How to Antique Furniture With Glaze & Gesso

Apply a sealer or size, a weak glue solution, over the wood using a 2-inch paintbrush or trowel. Use a thin layer to cover the entire surface area of the wood. Allow it to dry and reapply another thin layer onto the wood. Let the wood dry for one to three days before continuing. Sizing or sealing your wood will prevent the gesso from seeping through the wood and fading over time.

Place blue painter's tape over the areas you do not want painted or antiqued. This prevents any paint and primer from touching those areas.

Dilute some of the gesso into a container with no more than 25 percent water to make the application of the first coat easier. Never use more than 25 percent to prevent the gesso from cracking.

Apply a thin first coat of gesso onto the wood using a 2-inch paint brush. Stroke the gesso horizontally. Use enough gesso to cover the surface area of the wooden furniture. Allow the gesso to dry before reapplying. Use a light sandpaper to smooth out any roughness.

Apply the second coat of gesso, undiluted, using a foam roller. Stroke the gesso vertically on the wood to better penetrate it with this coat. Allow the wood to dry, sand it lightly and repeat the process until the wood has been fully saturated with the gesso. Change the direction of strokes with each coat.

Apply the oil-based glaze in sections using a 2-inch paintbrush. Never try to glaze the entire furniture piece at once.

Dampen a cheese cloth with mineral spirits and begin wiping the glaze off before it dries. Rub vertically, from end to end. This technique gives your furniture a worn, faded look.

Repeat the process with the remainder of the sections. Allow the glaze to dry overnight after you have completely finished coating it with the glaze.

Use a 2-inch paintbrush to apply a thin layer of clear satin polyurethane to protect your glaze finish.