Learn How to Use Powder Glaze on Furniture the Easy Way

Do not be intimidated by powder glaze anymore!! Learn how to use powder glaze to take those furniture pieces from Drab to Fab, with this easy guide.

Learn How to Use Powder Glaze on Furniture the Easy Way

Powder glaze is a unique painting media and technique. Powder glaze can be used on cabinets and furniture. In the world of DIY and painted furniture, professionals are always searching for ways to make pieces stand out from the rest. The key component to powder glazing is to use a paint that will not soak up the glaze. That means any latex/acrylic based paint is best used for powder glazing.

Don’t worry friends that doesn’t mean you have to give up your beloved chalk style/milk style paints. For or THIS particular technique it’s better to keep those products on the shelf. Trust me I tried chalk paint with it, it was a total bust. Powder Glaze CAN be brushed on. I actually brushed it on for my first few pieces. Now I spray it for a more even and efficient layer of glaze.

Examples of Completed Powder Glaze Pieces

The following pieces were all painted with General Finishes Chalk Type Paint in Slate Grey. I then sealed it will a gloss polyacrylic. After it was fully dry I applied the white glaze by hand with a brush. I let the glaze dry and set before I used a green finishing pad and 0000 steel wool to remove the dried powder glaze. It is the same process as sanding a piece but this will remove the glaze in places you want it gone. While also allowing you to leave it in places you want it to stay.

This can get messy so make sure you are in an area that you don’t mind getting dirty. After the finishing pad I then wiped the piece down with a dry cloth and also blew of the dust and excess with my air compressor. Once I was satisfied with the glaze and where it was and how it looked, I sealed it with a spray polyacrylic. This should be the final step, you will want to let the piece cure properly before you use/sell or return the piece to its final destination.

The second piece is a vanity that was painted in General Finishes Rembrandt Red I used the black powder glaze on this piece and used the same exact steps as before. This process is fairly simple but it can get messy and you need to make sure you use protective gear, the glaze can be unsafe to inhale as well as the dust. So with any project you are doing, make sure you are using the proper safety equipment.

Powder Glaze Step-by-Step

Now that I have explained the process a little and showed some examples I am going to do a step by step with you.

First and foremost you want to make sure you prep your piece properly, this is key in the painted furniture business. You can find how I prep my pieces in this blog post Prepping Furniture for Painting.

This post contains a few affiliate links to help you find the products I use. You are not charged extra to use any of the links, but any income I make will be used to keep on creating!

Things you will need:

1. Brush or Paint Sprayer

2. Powder Glaze (I purchase mine from HGH Hardware)

3. Latex/Acrylic Based paint for your base coat

4. Gloss Sheen Polycrylic (This is to seal the base coat before the powder glaze)

5. Green 3M Pads or 000/0000 Steel wool

6. Your choice of polycrylic for sealing once complete it (you are brushing you can get a can of it)

7. Mask

8. Gloves

9. Drop Cloth

Let’s Get Started on Powder Glaze!

Step 1: Prepping the piece: You can see exactly how to prep a piece in this blog post Prepping Furniture for Painting

Step 2: Base coat of paint. (either brushed or sprayed) Let the paint fully dry before you move on.

Step 3: Seal the base coat with a gloss (this is my preference I feel like it makes it easier for the powder glaze to come off), if you are using a sprayer you will not need to dilute, if you are brushing everything make sure you get a nice even coat on the piece. if you are brushing you can brush this coat of sealer on, you do not have to spray it, although it may be faster.

Step 4: Powder Glaze! Powder glaze is veryyyyyy thin so if you are spraying there is no need to dilute, if you are brushing it will require patience, you are going to want to be conservative with your glaze you CAN lay the piece on its back as to avoid dripping and rotate the piece around in the same fashion once each side dries. Glaze is water based so you can rub it off with a rag with water or scrub it off once it dries if you do get runny spots, so don’t sweat it too much.

Once you have put your coat of glaze on, walk away let it dry. If you live in a dry climate and its warmer you may only need to wait a short time. Your climate will dictate drying time. You will know when it is dry because it turns into a powdery film that is easy to rub off.

Step 5: The messy part! Scrubbing off the glaze. This is totally up to you as far as how little or how much you scrub off. You want to use a green 3M pad or steel wool, be careful not to press too hard or you will get a distressed look. Make sure you take a dry towel or air blower and get ALL the excess powder off.

Step 6: Final Sealer. You MUST spray this part. So whether you use a can or sprayer you want this part to be sprayed. Using a brush will just muddy up your glaze and that is not what we want.

Step 7: Stand Back-Check Out The Awesomeness You Just Created!!

Final Product

I sealed my coat of the pink glaze and repeated the process with a white powder glaze to add depth to this piece. I painted the hard ware copper and added copper leafing. ENJOY 🙂