How to Age Hardware

I love chippy paint and rusted metal.  I love when copper turns that pretty greenish color. Do you?

I know I promised I’d share how to age hardware with you.

I know. It was a few weeks ago now.

Sorry about the wait!

Read on to see how I aged the hardware on this pretty dressing table. If you missed Gemma’s makeover click here.

Have you heard of Gilder’s Paste?  If you haven’t don’t worry.  I hadn’t until my friend Nancy down at the Sea Rose Cottage sent me a little tin to try.

It is a waxed based medium that comes tinted in a wide range of colors.  This one is called Patina and gives the look of aged copper.

You can see what the handles looked like before.  Gilder’s Paste can be used on a wide range of materials – metal wood, ceramics, polymer clay, candles, gourds and more!  You can also blend different colors together to get a different effect.

I was going to use my little brush.  The wax was quite hard when I opened the tin so I added a little mineral spirits to soften it up.

This was as easy as opening the can (almost).  All I did was take my pinky finger and apply over the hardware.

I really love working with my fingers when using gilding wax and gilder’s paste.  You don’t get any brush strokes either!  Although, my pinky was pretty green after!

I applied it unevenly so it looked like it aged over time.  I left them alone over night and then I put them on the English dressing table!  They look so pretty now. For added protection you can use a top coat.

Don’t you love when DIYs are easy?

Nancy has loads of Gilder’s Paste in stock and her shop is just so sweet if you live close enough for a visit.

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