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How to paint an Antique Gold Faux Finish

January 10, 2019 By Colleen Jorgenson 47 Comments

People often call me ‘creative’ however a lot of my ideas come from my custom clients. Like these gold frames. Today I’ll show you How to Paint an Antique Gold Faux Finish.

paint-antique-gold-finish
Project Nursery


My clients wanted to add some frames like these in an antique gold finish on the wall opposite the cherry blossom tree mural. So they showed me the above pic and say they’d looked everywhere for frames that match.

I can do that for you.

‘Where are you going to find the frames’, they asked in that perfect I’m-a-shopper-not-a-DIYer tone.

Thrift Stores!

Luckily I’d painted the safari mural for these clients before, so they trust me. Even with thrift-store-turned-gorgeous-antique-gold-frames for their baby girl.

paint-antique-gold-finish

Four trips to three different thrift shops, but I scored great frames at rock-bottom prices.

Wood, ceramic, metal, plastic and foam. Yes, foam. One of the scrolled oval frames is actually compressed foam.

How to Paint an Antique Gold Faux Finish

The first step is getting a pretty gold basecoat. But, like any other colors, there are many shades of gold.

paint-antique-gold-finish

Since I wanted to match their antique gold crib, finding the right tone of gold took a few attempts.

paint-antique-gold-finish
Spray painted gold

I thought I could get away with a basecoat of gold spray paint but the gold was too light and too . . . blah.

paint-antique-gold-finish

Rather than trying to find the right tone of gold in spray paint again, I grabbed a little bottle of Plaid’s Liquid Leaf. At Michael’s. With a 50% coupon.

paint-antique-gold-finish
Use old scruffy paint brushes

For Liquid Leaf, you’ll need old, scruffy brushes. Which I usually have a drawer-full. Or just buy some cheapies. Because – a) you won’t want to clean them – unless you happen to have paint thinner around, and b) you need to scrub the gold into all the scrolls and crevices.

paint-antique-gold-finish

Can you see the difference in tone? I bought Florentine Gold in the Liquid Leaf but it wound up a little to bronze-ish. Pretty, but I’m trying to match their crib.

I’ve put a Supply List with links to all of the products below this post.

Step 1 – Basecoat with Glorious Gold.

paint-antique-gold-finish

After all of that trial and error I finally landed on the perfect gold. Although Liquid Leaf would work too.

paint-antique-gold-finish
Glorious Gold by Americana

Americana Glorious Gold is the color I was going for in the first place but didn’t want to spend the time brushing it on.

Step 2 – Apply Burnt Umber in small areas

paint-antique-gold-finish
Apply Burnt Umber

We’re using Burnt Umber full strength, not in a glaze, so you want to work in smaller areas or it’ll dry too fast.

Step 3 – Wipe Burnt Umber off with soft towel

paint-antique-gold-finish

I used a paper towel but a soft rag would work also.

paint-antique-gold-finish

You’re wiping off the raised areas, allowing the brown paint to stay in the crevices.

Step 4 – Apply Floating Medium to raised areas

paint-antique-gold-finish

This step is to accentuate the gold on the raised areas which, in turn, accentuates the brown in the crevices.

paint-antique-gold-finish
Before Floating Medium

paint-antique-gold-finish
After Floating Medium

It’s a subtle difference in the photos but in person there’s a marked difference.

Step 5 – Seal with Matte Clear Coat Spray

paint-antique-gold-finish

If you seal with a glossy clear coat, the finish won’t look authentic. You could use a satin, if you can find one.

That’s it! The frame in the above pic is a foam frame. No lie! It’s compressed foam but now looks like a metal frame.

paint-antique-gold-finish


This frame shows the finish the best and how the frames now all match the antique gold baby crib.

paint-antique-gold-finish
Before & After

Now you know how to create an Antique Gold Faux Finish. It’ll work on items other than frames but the more detailed the better. You want to have raised areas and crevices to get the authentic look.

Let me know if you try this. I’d love to hear how it turned out!

Liquid Leaf
Scruffy paint brushes
Glorious Gold paint
Burnt Umber paint
Floating Medium
Krylon Matte Spray

Filed Under: Faux Finishes, Glazing, How To & PIY, Metallic Paint, Paint Metal, Paint Plastic, Paint Surfaces, Paint Types, Specialty Paints, Techniques, Tutorials

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    October 2, 2012 at 4:26 am

    This is great!!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing! Do you think i would be able to use acrylic paint over metal?

    Reply
  2. Colleen Jorgensen says

    October 2, 2012 at 4:33 am

    Acrylic paint, by itself, over metal will most likely flake or peel off. You can either a) prime the metal and/or b) seal it after you paint with lacquer. I’ve had pretty good luck painting on metal and sealing it with lacquer, even outdoors.

    Good luck!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    December 2, 2012 at 3:13 am

    from where I can buy the glorious gold paint, you mentioned in step 3?

    Reply
  4. Colleen Jorgensen says

    December 2, 2012 at 3:32 am

    You can find Americana “Glorious Gold” in most craft stores, as well as online.

