Peel-off Finish (Latex Paint Effect Finish 3)

There are many special finishing effects that can be made with latex paint. Texture finish, crackle, rub-off finish, and wash finish are some finish effects that can be made with latex paint. You can view articles about latex paint effects in our previous articles. Now in this article we want to share about the latex paint effect to make antique "peeling paint," "peel off paint," or "chip off" finishes. There are some tricks and techniques to make the peel-off paint finish; now in this article we share how to make a peel-off paint finish by using latex paint.

The latex paint can make a peel-off finish with a thicker paint layer. The latex paint is also available in many color options without having to mix by ourselves. The latex paint can be used in combination with the glaze and NC clear coating to make more lifelike-looking and interesting appearances. The results obtained with latex paint could be more "natural" and more "life" than the NC full finish. But the use of the latex paint will make the finishing process take longer. The latex paint is a water-based paint that needs longer drying time.

the step panel for antique peel-off finish  

Here is the finishing step by step.

• Sealer application.

The preparation for the unfinished wood is not discussed here. The wood should have been well sanded and prepared, and the wood has a smooth and even surface. 
The first sealer finishing process is the sealer application. The sealer layer is applied as a first step to provide a smooth surface to the paint finish. The sealer also provides protection to the wood surface, preventing the penetration of the latex paint into the wood grain and pores. The NC sealer layer will help to make the thick and smooth finish faster.

We sprayed 2 coats of NC sealer to layer the wood surface. We waited about 30 minutes to let the sealer dry. Then we sanded the sealer with #280 grade sandpaper to get the smooth surface.

heating the latex paint with the hot gun

the bubbled latex paint is scrubbed

• The application of latex paint.

The latex paint is the material to make the peel-off paint effect. The latex paint was sprayed evenly to the entire surface. We need to layer the paint 2 times with a wet coat to let the paint cover the wood surface. Then we let the paint layer sit for about 2 hours to dry.
The next step is the processing to make the peeling effect. The peel-off paint is made by heating the latex paint until the paint bubbles and peels off. We used a hot gun to heat and burn the paint. We turned on the hot gun machine to the maximum heat (the temperature was about 150 degrees Celsius) and navigated the hot gun to the latex paint. The heat made the paint bubble and peeled off.

This technique is similar to the paint effect to make a crackle finish, but to peel off the paint we need more heat. We need to point the hot gun closer to the paint and keep it until the paint bubbles in some parts. When we do heating to make crackle finish with latex paint, we use a lower temperature, and we move the hot gun more to make more even heating.

The hot gun heated the paint and bubbled the paint. The bubbled paint then can be scrubbed off to make a peel-off effect. We used a knife to scrub and peel off the bubbled paint. After all the bubbles were scrubbed, we continued the finishing process by sanding the paint layer. The paint was scuffed sanding with #280 grade sandpaper to make a smooth paint surface. 
The pattern and form of the chipping are the most critical things to make the antique effect. An overview of the chipping effect is needed to make sure the proper peeling effect is obtained. The peeling off paint should be random and look natural.

The use of the hot gun must be done carefully; the fire generated by the hot could lead to big disaster if it hit the thinner base finishing material. The uses of the gun must be kept away from solvent-based finishing materials such as paint thinner, stain, NC sealer, glaze, or NC top coat.

• The first sealer application.

The sealer is applied to protect the paint effect and also to prepare the smooth layer for the glaze application. The NC sealer was layered by spraying 2 wet coats on the latex paint. It needed about 30 minutes to let the sealer dry.

• Glaze application

Glaze is applied to make the antique and old look. A dark brown glaze was brushed to the surface until it layered evenly to the surface. Some highlighting was done to the glaze layer to make it look more antique. Then we waited for about 1 hour to let the glaze dry.

• The second sealer application.

After the glaze is dry, the next process is the second sealer application. The NC sealer was sprayed wet coat 2 layers to the entire surface. We let the sealer for about 30 minutes to dry and then sanded the sealer layer to produce an even and smooth surface. Some dry brush glaze can be added to make a more antique and old-looking impression.

• The application of top coat

The top cost is the last finishing layer, which serves to protect the underneath finish layer and to form the coating film and gloss. In this finish we used 20 sheen a top coat as a final layer. The 20-sheen NC top coat was sprayed to the entire surface and let dry.

the peel-off finish panel