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?

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Why pay tons of money for gilded home accents when you can make your own? One of Amy Howard’s favorite projects is painting old books... but she adds an extra “wow” factor with this DIY Gold Gilded Book project. Follow Amy’s simple steps for gilding books and you’ll have beautiful creations that are perfect for your home or office in no time.

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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.

Why Choose Glazed Over?

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.

How Can You Add Glaze to Your Refinishing Project?

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.

Which Pieces to Glaze?

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.

Tune In to Learn How to Glaze

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.

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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.

 

Step One: Assess the Damage

 

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!

 

Step Two: Clean the Piece Thoroughly

 

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.

 

Step Three: Get Creative!

 

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!

 

 

One of the most exciting parts of creating a beautiful home is finding pieces you can’t wait to spruce up. Whether it’s at a neighbor’s garage sale or your favorite antique shop, you’ve likely run into something that you just love -- and can see becoming an important fixture in your home.

 

But the most common questions Amy gets are:

 

“When I go shopping, what should I look for?”

 

“How do I know if a piece can be rescued and restored?”

 

On this week’s Finish Friday, Amy is taking us on a live tour of one of her favorite antique shops to show us exactly what she looks for in pieces before she brings them home.

 

Look for pieces you can actually use (or resell)

 

If you’re out antique hunting, it can be easy to get distracted by all the pretty pieces. But before you fall in love with something, ask yourself: Where would I put this? Could I use it year-round? And if you’re a reseller for your refinished pieces, ask yourself: Would someone use this piece? Is it priced so I can make a profit on it? While pricing and reselling your pieces is a whole other discussion, it’s an important quality to keep in mind as you shop!

 

Make sure it’s in good shape

 

While the finish and color of a piece is something you can fix, you can’t always fix a broken drawer, leg, or missing pieces. Before you say “I do” to the dresser, table, or other antique item you’ve found, make sure you can open it, move it, and put a reasonable amount of weight on it. This will save you heartbreak when you get home and realize the piece can’t even be used!

 

Consider what the piece is made of

 

One of the most important things you should do when you see a piece that speaks to you is consider what it’s made of. Is it oak? Is it metal? Is it plastic? Does it have a wood veneer? Is the veneer intact?

 

Whatever it’s materials, you will need to make sure that it can be cleaned thoroughly so the proper paint or primer can be applied. Depending on the look you’re going for, a couple layers of Amy Howard at Home’s One Step Paint is great, or you may consider our Furniture Lacquer for a more modern, edgy finish. The Toscana Milk Paint is another great option for pieces you want age authentically. You can decide which one is right for your piece based on the material it’s composed of, your desired finish, and the overall style of the piece – do you want a more antique, matte finish or a modern statement finish? Amy gives her tips for different materials and styles in today’s Finish Friday broadcast, so make sure to check that out!

 

Consider how old it is

 

Another great tip Amy shares in the video is to consider the age of the piece you’ve found. In most furniture created or used in the 1970s and ‘80s, Liquid Gold was used to seal the stain and paint. This sealant is very oily and hard to clean, which means a simple scrub won’t help you refinish it. You’ll need to use a stronger product like Clean Slate to remove such materials, as well as to clear off the years of use if the piece has been well-loved.

 

Have fun with different items

 

Refinishing isn’t just for furniture! You can use One Step Paint and other Amy Howard At Home products on lamps, mirrors, frames, metal file cabinets, clay pots, and virtually any surface you find during your antiquing adventures. Amy’s last tip is to find pieces that you love – that will make the process of finding, refinishing, and using your “new again” antique all the more fun. Check out this week’s Finish Friday video to tag along with Amy as she goes on her weekly antique hunt, and to get more tips on how to transform your own finds.

 

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Curious about how to properly clean and prep your new finds? Stay tuned for next week’s Finish Friday on Facebook where you can see all of Amy’s tips and tricks for starting a new refinishing project! We go live every Friday at 12pm CST.

One of the most underestimated components of DIY refinishing and refurbishing is waxing. While the paint, plaster, sanding, and sealing are all important, waxing is a finishing technique you can use to take your pieces to the next level. Waxing does not have to be just for protection, either! It can add a layer of color and texture that no other material can provide to your piece. It also can highlight the depth and design of your furniture, wall decor, wood features, and more! Best of all, it gives an Old World look to any piece -- a look that cannot be replicated in the same way with other techniques.

