Color Wash and Other Advanced Painting Techniques with Fusion

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Flipping furniture for profit means staying on top of your furniture painting game, so that you can create pieces with depth and character as well as variety.

Because Fusion is a newer paint line, I’ve been asked by several people if you can play around with Fusion Mineral Paint as much as you can with chalk paint, and the answer is YES!

This past Monday, I hosted a “de-minar” for the dealers at my antique mall to show them how Fusion works. I wanted to make sure they knew that same the advanced finishing techniques you can use with chalk paint can also be used with Fusion.

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I get bored quickly with plain old painted pieces, so I need a paint that can be messed around with . . . Thankfully Fusion has all of the same “playing around with” capabilities as chalk paint 🙂

The top half of my Advanced Techniques display board shows my super quick attempt a creating a faux verdigris look with layers of Fusion paint and some Copper Tinting Kit.  It’s not perfect, but for a first try I think it looks pretty cool.  The bottom of the board shows 3 different techniques–a wax resist, a color wash, and dry brushing.

Wax Resist Technique

The base coat of all three was Fusion’s dark gray, Bedford.

Wax resist paint technique

A little bit of candle wax rubbed onto the Bedford, then a quick topcoat of Fusion Homestead Blue produces the wax resist look.  The top layer of paint resists sticking to the places where there is candle wax and flakes off easily when sanded with a fine grit sandpaper.

Color Wash & Dry Brush Technique

Color-wash and Dry-brush Painting for Furniture

The left is a color wash, with a coat of watered down Homestead Blue painted on then wiped immediately off with a rag.  On the right, I dry-brushed Homestead Blue onto the Bedford to make an aged, primitive look.

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Color Wash Process

I promised to tell you more the other day about how I used a color wash with Fusion to make my display color chart. You will be amazed and just how easy it is to do.

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Here’s my piece of plain plywood, stained with one coat of Minxwax I had on hand.  Is this plywood looking familiar to anyone?  It’s just a leftover piece I had in my garage from my DIY faux wood plank floor I made for my booth space.

After the stain dried, I watered down some Fusion Casement (which is their pure white), and brushed it on . . . or rather my son brushed it on.

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Yes–my garage is a mess.  Yes–his shirt is on backwards.

After covering the whole plank with paint, we each got a rag and wiped away, which left this great, gray, weathered finish:

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It’s very Restoration Hardware-ish, don’t you think?

See, it really is that easy!

So have no fear, you can play with Fusion just like you are used to playing with your other furniture paints. The big upside though of using Fusion instead of your chalk paint is that even when using these techniques, you still get the great built-in finish and durability that comes from the acrylic resin in Fusion–remember, no waxing required!

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Linking up to:  Fridays Unfolded,   Feathered Nest Friday

michelle

Thursday 10th of November 2016

I ordered the sterling color and it is a bit light, Can I add a bit of black paint to the fusion mineral or will it ruin the finish? thanks in advance

kim

Friday 22nd of January 2016

How much water did you add To how much paint for the color wash process

thanks Kim

Melanie

Friday 22nd of January 2016

You can add however much or little water you want really Kim. The less you add the more intense the color, the more water the lighter the color. I always start with less then add water until I get the level of color I want. Then brush on, and wipe off the excess.

Laurie McKenna

Thursday 26th of March 2015

Looks great!

If you don't have to wax after painting with Fusion will you still get a sheen on your piece like you do with wax?

Melanie

Thursday 26th of March 2015

Hi Laurie. Fusion dries to a smooth, satin finish, which is pretty comparable to a chalk painted piece that has been waxed. If you want to add more sheen you can add a way or poly topcoat to the Fusion, it's just that it's not necessary to seal and protect the paint. With chalk paint, if you don't seal it with wax you risk staining the paint or having the paint rub off with any liquid that touches it. Fusion seals itself, so you can enjoy its the matte satin finish as is or add more sheen to your preference. It's nice to have the choice :)

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