Gold Leafing is one of the most beautiful and realistic finishes to real gold. Metallic Spray paint doesn't compare to the luster that gold leaf can give to a piece of furniture, picture frame or chair. When I started out gold leafing, I found it quite frustrating, time consuming and costly that I didn't enjoy it much. After only a couple projects I threw it aside and went back to spray painting again. I picked it up again after several months, and tried a new product, and it was so much easier, that if I need a leafing project done, it is usually done quickly.
Beautiful French Bed By Indeed Stock
Here is the product difference.-----> Mona Lisa Leaf has a brand called "Simple Leaf" where the sheets are the same micro-thin sheets that you would get in other brands except the leaf sheets are bonded to wax paper. I find that once my item is sprayed, and and the glue has set and is ready to bond, that I use a paint brush on the wax side of the leaf. It is a forceful way of getting the leaf into the hard to get ornate details of my chair or picture frame.
Simple Leaf Leafing Sheets 5.5''x5.5''-Gold
In the past, I would waste a lot of gold leaf, where as with the wax, I am able to use up pretty much the entire leaf without waste. With other brands, you are always trying to collect the fly-away scraps of leaf, where as the excess leaf will remain on the wax paper for future use! Leaf is composed of copper and zinc, and will tarnish with age if not sealed.
If you want a fast inexpensive way of gold finishing try the Rost-oleum Bright Reflective spray paint. I use it as an undercoat to all my gold leafing.
I also have been impressed with the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen. The paint is very realistic to gold, and holds a nice shine. I have tried so many gold paints, and it seems to be rather nice to work with.
Another brand I am wanting to try is Rust Oleum's Automotive Gold Spray Paint. It looks interesting. I wonder if the finish is formulated to be stronger?
I haven't tried the Krylon Short Cuts Aerosol Paint 3 Ounces - Gold Leaf , but it looks promising.
Dupli-Color Instant Gold Spray Lacquer, is another brand I have not tried either, but looks interesting.
I have tried the Mona LISA Adhesive Pen, and I would NOT suggest it. I find that the spray has always worked quite nicely. I have not tried the brush on glue, but I hear it works nicely.
Another brand I have been impressed with is the "BEST" brand spray paint.
The Gilded Room: Decorating with Metallic Effects, from Metal Leaf to Powders, Pastes and Paints
Gold Leafing Tips- Neoclassical French Gold Urn
One finish that perplexed me for the longest time is how to achieve an antique finish like the Urn pictured above, until I started experimenting with oil finishes.
To achieve this look, I often take a brush and dip it in black oil paint, and then wipe off the entire brush well, leaving vertually no paint on the brush. Then, as you brushing it over the gold, it will leave lines like the urn in the picture. You can use a dark red oil paint, as well as brown oil paint for a antique look following the same technique. It is just another way of adding depth to your French styled furniture.
