How to Antique Glaze Walls in a Reproduction Home

When you're decorating your home to look older than it is, paint glazes and techniques can give your walls the look of aging plaster walls. Paint glazes can give your modern drywall an antique look. Use this technique to give your kitchen old country charm, make your Victorian library look authentic or bring an Italian villa into your dining room.

Eggshell finish paint in cream, ivory or a similar shade.
Paint rollers
Paint trays
Artist's acrylic paints
Glazing medium
1-gallon paint bucket or another mixing container
Measuring spoons and cups
Paint stir sticks
Latex or nonlatex gloves
Rags or cheesecloth

Instructions

- 1
  Paint your walls with two to three coats of latex paint in an eggshell finish.
- 2
  Mix together raw umber, burnt sienna and ochre artist's acrylic paints in a large, disposable mixing container or paint bucket. Use 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of each color to create a glaze shade you like best. Stir in 3 cups of glazing medium and 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir well with a paint stirring stick until thoroughly combined.
- 3
  Roll on a single coat of the glaze to a 3-foot-wide section of wall. Keep some areas heavier than others for an irregular, antique look.
- 4
  Dip a rag or a piece of cheesecloth into the glazing mixture using gloved hands. Soak well and wring out the excess glaze. Spread the cheesecloth or rag relatively flat and press into the wall. Allow some wrinkles to remain in the fabric.
- 5
  Use the rag to add texture to the entire wall, removing any fingerprints or roller marks with the rag as you work from one edge of the wall to the other.
  Roll the next section of wall and blot with the rag or cheesecloth. Continue rolling and ragging the wall until you've antiqued the entire space.

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