One of the most popular products from Amy Howard at Home is the High-Performance Furniture Lacquer. This nitrocellulose lacquer gives a bright pop of color to any rescued piece and offers a deeper finish than other lacquers. Nitrocellulose lacquer is what is most often used on pianos, guitars, and other musical instruments to give it that deep, beautiful shine. Thanks to our special formulation, you can use the High-Performance Furniture Lacquer on tons of the surfaces, like furniture, ceramic tiles, metal, glass, outdoor furniture, and more.
But how do you use this lacquer — and what do you need to know before using it?
One of the best parts of rescuing and restoring is finding pieces with great accents and features that may be hidden by age or years of use. Striping and detailing are great ways to draw those accents out and give them a beautiful finish, but how do you get started?
Glaze is one of the products that many people overlook in their refinishing and rescue projects. Clear mixing glaze, like Amy Howard At Home’s Glazed Over, can be used to thin out and lengthen the drying time of other paints, which means you have longer to work with them and fewer streaks or problems with over-processing. Glaze also seals surfaces, as well as provides a flat matte finish that looks completely professional.
Because so many people don’t know how to use glaze for their projects, Amy decided to share some of her expert tips on this week’s episode of Finish Friday.
Our glaze is water-based and specially formulated to work with other Amy Howard At Home products. That includes our One Step Paint and mica powders. To make a colored glaze with thorough coverage and easy application, you simply mix:
One part Glazed Over, one part One Step Paint, and one part water
The result: colored glaze you can make from your DIY pantry! Instead of needing to buy a dozen different colored glazes, you can make the color you love most with the materials you’ve already got. Of course, the “recipe” for your specific piece may differ, so check out this episode of Finish Friday to see what Amy recommends for cabinets, walls, and other surfaces.
No matter what you’re using Glazed Over for, it’s important to get the texture right. In the video, Amy gives some great instructions to help you find the right consistency for your glaze, so make sure to check that out. She also shows you how to add mica powder to your mix if you want a gorgeous metallic finish. (The piece she paints in this video gets a gold patina that we just love — don’t miss it!)
Of course, once you have the right consistency and color, it’s time to start applying your glaze.
Glazing is a 2-part process: applying the glaze and brushing the excess off. Amy shows us how to use an application brush and a “negative” chip brush to quickly brush on the glaze and then make sure it’s in all the nooks and crannies. She also gives a little tip: use cheesecloth before your negative brushing to help remove clumps or runny glaze.
Once your glazed piece is fully dry, you don’t have to seal or wax it! You can, of course, for a brighter finish and stronger aging effects, but the Glazed Over product was formulated to seal itself.
Knowing when to glaze can be overwhelming, but Amy gives us countless examples and even answers a few viewer questions. For example, did you know that you can use this glaze on wicker? One of the biggest questions she gets, though, is how to repaint old oak cabinets. The Glazed Over and One Step Paint are a match made in heaven for this type of kitchen renovation project. You can even use the glaze on polyurethane-stained cabinets!
In the video, Amy gives a few tips for finding the right formulation of glaze for your cabinets but she stresses the need to always test your paint before committing! You want to make sure it’s the right texture and finish for your specific piece.
Want to do a malachite or tiger’s eye marbling piece? Glazed Over is perfect for creating these statement finishes! Simply use a sponge brush with your Glazed Over and One Step Paint mix to get a thick, clean coat of glazed paint. Amy also shows us a fun hack with a magic eraser you can use you to make Glazed Over tiger eye or malachite projects simple and fun.
Glaze is one of the most versatile, fun products you can use in your rescuing and refinishing adventures. After watching today’s Finish Friday, you’ll hopefully have the confidence to go out and try a new glaze project that will wow your family and friends.
Want more great project tutorials and advice? Follow us on Facebook to see our live Finish Fridays and to watch our past videos. Each week, Amy also announces the winner of our giveaway, so if you want to win something fun, register today! Then, tune in every Friday at 12 noon Central.
PRODUCTS MENTIONED:
Glazed Over
One Step Paint
Mica Powder
Chalky Mineral Spray
Chip Brush
High-Performance Lacquer
When you have a beautiful piece of furniture or a surface you want to paint, it can be time-consuming to figure out which tools to use or how best to apply the primer, paint, or sealer. That’s why Amy Howard At Home has spent years developing tools that give even the newest DIYers the ability to rescue furniture they love.
In this week’s Finish Friday, Amy and her husband Gene show some of their favorite tools for painting furniture — and share some great tips about when to use them.
Did you know that 28 million tons of furniture are thrown away each year in the U.S? That’s an excessive amount of unnecessary waste! However, it can be cut down drastically when you realize that you can make old pieces like new again with a little cleaning, prepping, and refinishing.
When you’re ready to dive into a refinishing or painting project, most of us want to go straight to the fun part. But by cutting the cleaning and prepping process short — or by skipping it altogether — we’re actually risking the quality finish we really want. That’s why Amy is talking all about how to clean and prepare your furniture on this week’s Finish Friday video.
If you have a solid wood piece, a wicker chair, or something with veneer, you’ll need to look at it thoroughly to determine what needs the most prep. For example, a veneered piece may be warped from moisture or even be separating from the wood, which will require water-based wood glue and pressure. Wicker, on the other hand, may need some wood filler and a tape wrap to re-adhere loose threads.
In this week’s video, Amy’s husband, Gene Howard, makes a guest appearance to share his many years of expertise in restoring and refinishing furniture. Together, Amy and Gene show you how to apply glue and pressure to repair veneer for a better finish. They also share their tips on how to fill holes from hardware or keyholes, as well as what type of clamps to buy for your preparation process.
Then, once you’ve reversed some of the deeper damage, you’ll be able to get your piece’s surface clean and ready for painting!
Depending on the age of the furniture you’re wanting to update, you may actually need to do more than clean it with a rag and some warm water. In some cases, varnish or very old sealants may need to be scrubbed off. But one thing Amy and Gene advise against is using oil-based cleaners, as this prevents paint from bonding well to the furniture. For a thorough clean that doesn’t negatively affect your finish or paint, you can use Amy Howard At Home Clean Slate. Clean Slate removes old finishes and oily, waxy residue, making it possible to clean your furniture with just one product.
Sanding or scraping may also be needed for pieces that have dents or scrapes in the wood, stickers, or deep-set stains. You can also use wood putty to fill in deeper dents or scrapes that can’t be sanded out. Of course, make sure to let any wood putty dry and let your piece sit for at least an hour after using the Clean Slate. Then, go over the piece with a clean, lint-free rag to make sure all residue is gone before you paint.
After your furniture is properly repaired and prepped, it’s time to have a little fun. Depending on the surface you’ll be refinishing, you can use lacquer, One Step Paint, or even Toscana Milk Paint and our waxes to get the look you really want. Once a surface is properly prepped, there’s nothing stopping you from making it beautiful!
This is a great tutorial for anyone who is hoping to give new life to a piece for their homes or creative spaces. As Amy says, “We know that the success of your project starts with this,” so don’t miss this week’s Finish Friday on cleaning and prepping your furniture.
And of course, tune into more Finish Fridays at noon Central on our Facebook page. If you’re interested in winning free product, watch our Facebook page to enter each week’s giveaway!
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