    Reply
  5. Colleen Jorgensen says

    January 9, 2013 at 2:34 pm

    Do you want the wardrobe in antique gold or just to appear antiqued over a color? There are many great tutorials for antiquing furniture. I’d also recommend Miss Mustard Seed, who specializes in painting furniture. Hope this helps.

    Reply
  6. delena burrell says

    April 22, 2013 at 3:35 am

    Your picture frames look great! I am going to try this with some wood ornamental molding I am going to hang on the mantle above my fire place. I was wondering what if you could clarify what you meant by skip steps 1 & 2. Do you mean disregard using the michaels liquid leaf and the spray paint and just start with the American Glorious Gold. Also what is clear coat? Is that a specific type of spray paint?

    Reply
    • Gloria woodell says

      January 15, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      You have no idea how much I appreciate this blog… I have researched endlessly for a tutional directing me how to tone down the classic liquid gold. So looking forward wrapping up this project.

      Reply
      • Colleen says

        January 16, 2015 at 6:34 am

        Thanks so much, Gloria! Glad to be of help. You could also use a brown stain but I always have craft acrylics around.

        I can’t remember if I wrote this in the post or not (I’ll go check in a minute) but I’d add a spray sealer to your project. Depending on how much sheen you want – matte will tone it down a bit, satin probably the best choice, or you can always do high gloss too.

        Thanks again ~ Colleen

        Reply
  7. MC says

    May 7, 2013 at 8:16 pm

    Beautiful, and thank you for the detailed instructions.

    As with Delena’s question above, which sheen level of the Clear Coat is best for this application? e.g., gloss, satin, matt, or the one apparently that has no detectable sheen?

    thanks!

    Reply
  8. Colleen Jorgensen says

    May 8, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    @Delena, you could basecoat with Glorious Gold by itself but it would take quite a few coats. Spray paint or liquid gilding has better coverage but I prefer the color of Glorious Gold. So I’d still use either spray or gilding for the basecoat and then apply one coat of Glorious Gold.

    Reply
  9. Colleen Jorgensen says

    May 8, 2013 at 2:03 pm

    @MC, I’d use a satin clearcoat sealer. Gloss might work but it might appear too shiny. Satin would give just enough sheen, but not too much.

    Reply
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    June 13, 2013 at 10:58 am

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  11. Lisa Hodges says

    June 25, 2013 at 3:30 am

    thank you so much for sharing this. I’ve been looking and tried the “blah gold spray paint” adding some antique color and still not there. This is exactly what I’m looking for…now if I can find it by the quart:=)

    Reply
  12. leuis sera says

    August 12, 2013 at 8:16 am

    Amazing decorative ideas for antique gold frame, looking wonderful pictures of interiors as well as faux finishing techniques over gold frames i really amazed, i use to make it possible in my home to give decent look to wall.. ……

    Reply
  13. John marley says

    August 16, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Great post! I am actually getting ready to across this information, is very helpful my friend. Also great blog here with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the good work you are doing here. Plastic Coatings

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  16. Mandy says

    February 6, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    I love what you did with these frames. And your tutorial and instructions and photos are fantastic. I am a new follower because of this one post that I found on Pinterest. I am a stager/decorater and I am going to try this finish on a shiny brass chandy in a client’s dining room. I will first paint it with “Rub-n-Buff” (have you heard of this product. Gives shiny brass that Bronze look which is so popular now) and then I’ll add with a sponge/rag etc the gold, amber & floating medium. As it is not going get handled a lot I think it will look awesome! Thanks again for helping me out.
    Hugs
    Mandy

    Reply
  17. Teresa says

    June 26, 2015 at 6:24 am

    Thanks for this post! I am using the technique to improve a large bright garish gold mirror. I have a question: Should I be using the floating medium while the rest of the paint is wet or is it okay to wait till its dry?

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      June 26, 2015 at 12:00 pm

      Hi Teresa, you can try it both ways but I think using the Floating Medium while the burnt umber is a little wet will give you the best results. Otherwise it might look like the paint has flaked off rather than “rubbed” off in an aged way.

      You can also mix the medium into the burnt umber paint, work in small areas and wipe off the high parts.

      Let me know how it turns out!
      ~Colleen

      Reply
      • Ann says

        November 11, 2015 at 10:26 am

        What is floating Medium? What does it do?

        Reply
        • Colleen says

          November 11, 2015 at 4:54 pm

          Floating Medium helps keep your paint “open”, meaning it doesn’t dry as quickly, which enables you to manipulate it longer. In this case, if you didn’t use it with the burnt umber you’d run the risk of pulling up some of the gold. However, if you work in small sections and wipe off quickly, you could do without the Medium.

          Hope this helps!
          Colleen

          Reply
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    May 8, 2016 at 7:17 pm

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  19. Heather Erskine says

    June 30, 2016 at 7:06 am

    HELLO…I’m following your instructions and finding them very helpful…I’m wondering how long do I wait between steps (i.e. how long for the gold leaf to dry etc). Also, you mention that floating medium helps to keep the paint open…does that mean you apply it right away after applying the umber?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      July 1, 2016 at 7:19 am

      Hi Heather, sorry that wasn’t clear in the tutorial. Let the basecoat (gold) dry thoroughly. The burnt umber you’re using as a glaze so I’d work in smaller sections, add the Floating medium to the raised parts and wipe off. You could also mix the paint with the medium but you won’t get the depth you get with full strength paint, which is what I wanted.

      Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help further.

      Colleen

      Reply
      • Julie says

        August 13, 2023 at 8:54 pm

        Hi Colleen! So just to clarify: In small sections at a time, the burnt umber is applied all over as a glaze. While the burnt umber is still wet, the floating medium is added to raised areas. Then, both burnt umber + floating medium are wiped off, together? (And where is it wiped from — everywhere but recesses?)

        I can see that this wonderful post has been around for a while, so I appreciate any clarification! Thank you. Looking forward to trying this!

        Reply
        • Colleen says

          August 14, 2023 at 6:29 am

          Yes, Julie! You can also mix burnt umber with floating medium to form glaze for a lighter look. Have fun!

          Reply
  20. Char says

    September 14, 2016 at 9:44 am

    Hello,
    How long should I wait after applying the Burnt Umber to rub it off? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      September 18, 2016 at 3:36 pm

      Hi Char, sorry I took so long in getting back to you.

      I would work in smaller sections so the burnt umber didn’t get a chance to dry. Otherwise you might lift the gold too. You can always apply more layers if you want it darker, but you can’t remove it if it’s too dark.

      Reply
  21. Maria says

    June 18, 2017 at 2:27 pm

    Were any of your frames covered in a fake gold paper – that you could almost peel off? If so, what method did you use to refinish it?
    I bought a bunch of cheap hotel frames for their uniform sizes, but they are decorated in a shiny gold wallpaper-like cover!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      July 3, 2017 at 12:51 pm

      Sorry for taking so long to answer, Maria. No, none of these frames were covered in a fake gold paper so I didn’t have that problem. There are a couple of glue removers like Goof Off and Goo Gone that might be helpful, but I don’t really know.

      Let me know how they turn out, ok? Thanks!

      Reply
  22. Eva says

    January 5, 2020 at 9:14 pm

    I have 2 very large mirrors over my night stands. They have frames made of a hard plastic in white, and are very intricate.
    Was thinking of using gold spray paint, since they are shiny white and won’t hold acrylic paint. Could I antique them after I spray paint and put a clear finish on them?

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      January 6, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      Hi Eva, I’m guessing you could antique over spray paint on plastic. You might try a small portion first. I’d be only concerned about the paint lifting with too much rubbing. If that happens, I’d get a spray primer or paint + primer to apply first, then your gold and antiquing. Good luck!

      Reply
  23. Victoria says

    May 15, 2020 at 4:44 am

    Your instructions are totally confusing – as to what you used and what you did not use.

    Reply
  24. Rachael says

    September 26, 2020 at 2:45 pm

    Once upon a time I inherited 2 large, antiqued gold mirrors. I decided to paint one white for a more modern feel but almost instantly regretted it. I used your method of gold spray paint, gold acrylic paint, burnt umber, floating medium and satin spray sealer. I am so happy with the results! The two mirrors (1 made over twice, the other, untouched antiqued gold) look remarkably similar. The floating medium felt unnecessary to me, I wiped the brown off pretty quickly so it didn’t dry much in between. Thanks for the tutorial!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      September 26, 2020 at 4:28 pm

      I’m so glad it worked for you. Rachael!

      Reply
  25. Renate Darby says

    November 30, 2021 at 7:44 pm

    Thanks so much for this tutorial it was very helpful. I painted two matching mirror frames and they have turned out beautiful!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      December 1, 2021 at 7:36 am

      I’m so glad they turned out, Renate! I love hearing about people’s success stories. Happy holidays!

      Reply
  26. Kevin says

    December 15, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    Can you also suggest us some good paints for gold wood or golden furniture?

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      December 16, 2021 at 11:03 am

      I wish I could, Kevin. I’d check with paint stores to see what they recommend. Also check Pinterest out and see what bloggers have been using. I haven’t painted furniture in a number of years, sorry.

      Reply
  27. Nancy says

    July 30, 2023 at 2:45 pm

    Spent a Sunday afternoon using this technique on several thrifted frames as well as two faux architectural pieces originally meant to look like marble. Every piece came out great!
    The only thing I did differently was to mix the burnt umber craft paint with a black glaze from Folk Art called Cafe Noir. This helped to slightly darken the antique parts and give me a longer open time to apply and blend.
    The Glorious Gold was the key though – it’s gold enough and bright enough to make the finished product look really authentic. Great project!

    Reply
    • Colleen says

      August 3, 2023 at 6:27 am

      Oh, I love the idea of mixing the burnt umber with a cafe noir glaze! So glad you had fun!

      Reply

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    About Me

    Hi there! I'm Colleen, a self-taught artist, writer and blogger, among other things. You don't get to be old enough to order off the Denny's senior menu without accomplishing a few things in life. Read More…

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