How to white glaze furniture

I don’t think we’ll ever tire of refinishing Malcolm furniture! Stuart had to head out pretty late one evening and drive over an hour to make sure we got this beautiful buffet by Malcolm Fine Furniture. I’m not sure if he did it for me or for Malcolm! After painting this piece we felt it needed something a little extra special. Our choice? White furniture glaze. Glazing furniture is a fast and easy way to add character and dimension to painted furniture. Below we share with you the simple steps to follow to apply glaze to furniture.

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The before

Here is the before shot of the buffet. Dated but so much potential! The lattice details really makes this piece special.

The process – how to glaze painted furniture

Step 1 – prep your furniture

It doesn’t matter what type of paint you plan on using, you need to properly prepare your furniture first if you want your paint job to last. We always clean with TSP, sand lightly and wipe away all dust with tack cloth. If you are using latex paint, you should also do a coat of primer. You can read more about our painting technique here.

Step 2 – paint your furniture 

You can use any paint that suits your fancy. Here we used a blend of Little Lamb, Homestead Blue and Goddess Ashwagandha by Fusion mineral paint to paint the piece. We love using mineral paint because it doesn’t require a primer or a sealer (although we occasionally spot prime if there are bleeding issues). Paint as many coats as it takes to get full, even coverage. We only needed two coats with this piece (did I mention we love mineral paint? Read more about why here). 

Step 3 – lightly distress your furniture with sandpaper

Using a medium grit sandpaper, gently sand the corners and edges of the piece. The idea is to sand where the piece would naturally get worn out over time (corners and edges). 

Step 4 – mix glaze

We use a clear glaze and add paint to it to make any color we want. Using a spoon and an old bowl, mix a little paint in with the glaze. A good ratio to start with is four parts clear glaze to one part paint. 

For this piece we added white mineral paint to the glaze. Using a lighter glaze accents the details of the piece while giving it a more light and airy feel. 

Step 5 – apply the glaze

Use a paint brush to apply the glaze the same way you would paint. Make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies! Use a lint free cloth to wipe back all the excess glaze. You basically try and wipe most of it off leaving just hints behind. This part is fun! Experiment until you get the exact look you want!

The glaze extends the time you have to work with mix before it starts to dry but you should still only work in small sections at a time. 

Step 6 – dry (and sometimes seal)

If you used a paint that doesn’t require any top coat, you’re done! Just let that baby dry. If you used paint that does require sealing, your final step is to seal the piece once the glaze has fully dried.  

Pro tip: if you’re using a porous paint, like chalk paint, and you want less glaze to seep into you paint coat, seal it before you apply the glaze.

The after

Glazing furniture is a great way to make a piece feel more rich and give it more life. I particularly love white furniture glaze because it gives your piece a lighter feel but is more subtle than a straight whitewash. 

We refinished the top of the buffet using Fusion’s Stain and Finishing Oil in driftwood. 

Do you prefer using glazes or waxes to add dimension to your painted furniture? What to you think of white furniture glaze? We’d love to hear what you think about glazes and this furniture makeover in the comments below!