Sometimes, you find a piece of furniture and love absolutely everything about it…except for one wee tiny thing! Which is what had me “silver leafing” the legs of this fabulous leather chair I found at Wicker Emporium.
While the wooden legs are fine…I’m a bit of a crow and SHINY things completely draw me in…and well, since my new couch has silver legs…I wanted the chair to have them too!
Plus, Silver (or Gold) Leafing is EASY…it’s messy and sometimes a bit frustrating…but still, it’s rather simple. That is, IF YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT SILVER LEAF IS A LOT LIKE GLITTER AND WILL END UP EVERYWHERE!
Anyway, despite the little mess I made…it’s still completely worth it as, in the end, I have these perfect silver feet on a chair that to me, took it from awesome, to spectacular!
Here’s how it works.
Step 1 – Gather Supplies:
With my project in mind, I headed to the craft store to purchase the supplies I needed…specifically Silver Leaf Sheets, Adhesive and Spray Sealer.
Knowing the mess it could involve (as I’ve gold leafed things in the past), I covered my work surface with paper and then gathered a few other items I’d need including the chair legs, brushes…and of course a cup of tea.
Step 2 – Apply Adhesive:
This should be simple…right? All I had to do was apply adhesive with a sponge brush to the four sides of the chair legs and then wait for it to get tacky (about 30 minutes or until it’s no longer milky white.)
However, I realized after the first leg had all sides painted with adhesive, that I needed somewhere to put it as it would stick to the paper I was using to protect my desk surface if I laid it on its side. So, I ingeniously found a box and shoved the screw part of the chair leg through the cardboard so it could stand on its own to dry!
Unfortunately, during the “shoving” part…I accidentally tipped over the adhesive!
Sooooo….a quick cleanup, followed by a reassessment to add paper towels to the material list in Step 1…
Followed by a wee tea break to regroup!
Step 3 – Apply Silver Leaf:
Once the adhesive is tacky, take out a sheet of silver leaf and with the silver side towards the project, press the paper onto the item you’re leafing using a NEW brush (don’t use the old one you used for the adhesive…TRUST ME on this!)
Rub firmly against the paper backing so as much of the leaf as possible will be adhered to the adhesive.
Step 4 – Remove Backing and Brush off Excess
Carefully peel off the backing and using your brush, press in any loose bits and wipe off the excess.
As it is whenever I’ve used silver leafing, not all spots will be covered…but, use your brush to continue to place silver onto the spots where the silver didn’t adhere and eventually (albeit a little frustrating), the entire piece will be covered with silver!
As will your fingers!
Step 5 – Seal the Project
Once you’ve gotten the silver to cover the entire project, spray your project with the silver sealant and VOILA…you have silver legs!
And silver fingers, silver stuck on the floor, a silver tea-cup, silver on your pants and a little on your shoes.
BUT…you’ll also have shiny new silver chair legs that would make any crow happy!
Nicely done!