How to do a Gilded Gold Finish - Quick and Easy

My sister, Rhonda, found some shelves on sale at Hobby Lobby but they didn't match.  One was white and one was a brass color.  She wanted to give them to my niece, Ashlee, to use on a wall together, so I redid them with a quick gilded gold finish.  First of all, I took two colors of Modern Masters paint.  I used Pale Gold and Blackened Bronze.  I took a paint brush and dabbed both of these colors onto the shelves to make some highlights and low lights.

Next, I sprayed the shelf with spray adhesive.

After that dried about one minute, I took gold metallic paper, and pressed it onto the shelf in a random pattern.  The metallic transfer paper will adhere to the high spots and create a genuine metal effect.  The paper can be found at Wonderfaux Studio in Stafford, Texas.  They have several different colors to choose from, and the roll runs around $24.00, but will last FOREVER! 

It looked great like this, but I wanted more character, so I decided to accent the grooves by antiquing it with a water based product by Minwax purchased from Home Depot.  I like this product because it is water based and dries quickly; also clean up is a breeze.

You literally just have to slap it on and wipe it off!!!  It is THAT SIMPLE!

After it dried, I did spray a general clear coat on top of it just to improve durability and resist scratches.  This is how it turned out.  Luvitmeanit!











This can be done on any surface.  I would encourage you to step outside the box with this gold paper, try it on wood, or even glass.  I use it on walls quite a bit! 

This entire process took less than an hour, so it is a very basic beginner level project.

Happy gilding and always remember:

"Everything that glitters, is not gold."        Dan Seals