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How to Use Venetian Plaster & Toscana Milk Paint

 

Plaster is one of the oldest building materials in history, with the first evidence of it dating back nearly 9,500 years. Venetian plaster became popular around the 15th century, when it was made from slaked (crumbled) limestone and marble. Painters and artists found that applying several layers of plaster to a wall would provide depth and smooth texture that couldn’t be replicated with other paint.

 

In ancient times, as in modern times, Venetian plaster is thinly applied to a wall to create a visual and textual richness that resembles polished stone. Over time, the slaked stone also ages into a finish that is stronger than any painted wall, which is why Venetian plaster has retained its popularity even today. Venetian plaster also has a unique, crystalline finish that isn’t found in other plasters. This is what gives Venetian plaster that shine you can’t find elsewhere.

 

At Amy Howard at Home, we’ve created a high-quality Venetian plaster that provides truly endless possibilities for a variety of projects. Easy to work with and highly textured, our Venetian plaster has three ingredients: lime, calcium carbonate, and marble dust. This simple recipe is perfect for creating an organic, natural, historic look in your home.

 

But many people wonder how to get colored plaster since our Venetian plaster comes in a beautiful creamy white. The answer is simple: milk paint! Milk Paint and Venetian Plaster Create Superb Finishes

 

Our Toscana Milk Paint can’t be rivaled in terms of quality or rich color, and it’s a perfect complement to our Venetian plaster. That’s because many of our milk paint pigments are sourced from Italy, using all-natural colors from quarries in the region. It also comes in a powder, instead of a liquid, which means that it can be added to the plaster without compromising the texture or quality.

 

You can mix our milk paint with our Venetian plaster to get the color and the texture you want for your creations. Amy demonstrates the right portions of plaster, milk paint, and water in the video, but it’s important to always mix powder first before adding water. You’ll also need to prime a surface with One Step Paint to ensure the plaster adheres properly.

 

You can also finish your Venetian plaster surfaces with beautiful Light Wax to create an aged, yet polished, surface, which Amy models in the video. She also shows you how to use our stencils to create wall or furniture accents that last a lifetime.

 

With this mixture of Toscana Milk Paint and Venetian Plaster, you can really explore your creativity and test new, unique applications all over your home. Our variety of Toscana Milk Paint colors will make it easy to customize your next project and make it a perfect fit for your home – simply mix and add water!

 

Make sure to see how Amy applies the milk paint and Venetian plaster in this week’s Finish Friday, as well as her tips for priming and finishing your surfaces. You can also tune in next Friday to see the newest episode of Finish Fridays, which airs live at noon CST on Instagram and on our Facebook page.

Products Mentioned: 
Toscana Milk Paint
Venetian Plaster
Chip Brush
One Step Paint
Mind Your Own Beeswax 

 

One of the questions we get most often on Finish Fridays is how to create layers and finishes that look truly “Old World.”

While milk paint provides a velvety, vintage finish that you can’t get from any other paint, many people don’t know that it can also be used for cracked finishes and color layering when you want to achieve a distressed Old World look.

In this Finish Friday broadcast, Amy shares how to create a multi-layered project using Amy Howard at Home Milk Paint. She explains how our milk paint is formulated without actual cow or goat milk, but still uses casein and other essential ingredients for an authentic finish.

All of our pigments are shipped directly from natural quarries in Italy, which creates the rich Toscana finishes and colors you get from our milk paint. Best of all, our milk paint is VOC-free and contains no commercial ingredients that are considered toxic, unlike traditional commercial paints. Because of this, our milk paint is safe to use on virtually any decorative surface.

 

Introducing you to the Toscana Milk Paint, Amy explains that all you need to create an amazing, layered finish is a horizontal surface, milk paint, and water. Mix the combination thoroughly until all clumps and foam are removed. Depending on the look you’re going for – maybe a thin glazed patina or a multi-layered antique finish – Amy shows you how to add water and additional coats of paint as needed.

 

Because of the nature of milk paint, Amy also shows you how to layer many different paints and create layers of color with different Amy Howard At Home products. Instead of using sandpaper to get an aged, smooth surface, she shares how to use a base layer of Legno Gesso (pronounced jess-o). Our cracked gesso, which has its own unique ingredients, goes on any surface smoothly and separates into an aged, cracked finished. Best of all, Legno Gesso serves as a beautiful white undercoating for Toscana Milk Paint.

