dirty brush in the thinner or mineral spirit and dry it before it is used to do the dry brush.

• The dry brush technique.

dry brush glaze

The key to a dry brush is to keep the glaze not too wet. Pour some glaze on small cane, panel, or cloth. Glaze is used should not be too much to avoid the bush getting too wet by the glaze. Use the glaze with a little more viscous to make the brush effects more easily. Touch the tip of the brush into the glaze and then move the brush to the desired place to form the desired effect. Some special effects can be produced, such as the burnish effect (darker coloration at the edges or ends of the corners), the smudge effect (dirty effect with uneven coloration), the cowtail effect, or spatter. 

Correct the glaze effect with steel wool

• Always do a check and correction before sealer application.

The advantage of the glaze is that it could be reduced or added when it is dry, as long as it has not been layered with another clear coating. Do checking to see the effects resulted before layering the glaze with clear coating. Too much glaze can be reduced with steel wool, while some more glaze can also be added if necessary.

When the desired effect has been obtained, let the glaze dry. The thin glaze can dry fast, but the thick glaze will need a longer time to dry. Avoid too thick dry since it risks cracking when it is layered by the clear coating. The glaze application always needs to be layered with clear coating. Soon after you get the effect and the glaze has been dry, then apply a layer of clear coating to protect the glaze.