Crackle Glaze

Are you one of those people who are always looking for cheap ways of improving your home? As well as being cheap, does it need to be dead easy too? If that just about sums you up, crackle glazing may well be worth considering. If you've somehow managed to miss every DIY and makeover show that's ever included crackle glazing (if you did, please let the rest of us know how you managed it), I'll tell you quickly that it's a method used to make furniture and other small items appear older than they are.  As the name suggests, the paint appears to be crackled with age.

I've used this technique on two or three pieces of furniture and a handful of small items, so I know it works. The only reason I stopped doing it was because it started to remind me of what I saw in the mirror every morning. Too many fine lines!

Assuming that you've spent the last 5 years in the country that probably shows more DIY programmes in a month than any other European country shows in a year, you'll have seen crackle glazing and would be excused for thinking that I'm going to tell you about the kits that are sold in DIY stores. I'm not though. This is the "old-fashioned" way of doing it. It's just as easy and looks more authentic. It's probably cheaper too, because the varnish can be used for lots of different jobs whereas the kits are for crackle glazing and crackle glazing only.

Here's what you need:

Primer (if your surface needs one) One pot of paint (emulsion or oil-based) One pot of water based varnish (acrylic) One pot of oil based varnish Paint brushes (size depends on what you're painting) Artists oil for highlighting the cracks White spirit 2 cotton rags

Here's what you do:

1. Prime and paint the surface to be crackle glazed and allow to dry. If you're only painting a small item, a tester pot or two will probably be enough.

2. The first varnish to use is the oil-based one. You might need to use a little white spirit to thin it out because you'll need a thin, even layer.

3. When the first layer is still slightly tacky, probably about 1 , 2 hours after coating, you will need to apply a coat of the water-based varnish. This coat must be thick!

4. As the varnish dries you'll notice the cracks starting to appear. The reason this happens i