"Actually, I think my father got me interested in gold leafing," Stacy Cohen says. "He would go to flea markets and bring home old picture frames. Gold leafing is simply the best way to refurbish an old frame -- instantly." Stacy begins by painting and sizing a frame she is going to gold leaf. She paints the frame to smooth the finish, and then applies a sizing, which allows the gold leaf to adhere to the frame. Adding a slight tint to the sizing will allow you to see how thoroughly the sizing has been applied. After the frame is prepared, Stacy begins applying the gold leaf with a Chinese wash brush (figure A). Stacy says you should look for the softest brush you can find to apply the leaf. (Don't worry about cracks or small holes in the leafing, you can go back and reapply small pieces of leaf once you have covered the entire frame.) Stacy recommends that after you have applied the gold leaf to the project, you burnish it with a woman's nylon (figure B). Take a stocking and make it into a ball, then gently rub the leafing. The nylon will take out the wrinkles and leave the gold leaf shinning. At this point, you can either apply a clear polyurethane to help preserve the leafing, or decide to age the finish. If you choose to age the leafing, prepare a mixture of 50 percent polyurethane and 50 percent black or asphalt colored acrylic paint (figure C). Before applying the mix you will want to distress the surface by actually pulling up tiny pieces of the leafing. To do this, apply mineral spirits to a cloth and rub down the entire surface of the frame. This will also reduce the leaf's shine. Then apply the mix polyurethane and paint with a brush. Use a cloth to remove excess mix and allow the frame to dry. You can also create an aged look to frames by painting the frame prior to applying the sizing. Stacy demonstrates this technique for us by applying white and rust paints to a section of molding. After the paint has dried, she applies sizing and the gold leaf. Again, she uses a cloth and mineral spirits to distress the surface, pulling up small pieces of the leafing to expose the painted surface beneath. Stacy says that gold leafing is a great do-it-yourself project. "Experiment a little before you take on your first frame," advises Stacy. She uses scrap molding and small wooden florets to try out new ideas. Stacy also reports that you can save money by purchasing the leafing from sites on the Internet.
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