Super Hide Silver and Super Hide Gold: Random Samples

Silver and Gold-It's not just for Christmas, Burl Ives.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Rankin/Bass Productions

Seriously, I love Burl Ives-I even have a cabinet finished called "Burled Ives" but that is off topic. I had requests from 2 different finishers to help them out with some random samples. Although one was a paneling finish and the other a wall finish both artists needed something with some silver and gold. It so happens that I have been testing the new Super-Hide Metallics (my last blog post) and decided to work with these products to create the samples.

Sample One: The Paneling Project

Nieman Marcus, 2009

This photograph is from a Nieman Marcus Catalogue and the designer would like the client's library paneling to match the paneling in this picture. The finish should include the red and gold on the molding but needs to be in the same shade as this fabric swatch:

The Marge Carson Silk Shantung has a gun metal cast with an antique gold print and brighter gold and silver textured embroidery. This will be made into drapes.

I always start by breaking down the picture-background to foreground.  In this case, there is a gold and silver wash over a red/brown wood base. The molding is a Chinese Red with gold leaf broken over the top. The entire surface is lime-washed and antiqued.

My base is a custom mix of Brown and Royal Taupe Setcoat.  I mixed Finishing Paste separately with Super Hide Silver and Super Hide Gold.  This was brushed on the surface and softened with cheesecloth.  The Finishing Paste give me sheerness but the right amount of drag to create a worn look.  I like that this dries fast and to a pretty low luster.  I mixed Fire Red and Red Setcoat and painted the molding. When this was dry, I applied Bright Gold Foil in a broken manner over the red.

To finish the look, I mixed white with the Finishing Paste and added a small amount of the Silver Super-Hide Metallic.  I brushed this over the entire piece and rubbed through areas with cheesecloth.  To age, I brushed thinned American Walnut Stain and Seal 100% over the sample.

I did two versions, with one being a shade lighter then the other.  Here is the sample with the fabric swatch:

The client and designer loved the sample. I do too and have decided to use this finish (minus the red) for the doors in my blue and gold guest room, plus I need to practice this finish on a "real" project.  I am working on a door in the studio and will post that story when done.

Sample Two:  The Powder Bath Project

For this project, the finisher pulled on old sample I did using Dutch Metal.  I never did this actual sample on a wall because the Dutch Metal tarnished in spots and other metallic colorants became gooey in the RS Low Viscosity Glaze.  But now I had the Super-Hides so I gave it another go.

The sample started on Black Sharkskin which gives the surface extra bite. I mixed the Super Hide Gold and a Gold/Silver Mix into the RS Low Viscosity Glazes.  I love how this stuff flows and blends but doesn't mix.

Right away, I could tell that the weight of the Super Hide Metallic was a good one for the glaze as the colors didn't sag as much they had with other colorants.

Using a metal trowel, held flat to the surface, I compressed the glazes and lightly blended them.  When I was happy with the colors, I flicked the surface with the activator and let it "bubble."

You can see the tiny bubbles on the surface.  I use cheesecloth to pull out little pieces of the metallic.  As I work, I continue to compress the finish.

 The finish will look scary and that is a good thing-like a Calico Cat.

At this stage, I gently add in more of the metallic to soften areas and create more color build. I let the sample hang over-night so it could sag and in the morning I can smooth those sags with my trowel-if only ttechnique worked on thighs!In the morning, I sealed the piece and then used Lusterstone over Wallovers Branching Out stencil.  When the stencil dried, I glazed the sample with a caramel brown.

This is an intricate project and all the products are Gold Label. Our finisher had used the products just not in this way.  She sold the finish but to a different client then she intended.  She started this week and so far so good.  I can't wait to see the finished room.