A Desk Painted With Metal Effects

Pat Rios
by Pat Rios
10 Hours
Medium
The first time I heard people painted furniture in metallic colors I thought "Not me! Never!" Then about a year ago a customer asked me to paint her nightstands in silver. Well... that was the beginning of my love story with metallic paints. Now, several projects later, I am a big, big fan.
This beautiful desk was my latest project with metallics.


I used these products by Modern Masters: bronze reactive paint, blue patina effect solution, and silver metallic paint.
First I sanded down the top and stained it with General Finishes Java Gel Stain. After it dried, I covered it with paper and tape to protect the stained area from dust and paint while I worked the bottom part of the desk.
Next I repaired all scratches and damaged veneer with Minwax high performance wood filler. I sanded the whole piece with a 120 then a 220 grit sand paper, then cleaned it well with TSP diluted in water.
The drawers had some bad marks on the inside, so I decided to paint them in a bright color, which is always beautiful and fun. First I primed them with Rustoleum Primer spray, white.
Then, using my Homeright sprayer I painted them in Benjamin Moore Caribbean Blue Water. Two coats.
I used a sponge roller to apply two coats of Modern Masters Metal Effects primer.
Next I brushed Modern Masters Bronze Reactive Metallic Paint with a large Purdy paintbrush. I did the first coat on the entire piece at once, but for the second coat, I did one small area at a time, since I had to spray the blue patina solution while the second coat of paint was still wet.
I applied several coats of the blue patina to maximize the paint reaction.
My following step was simply watch the paint dry and achieve this beautiful effect while reacting with the blue patina.
When all was dry, I dry-brushed Modern Masters Silver paint on the entire piece. I did the same with the Bronze reactive paint because I wanted all colors showing at the same time.
An important touch was applying black glaze on top of the whole painted area. It helped blend all colors together, giving it a more uniform look. I used baby wipes to apply the glaze.


Finally I sealed the desk with Minwax Polycrylic spray, satin.


Here is a short video tutorial.
And this is the final result! Very unique, right? That is what I love about it.
Love the pop of teal!
I also changed the original pulls for these cool mercury glass pyramids.
Visit my blog post on this project to see many more pictures and also my other projects with metallic paint. And feel free to ask me any questions!
Pat Rios
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 4 questions
  • Jpe6057049 Jpe6057049 on Aug 13, 2016
    Where did you purchase the glaze ? Have been unable to find it
  • Paula Paula on Sep 03, 2016
    How much of the Modern Masters products does this piece take? I just paid $10 for a 4 oz bottle of glaze. Your work is beautiful!
  • Gyla Gyla on Sep 26, 2016
    What did she do with the drawer pulls, would like to buy them from her as I have a desk just like it that was my grandmothers. gdemetrak@yahoo.com
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