When it comes to creating authentically “Old World” pieces, nothing beats Amy Howard at Home’s Cracked Patina™. Not only does it allow you to create depth and texture without a ton of sanding, buffing, or painting techniques, but it’s easy to use with Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint.

How Cracked Patina and One Step Paint Work Together

One Step is water-based, chalk-based, VOC-free, and green certified. This removes the need to sand, strip, or prime your piece — and leaves a perfect base for the Cracked Patina™. Because the One Step Paint offers thicker coverage, the cracking from the patina looks much more authentic. To show you the proper way to apply and cure your cracked patina finish, Amy’s husband Gene Howard is hosting this episode of Finish Friday.

In this video, Gene gives us a thorough tutorial on how to use One Step Paint and Cracked Patina™, as well as some tips to make your piece even more professional.

A Cracked Patina™ Tutorial

To get started, make sure you have used Clean Slate on your piece to remove wax, dust, etc. On your clean surface, paint your piece with of your choice of One Step Paint. This color will be the color that shows through the cracks when the cracked patina dries. Then, apply the Cracked Patina™ with a clean chip brush. Make sure to load your chip brush with the cracked patina solution and don’t get it too thin; that will impact the level of cracking. The heavier the better, Gene says, but he also tells us to avoid puddles that cause it to dry slower. Let your Cracked Patina™ dry to the touch (approx. 15-30 minutes depending on temperature and humidity) before moving on to the next step.

Once the cracked patina is dried, add a thorough coat of your choice of One Step Paint. This is the color that will crack when dried. (For the project in this week’s video, Gene uses Bauhaus Buff.) Depending on the size of your surface, you may need to do sections to make sure the paint is flowing properly over the cracked patina. Do not apply multiple layers of the same paint, as this will “drown” the patina. Gene shows us how, if a spot has been missed, to use a chip brush to dab paint on the spot to fill it in.

As the patina starts to crack the paint during the drying process, you have a choice: let it dry uniformly, or manipulate it with a dry chip brush. If you don’t want a uniform crack, lightly place your chip brush on the paint and pull slightly (you can also use a finger on larger, less textured surfaces). As Gene demonstrates in the video, this will provide a more authentic aging appearance. Once the paint dries fully, you can use 220-320 grit sandpaper to sand your surface; the cracked paint will be sharp, so the sandpaper comes in handy.

Adding More Depth to a Cracked Patina Surface

Want to add another color to your cracked patina piece? Just add another layer of the cracked patina, let it dry, then add your color of choice (Gene uses Luxe Grey as the topcoat of paint in the video). Layering paint is a great way to add more depth and pull out different colors — just make sure to add the cracked patina mixture on top of each layer to make sure you get a cracked look, rather than a clumpy one.

Once all your layers of paint have dried, it’s time to use Light Antique Wax and Dark Antique Wax. As always, offload the excess wax and cover your dried piece in a thorough but light coat of the Light Antique Wax. If you’re worried you put on too much light wax, buff some of it off with a lint-free rag. Give it time to come to tack (about 15-20 minutes) then use a very small amount of the Dark Antique Wax to darken the edges and high points of your piece.

Once all of your wax has been applied, let it come to tack. Then, apply Dust of Ages with a new, clean chip brush. Generously apply the dust to the piece, patting it down into any crevices. Let the piece set for a while, allowing the wax to harden so it holds onto the dust. Once your piece has totally dried, shake off the excess, which you can recycle by dumping back into the Dust of Ages jar! Then, use a lint-free rag to buff your surface. This will pull the wax sheen forward and the Dust of Ages will settle more into the cracks and crevices created by the Cracked Patina™.

Want to add more depth to a piece after you’ve applied the Dust of Ages? You can go back over the piece with your chip brush and Dark Antiquing Wax to add dark highlights. Let wax cure fully (at least 30 minutes) and you can buff it to add some shine. Et voilà!

More From Finish Friday

It was so nice of Gene to share his expertise in cracked patina finishes! We hope you learned a lot from the video — and that you’re excited to tune in next Friday! Also, if you registered for the Cracked Patina™ giveaway, check out the video to see if you won.

We will be back on our Facebook page next Friday at 12pm Central for Finish Friday; we hope to see you there!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Cracked Patina
One Step Paint
Chip Brush
Light Wax
Dark Wax
Dust of Ages