How Can I Finish-Coat Acrylic Paint & Make it Look Old?

Newly painted walls look pristine. While pristine walls are fitting for fresh, contemporary decor, an aged surface is more appropriate for some interior decorating styles. You can wait for your walls to develop character over the course of many years, or you can take matters into your own hands and give your newly painted walls an aged look in a simple project. Applying a tinted glaze over water-based paint instantly antiques your walls. An earthy color like raw umber, mixed with a water-based glazing medium, mimics the effect of time on a plaster wall or a vintage paint job.

Water-based glazing medium
Raw umber tint
Small container
Old paintbrush
Stir stick
Wide paintbrush
Rag
Cheesecloth

Instructions

- 1
  Pour glazing medium into a large bucket. Use approximately 1 gallon of glazing medium to glaze an average room.
- 2
  Squeeze tint into a small container. Start with a dollop about the size of a quarter. Pour in about 1 cup of glazing medium. Use an old brush to completely blend the mixture. Be sure to break up any lumps of tint.
- 3
  Pour the tinted glaze into the larger bucket. Stir the glaze until the color is uniform.
- 4
  Paint a sample on your wall. Immediately remove the glaze with a damp rag.
- 5
  Add extra tint to darken the glaze for a more pronounced look. Always disperse the tint in a small container of glaze first to blend it thoroughly.
- 6
  Apply the glaze to your walls using a wide paintbrush. Flick your wrist in all directions to break up the lines of the brushstrokes.
- 7
  Soften the appearance of brushstrokes and dark glaze with cheesecloth. Blot a handful of cheesecloth on the walls to remove excess glaze. Replace the cheesecloth when it gets saturated with raw umber glaze.

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