After I tried my hand at glazing Miss Matched, I can’t get the technique off my mind. Glaze can be mixed in a wide range of colors, and it looks amazing applied to wooden cabinets and furniture.
But what about other surfaces, such as metal and plastic? Could non-wood pieces be glazed?
Last week, I decided to find out for myself. I had a black birdcage that I spray painted Valspar’s Mediterranean Blue, but it seemed a little flat. So, I broke out a cheap chip brush and my left over Ralph Lauren glaze (tinted to Black Silk). I applied the glaze to a small section, making sure I covered it well.
Then, I used a wet paper towel to wipe off the glaze – wiping off more in some areas than in others.
I glazed the whole cage section by section using that process. When I got to the base of the cage, I glazed the round section by spiraling my brush around the circle.
I wiped off the glaze with a wet paper towel following the same spiral pattern. I left the pieces outside to dry in the sun for about an hour.
The glaze really brought new life to what was once really boring. It has a lot of texture and depth now, and details are now pronounced that I didn’t even know existed previously – like the little claw feet.
Glazing metal worked so well, that I decided to try it on plastic. I sprayed a nondescript buffet lamp a shade of medium gray and applied the glaze to it using the same technique. Again, it gave this boring lamp a new life.
I’m starting to get worried that I’m going to glaze everything in my house now. I really love the look! What about you? Have you tried your hand at glazing yet? What do you already own that could you enhance with this technique?
P.S. My friend Sara is in the running to win a huge sewing room makeover from Bernina and Home Depot. She’s a great gal and military wife who sells on Etsy and donates her time making memorial/burial gowns for sweet babies who became angels too soon. I’d love if you could give her a vote to keep her in the top 10. 🙂 If you have a FB account, you can vote by clicking here. And I promise (maybe) that this will be the last time I ask for your votes for a while!
A great project and great results. I can see how you might go wild glazing everything. Thanks for the idea.
Love, Love, Love it!! I have been glazing for years and you will find new ways and new things to do with it. Love the color on the cage. Black is a great glaze on almost any color. You did a great job, just beautiful!
I love this little cage! I have glazed alot of spray painted items and even that blue color. Go and check out my blog and what I have done at my nieces’ house.
http://ms-smartie-pants.blogspot.com/2011/01/rest-of-den.html
P.S. I just voted for Sara and posted her story on FB. Your a great friend.
Hi Lindsay,
I just came over from A to Z . I love your blog and I’m now a follower too.
Susan @ homeroad.net
very nice! I love the depth it brings out and the tint color is perfect!
Love it! I’m going to have to try that. I like the new look of your blog. Looks great!
Thanks Lindsay! I so appreciate it!
Very pretty! I love the color and the finish is so cool.
Great share! I just bought a wall sconce at Goodwill and was about to experiment with this very idea, now I know how fantastic it will look!
I voted too, hope she wins!
Hi there!
I am so excited I found your site,I wish we lived closer,you are a kindred spirit when it comes to crafting/makeovers! I wish I would have taken pictures over the years to show my transformations, but to be honest I never really knew there were people out there like me until pretty recently becoming a blog-aholic! I only regret finding this site so late in the evening…I am tempted to keep looking and forget the fact that the time change just occurred. I will feel like there is an extra hour anyway right….Your painting suggestions are amazing and I can’t wait until tomorrow to look at more! Keep up the great and inspiring work!!!
Take care,Keri on California
Thank you for sharing your technique. I can’t wait to try it. I’m pinning your post.
Thanks so much! Please let me know if you run into any questions!
I love glazing. I used to use it a lot – many years ago. Occasionally I pull out my 10 year old can of medium and use it for one thing or another. Since I started using wax I haven’t used the glazing as much. The glazing is perfect for things like this. Some of the new paint brands are coming out with new products that work like glazing. I’m anxious to try them. Love the bird cage! If you do end up glazing your whole house – well there are worse things that could happen!
Love this! I had glazed a couple of outdoor pieces (they are covered by our porch) and was wondering, do you put any type of sealant over your glazed items you use in the house? I dabble in furniture refinishing and have used stains as a “glaze” over painted furniture and then used poly over. So was wondering about using glaze on furniture or any other inside items and if it would need a coat of poly or something similar to have it usable.
Hi Lindsay
Great job. Just wanted to know if you used any particular glaze or just the general ones available in the market.
Hello! Great project! I’m looking for advice… We are switching all our kitchen hardware over to a copper finish, so I am contemplating spray painting my (antique brass finish) range hood copper, then glazing it. Any tips?
hi Kristie
4 years later, middle of a pandemic. I am contemplating the same thing myself now. Did you do this? How did it turn out?
Rebecca
What do I need to do if an outdoor iron bench is glazed like this? Is it waterproof?