I’m so excited to show you all the new color from Dixie Belle called “In the Navy”. This color is such a beautiful rich navy color…I’m in LOVE. In this tutorial show you some tips on how to prime glossy surfaces, how to tint your primer and how to get the bronze gilding waxed edges to this piece.
Before you begin working on any piece of furniture, you need to make sure its free of dirt, grease and dust. Clean it thoroughly with a good cleaner and then make sure you take a damp towel or cloth over the surface to remove any cleaning product residue. I use Dixie Belle’s White Lightning to clean my pieces.
Step 1: Prime your piece. Since both of these pieces of furniture have a glossy surface, and I don’t want to sand (taking the risk that the sanding marks will show through preventing me from getting the smooth finish when I’m done… and I just don’t like to sand…LOL). I use a primer made for glossy surfaces. Slick Stick by Dixie Belle is my secret weapon that works for me every time.
You have two options when applying the Slick Stick. I’m going to show you both don’t worry. The first option is to use the Slick Stick just how it comes…white and the second option is to tint your Slick Stick to make it closer to the paint color you’ll be using (for easier coverage).
Here is the Slick Stick applied with a brush (1 coat) without tinting.
And here is the Slick Stick tinted with a little bit of the “In the Navy” by Dixie Belle (my selected color for this project). I don’t fully tint the primer to match my finished color as I don’t want to compromise the properties of the primer that allow it to adhere to the glossy surface. I just want to darken it a little to help make it easier to cover since I’m painting it a darker color.
As you can see, the primer turned to a gray color, which will also help in the future if someone scratches the table. It won’t have that “bright white” underneath.
Step 2: Paint your piece with your selected color. Once again, I chose the “In the Navy” by Dixie Belle because its such a rich true navy color…LOVE IT!! The picture below shows how much coverage I got with only I coat of paint. I ended up putting one more coat on just to be safe and to get an even coverage. I should add that 1 apply the first coat with a dry brush and the second coat I use a damp brush. Using a damp brush on your final coat helps reduce brush strokes.
Step 3: Add Bronze Gilding Wax to enhance your embellishments. To get a straight even line. I tape off my area that I plan to put the gilding wax. Then I use a skinny chip brush or artist brush to apply the gilding wax. As soon as I’m done, I remove the tape and let it cure for 24 hours before applying my top coat (which I use Gator Hide on my table tops to make them waterproof). I also add the gilding wax to any carving or embellishment to tie it all together.
Final Step: I apply Dixie Belle’s Gator Hide in even strokes over the surface using a sponge applicator. I have 2 full Live Video tutorials on this located on my Facebook page“Aj’s Vintage Designs” if you want to see that part in “live action”. I also show in the video how to use “0000” steel wool to buff the tops to a reflective shine.
