Old Shelf Made New – How To Paint And Glaze A Decorative Shelf

Earlier I showed you my shelf makeover for my vintage camera display.  I saved an old beat up shelf that was on it’s way to the dump.  I wanted to share with you the step by step on how I repainted and refinished this shelf to fit our decor.

When I began this project the shelf was in rough shape.  It had a glossy lacquered wood finish with lots of scrapes, nicks, and spots.  I absolutely took the advice that Tracy’s Trinkets And Treasures gave on how she repainted her shelf.  That is where I got the inspiration for this project.  She suggested using Purdy paint brushes, which I did – and they worked beautifully.

She also suggested using Klean-Stip Easy Liquid Sander Deglosser. This is something that I have never used before, but I will  be using  it again.  Basically, you rub it on with a clean dry cloth and it “roughs” up the finish so that the paint will adhere to it.  I thought that it was very easy to apply and it dried quickly. This step was surprisingly simple and a much more time efficient technique than sanding the entire piece.

After the deglosser was dry I was ready to start painting.  I used a green Behr paint that we had on hand.  Here is my most important tip for refinishing any piece of furniture (or any painting project for that matter) : Make sure you have an entire bag of your favorite candy.  I don’t love the process of painting – but Starburst jellybeans seem to make it tolerable for me.

I used my purdy brush to do each corner and a small roller to do the flat sides.  I did one square at a time and worked my way around the shelf.  Corners with the brush and then all four sides with the roller.  I let the first coat dry and then added another coat.  The color was perfect and I was ready to add some character with a glaze.

For my glaze I used an Americana acrylic paint.  The color is called Asphaltum.  I mixed the acrylic paint with a small amount of water so that it was an easily spreadable thin consistency.

I used my Purdy brush to apply my glaze color in small sections.  After I applied each section I used a clean dry cloth to wipe away some of the paint until it had the affect that I wanted.  I liked the look of darker paint in the corners and around the edges and less paint on the large wider surfaces. I was afraid of this process when I started.  But after a couple small test sections I was excited to continue glazing.  It doesn’t have to be perfect – that is the point of glazing, right?  It really gave the shelf a lot more character and a cool aged look.

Once I had my shelf glazed to my liking I let the paint dry, and was ready to put on a protective coat.  For this shelf I choose a matte finish so it had a more natural (less glossy) finish.

Once my final finish was dry it was time for the fun stuff. Hanging and decorating my “new” old shelf.  For my first glazing project I think it turned out great.  I love the finish and have a feeling I will be doing it to some more pieces of furniture.  It was easier than I thought it would be, and the end result is awesome.