Hand Pad for Antique Finishing

Hand pad is a technique of stain application. Hand pad application is purposed to make special finishing look, the dirty and the smudge effect. It is the technique to make the antique and dirty look. This technique is also used to make marble finishes and some special-looking finishes. 

We need the rag and special stain to do this technique. The stain for padding is named as pad stain; it the pigment or dye that is dissolved with alcohol or "weak solvent" so it won't dissolve and damage the coating underneath. The hand pad is done by dipping the rag in the stain until it is wet and colored by the stain. Then the dampened cloth is padded at the coating surface to make color. The result is an uneven coloring stain with special effects as the result of the rag mark and the padding technique. 

The other padding technique can be done by combining the padding with the spray technique. The stain is layered at the surface by spray application, then the stain layer is padded by cloth that is wetted with thinner. With this technique, we will get the special effect from the padding technique, but with a faster process. 

 hand-padded finish panel

The finishing process is as follows:.

• Stain application.

The first step is the stain application. It is the most important step. This step is not only to make the color but also to make the special padding effects. The color and the smudge effects in this step will determine the final color and the special look to the final finishing. To get the right color, then we need to control this step well. First, the stain is sprayed evenly on the entire surface; make sure we apply the stain with the right color and proper thickness.
 You can see the padding in this video:

padding the stain video

The second process is the padding. Dip a cloth into a stain thinner. Alcohol is the most suitable thinner for the padding. Pad the wet rag to the stain randomly to the stain to make the "smudge looked" effect. Do the padding to the overall surface evenly. Then check and make observations for the staining result. Make sure we get the color and smudge effects we need. We still can make any corrections in this step if necessary. Too much stain can still be reduced by wiping off with a damp cloth. If the color is considered too light, then we can respray the stain to add color. We also can repeat the padding process to make sure we get the smudge effect.

 smudge pad stain

• Sealer application.

The next step is the sealer application. The sealer is used to protect the color and effects resulted from the previous application. The sealer is also needed to prepare the smooth surface for the glaze application. The sealer is applied by wet coat spray to the overall surface. Let the sealer coat dry and sand the sealer with #280 grade sandpaper to get the smooth surface.

• Glaze application

Glaze is applied to build the color and make the depth at the finishing look. Glaze is applied by rag or brush to the overall surface. Rag the glaze and brush it evenly to the overall surface. Make the glaze coat the surface evenly. Highlight the glaze to enhance the grain and the color of the finishing. Let it dry for about 1 hour.

• 2nd sealer application

A second sealer is applied to protect the color from the glaze and also to build the finishing film. Spray the sealer in 1 layer wet coat to the overall surface evenly. Wait for about 30 minutes to let it dry, then sand the sealer as the first sealer.

• Dry brush glaze to make antique and old-looking.

The next process is glaze application to make antique and old-looking. Glaze is brushed to burnish the edges to make the dirty and old look. Glaze is also brushed to fill in the gap, crevices, and distressed parts to make the hangup and more "life-looking.".

 the antique smudge chair finish

• Top coat application.

The top coat is the last finishing layer. The top coat serves to build the sheen and also to give protection to the color and look of the finishing. The top coat with semi gloss or semi doff is the best choice for this finish. The top coat must be applied by spray to get a smooth and even finish. Spray the top coat evenly to the overall surface. Let the top coat dry and check the finish film result. Make sure we get the smooth film with even gloss. If necessary, we can resand the top coat layer and apply another layer of top coat to the finish surface.