How to Do Faux Finishes on 18th Century Furniture

Antique appraisers can tell a great deal about the age of a piece of furniture by its finish. One of the telltale authenticating details of 18th century furniture is its craquelure. Craquelure is the fine veining and cracking that develops on a piece's finish as it ages and dries. Often this fine craquelure is removed by antique owners who do not know its value. You can return some of your antique's former dignity by applying your own faux finish craquelure.

Base coat
Paintbrush
2-part craquelure finish kit
Varnish brush
Hair dryer

Instructions

- 1
  Add a base coat to the furniture piece if none exists already. To preserve the look of the wood use varnish -- a common wood finish in the 18th century. Or mimic the original color of the piece. Bright blues, reds and pale yellows were commonly used to color 18th century furniture.
- 2
  Apply the first part of the craquelure varnish. Brush on a thin layer in the direction of the wood grain. Work under well-lit conditions to avoid missing any surface areas.
- 3
  Leave the top coat to dry for an hour.
- 4
  Apply the crackle varnish. Do not apply the crackle varnish just in the direction of the grain. The craquelure will form in the direction of the brush strokes. To avoid uniform craquelure, apply the brush strokes in different directions all over the piece.
- 5
  Leave the furniture piece to dry and cure for 24 hours. If the craquelure does not appear within 45 minutes, go over the varnish with a hair drier held 10 inches away from its surface to speed up the drying process.
- 6
  Apply a coat of oil-based varnish or the finish supplied by the craquelure varnish's manufacturer to seal the furniture piece.
- 7
  Leave the furniture to cure for the manufacturer's recommended amount of time before using it.

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