Silly me, I forgot to take a "before" picture, but you can probably picture it - old, dingy, boring brown wood with knicks and the case of the wobblies. Well I fixed the wobblies (just needed a little tightening) and took the idea from Pinterest to use Elmer's glue to create a crackled look. While I love the rustic look of the crackle, something about it seems too "country-ish" to me. So, I decided to use some more modern colors (really, can you go wrong with black and red?) and then add a clear gloss over top for some shine.
Here are some pictures before the gloss overcoat. (It was just too matte for me and I really wanted the red to pop more). To get this I applied a layer of Elmer's glue directly to the wood, using my finger. Waited a bit for it to get "tacky" (but NOT dry) and then took my paint brush with color (acrylic - red with a bit o' black) and lightly went over the glue. Only use one stroke on an area and only go in one direction, otherwise the glue will not crackle correctly. I let the first coat dry and decided to add another. I could still see some of the wood beneath the colors, and wanted to cover it up. I repeated the previous steps and really liked how it looked. Talk about instant gratification from watching the crackle start after only a few minutes. Pretty darn cool if you ask me. And the best part? I did it with inexpensive school glue and acrylic paint I already had. Score!
(Note to self: Stock up on school glue next time it is like 25 cents a bottle)
Before gloss:
After gloss:
Post note: Now that the gloss has had a few days to set, it is not quite as shiny as above.
It turned out perfect! I can't wait to use it for photos and plants.
Inspired By: Pinterest
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