You can Folk It! | Using Weathered Wood Crackle Finish

Hey! We're kicking off our weekly You Can Folk It! tutorials with this weathered wood tutorial. DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle Medium is one of the easiest crackle finishes to use! Today I'm going to show you just how easy it is to create a project that looks 100 years old…  

YOU WILL NEED

 Blank Journal 

DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle Finish
2 DecoArt Americana Paints (Colour optional)
Brush and sponge for paint/medium application
Sponge
Posca Paint Pen

To use the DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle Finish you need 2 colours of DecoArt Americana Paints. You can use 2 colours that are at the opposite end of the tonal scale - like I have here Yellow Ochre being light and Black being the darkest tone possible. Another option is to use two similar colours, each option will create a completely different effect.

The Weathered Wood Crackle Medium is called a 'sandwich' crackle, this is because the medium is sandwiched between 2 different colours of paints. How you apply the top coat determines how the crackle will look - if you apply the top coat with a brush it will look very different to if you apply it with a sponge.

CRACKLE EFFECT 

1. Start with a base colour, here I have used 'Yellow Ochre'. You can use any colour you like for the base coat - including the DecoArt Americana Acrylic Metallic Paints (Please note you cannot use the Metallic Paints for the top coat as these do not crack!)

2. Let this dry and then apply an even coat of the DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle Medium. You can apply it with a brush or a sponge. Allow this to dry until you can touch it without your fingers sticking to the surface, this will take around 30 mins.

3. How you apply the top coat of colour will alter the way the crackle finish looks. (We go into a bit more depth on tailoring your crackle finish here.) We're applying 'Lamp Black' as our top coat, refer to the images above to see the effects of applying it differently….

BRUSH APPLICATION 

(Photograph 2)

Using a brush gives a linear pattern, if the brush strokes go vertical or horizontal then the crackle pattern will follow the same motion. Sometimes this effect is desirable but if you are working on a chest of drawers or a wardrobe, then it becomes much more important as to how you want your finished look to appear. 

Folky Tip: Something else that will effect how the crackle looks is how 'thick' you apply the paint. Where the cracks are larger is where the paint is thicker - the finer cracks is where the paint is thinner.

SPONGE APPLICATION 

(Photograph 3)

This time I have applied the top coat of paint with a sponge. Can you see how the cracks are more 'random' there are no straight lines going vertically up and down the square?

One very important folky tip, whether you are applying the top coat with a sponge or a brush is...

Once you apply the top coat of paint it will 're-activate' the crackle medium and so you must only go over the crackle medium once with the top coat. If you apply the top coat and then go back over with the brush/sponge then you will find that you remove the crackle and the layer of paint that you applied, so the rule of thumb is once you apply the top coat LEAVE IT - DO NOT GO BACK OVER IT!

 In the first photograph above, I didn't put the crackle medium all over the square. For some projects, especially those where you wish to add areas of painting such as clusters of Vintage roses, you might just want to apply crackle in certain areas - this often creates much more interest to your project. Just apply crackle medium where you want the cracks and apply the top coat as normal. 

In the second photograph above,  I flipped around the colours so 'Lamp Black' as a base coat and 'Yellow Ochre' as a top coat. This is the best thing about this effect, two colours can give you so many options! To finish it off nicely I've added some DecoArt Metallic Lustre 'Iced Espresso' to the edges to create an antique effect. If you haven't yet tried DecoArt Inc. Metallic Lustre then be prepared to fall in love! Click on the pictures to see which colours I've used - but beware it's like buying the Glamour Dust - everything in sight will become metallic…

In the third and final photograph above, I've gone back to our original colour choices but added DecoArt's Metallic Lustre in 'Gold Rush' to the edges. Metallic Lustre resembles a cream eyeshadow, you can just apply a little with your finger or avoid getting dirty with a soft cloth or dry stiff brush. 

ADDING DECORATION

Now to add a little decoration to finish off your journal, I decided to go with some gorgeous pink roses but allow your imagination to thrive here, you can literally add anything. 

Always, always play and try out different colours and effects and remember to put them in your journal. My gosh how many different options do we have when we're painting! It's almost mind boggling - but the Folk It! Team can assure you from our experience, playing and experimenting is not only very, very relaxing and theraputic - but you won't appreciate at the time just how much it teaches you, but on hindsight (oh how we are all so much wiser on hindsight) you realise it's the playing and the mistakes where you learn so much! So don't try and get everything right first time, just play, make massive big mistakes and most importantly just enjoy - it's very important. 

Folky Tip: Don't forget the details! I've added a tiny bit of Metallic Lustre to the metal buttons. Use DecoArt Paint Adhesion Medium first, then apply the 'Lamp Black' paint followed by the Lustre.

 Experiment with new products and make time to have fun. Whether you like what you create or not, no project or experiment is ever wasted, you are just preparing for your next project. Here at Folk It! we love to see your creations so if you give this tutorial a go be sure to share it and tag us using the hashtag #youcanfolkit

Have a lovely week, 

Carol x