Have you ever wondered golden items look so amazing, surely they aren’t solid gold? Typically they aren’t gold throughout, usually, metallic gold leaf sheets are giving the superb finish. Maybe you are wondering how to use gold leaf or how to apply gold leaf.
Gilding is an old-age craft skill that uses thin sheets of metal (gold, silver, bronze, copper, etc.) to the surface of an object. It can be a picture frame, a statue, or a piece of furniture, to name a few.
How To Apply Gold Leaf To Furniture
The designer is partial to furniture with metallic finishes but can’t always find the pieces she wants in gold or silver. She has learned how to apply gold leaf – and it’s much easier than she thought it would be! Here, she makes her own glam furniture makeover with a gold leaf technique. You…
Apply Gold Leaf To Furniture
Gold leaf sheets are very delicate, but I was surprised by how easy they ended up being! It was my first time applying gold leaf sheets so I was a little nervous about how it was going to turn out. I wasn’t looking for a perfectly smooth gold finish, I think that actually added to the finish. The gold sheets are delicate (they tear and wrinkle very easily!), but I wasn’t going to spend the money on real gold. For more information on how to apply gold leaf to your bar cabinet click here.
Gold Leaf Kits – Oil-based
Each kit contains Step-by-step instructions, one 23kt Gold Leaf book (Patent leaf) one 4 oz. bottle of yellow/ochre oil-based Gilding Primer, natural hair brush, one. oz jar of clear coat sealer, cotton and mixing sticks, wet/dry paper, and book of the leaf. Each Gold leaf book contains 25 leaves. Each leaves is 3 3/8″ x 3 3 3″ square. Approx coverage is 1.7 sqft.
Sizing Up Your Project
Sizing will stick to a piece of foil or cardboard, but the foil won’t stick once it’s coated. Like glue, sizing must sit a while before it becomes tacky to the touch but not dry. This takes an hour or so; drying time varies by brand. The sizing goes only in the areas where the foil belongs, so wipe off errant sizing any errant decorating areas you don’t intend to. The sizing means you have to spend a long time getting your project done with sizing.
Step 1 | Apply a Thin Layer of Adhesive
The gold foil is easy to make with just a thin layer of adhesive. Let the gold foil sit for 30 minutes until it turns clear but is still sticky enough. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make the foil stick, so don’t worry if you think it’s too dry, it’s likely still sticky. The final step is to apply the adhesive to the surface of the foil. The adhesive should be used in a container that is large enough for the brush to fit in.