 

After creating a cracked gesso base, Amy shows you how to apply your first coat of Toscana Milk Paint, which should go on smoothly thanks to its watery texture. Once that first layer is dry, you’ll likely see it begin to separate and crack into a beautiful, aged pattern. You can continue to layer your milk paint for richer color and a more pronounced patina, or you can choose to move on to the Antiquing Glaze and a blended mix of Light Antique Wax and Dark Antique Wax.

 

The Antiquing Glaze will give an unmistakably Toscana finish to virtually any raw surface, as you use a sea sponge to imitate an aged texture. Amy demonstrates how the glaze will lighten areas of the milk paint’s color and also how (once the glaze is dry) the light and dark wax can highlight the grooves and designs. As a finishing touch, Amy loves using Dust of Ages, which lends a delicate and truly historical feel to any piece.

 

Make sure to watch this week’s installment of Finish Friday to catch a few of Amy’s extra tips about applying paints, glazes, and wax to create cracks and layers in your DIY project. Stay tuned for next week’s Finish Friday broadcast by following Amy Howard At Home on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

Back before the seemingly infinite rows of paint chips you find yourself looking through at the home improvement store…. back before the large-scale manufacturing of gallons and gallons of paint… back before having to carefully choose between eggshell, satin, matte, glossy, and so many other finishes…

 

Thousands of years before the world of spray paint, acrylic paint, oil-based paint, latex paint, chalkboard paint, and even washable paints… there was milk paint.

 

Some of the earliest cave paintings known to man were created with a very basic combination of milk, lime, and earth pigments. As these formulations were refined over time, milk paint coatings became more and more beautiful and durable. Many ancient artifacts still retained their vibrant painted designs upon discovery, giving us a unique peek into the color preferences of these historic cultures. Traveling painters in Old World Europe and colonial America would carry pigments with them, mixing their powders with milk and lime from the farm once they happened upon a home where their craft was needed.

 

Although we no longer need access to goats from the farm to make milk paint, it still must be formulated with casein, a protein found in milk, to achieve its unique velvety finish. So the name “milk paint” remains a perfect fit even though it can now be commercially manufactured.

 

Milk paint is essentially a versatile and authentic way to create an Old World finish on any piece of furniture, cabinetry, decorative accent, or even artwork – no matter the age of the actual surface you are refinishing.

 

In its original powder form, true milk paint has an unlimited shelf life. Each of the rich, luxurious pigments in Amy Howard At Home Toscana Milk Paint were sourced from Italy and the South of France. Their authentic provenance from the heart of the Old World ensures a superior finish, color, and vibrancy. With no VOCs or other unsafe commercial ingredients, this milk paint is safe to use anywhere in the home. After mixing with water and removing any clumps or foam, Toscana Milk Paint can be used as-is, thinned to create a glazed patina, or layered multiple times for luxurious, antique depth.

 

Working with Toscana Milk Paint requires close attention, although beautiful results are easy to achieve. It is much thinner than commercial paint you might be more used to, as it it is completely all natural. Working on a horizontal surface is necessary, and several coats are usually needed to create the look you are envisioning. As you agitate your paint and work through a wet edge, imagine yourself in southern Italy painting alongside the old masters in this same way, using the same methodology and brush strokes!

 

In the past, you had to search for years or spend thousands to find a piece with this kind of elegance and drama. Now you can recreate this iconic historic patina in your own garage. Once you are comfortable with the basics, try some of Amy’s more advanced aging techniques using waxes, Dust of Ages, and even Antiquing Glaze with your favorite Toscana Milk Paint colors!

 

Getting Started with Toscana Milk Paint:

1). Choose your favorite Toscana Milk Paint color. Remember, your mixed paint will dry to that exact shade!

 

2). Use this 2.5″ Flat Paint Chip Brush with your milk paint and the specialty 2.0” Round Hog Hair Paint Brush for any waxes you may apply.

 

3). Be sure to protect and seal your painted finish with Matte Sealer or Amy Howard At Home Waxes.

4). For advanced milk paint techniques check out Amy’s latest book Rescue Restore Redecorate.