• Antiques can qive a house or a room a sense of character.antique hand painted dining chair image by James Phelps from Fotolia.com
  
  Antique glazing is a term which refers to taking a piece of new furniture and distressing it to replicate the look of age and wear that many antiques and vintage pieces of furniture have. Techniques and materials for this vary from the exotic such as blowtorches used to burn the edges of wood doors and cabinetry to the ordinary such as chains used to beat pieces of wood to make them look more distressed.
  
  

Antique Glazing a Chair

• On chairs the arms are subjected to the most contact with and friction from the repeated rubbing and use of human arms. To replicate this look of wear and use in a newer chair, an antique glazing technique is to use a sander to round down the edges and finish of the arms. A permanent marker with an ultra-fine tip can also be used on legs and arms to mimic the look of stress fractures and cracks that come naturally with an aged piece of furniture.
  
  

Paint Glaze and Sanding

• An antique finish can also be achieved using paint glaze in combination with other antiquing techniques. Glazes which are generally clear mediums can be mixed with a small amount of brown and applied to a wooden piece to add a patina that comes with age. Additionally, use a variety of tools such as a knife to round down edges or a nail or screw driver to add faux insect holes to wooden furniture for a more believable antique finish.
  
  

Creating Homemade Paint Glaze

• According to the Home Institute, the best homemade glaze results can be achieved by combining three parts of paint with one part matte varnish and a small amount of oil glaze. Different glaze applications have different color guidelines. The Home institute recommends that when antiquing natural woods -- those which don't have a previous coat of paint -- earth tones such as burnt umber, raw umber, raw sienna, burnt sienna, and yellow ocher provide the best antique finish. Alternatively, when antiquing a black piece of furniture, brown or gray tinted glaze yield the best results.
  
  

Crackling

• Crackle varnish technique also creates a convincing antique finish. There are many crackling products available both at online retailers and at areas craft stores. The varnish is applied using an ordinary soft brush and allowed to dry for one to two hours. A crackle medium is then applied on top of the varnish which causes it to lift and crack in some areas replicating the effect of varnish that has been aged and weathered. These cracks can be filled with paint or left natural according to personal preference.