Creating A Modern Farmhouse Technique Blending Stain and Scumble Glaze

This antique school desk, charming as it was, did not fit the Modern Farmhouse Style of the home in which it resided. A new paint finish was in order. After a good cleaning, we discovered the wood pieces were not only screwed in place…but also glued to the cast iron legs. For this reason, disassembling and staining the wood was not an option. To capture the Modern Farmhouse design aesthetic, we decided to paint the desk a neutral paint color and add dimension by blending Stain and Scumble Glaze.

We used the Artisan Enhancements Round Brush to apply quick, full coverage, of fresh black paint on the cast iron pieces. Various small brushes like the Artisan Enhancement Small Round were needed for precision painting where the cast iron met the wood and intricate iron details.

After applying our first coat of grey paint to the wood, we noticed some areas where old ink from the desk’s former life was bleeding to the surface of the paint.? Before applying a second coat of paint, we decided to apply a couple coats of Clear Topcoat Sealer to combat additional bleeds. We applied a thin coat of Clear Topcoat Sealer to the areas with bleeding, followed by a second coat 24 hours later. We allowed the sealer to cure for a few days before proceeding with additional paint layers for extra peace of mind. With the help of Clear Topcoat Sealer thankfully the second coat of paint showed no signs of ink bleeding.

Artisan Enhancements Scumble is a versatile product that can be tinted to create any color of custom glaze. Scumble has an extended open time, allowing painters to manipulate the paint finish effectively without fear of the product drying before they have achieved the technique.? Scumble can be tinted with Stains, tints, and paint. For technique, we opted to use a layered combination of stain and Scumble tinted with Paint. Since Bio Savvy stains were formulated to work with Artisan Enhancements products and a variety of paints, the combination worked seamlessly.

We tinted our Scumble Glaze with a taupe colored paint. The ratio to create the tinted Scumble mixture was approximately 5 parts Scumble, mixed with 1 part paint. We filled a second dish with Stain in Ebony straight from the container. For this technique, we found a flat chip brush worked well to create the mottled blended finish. We dipped our brush alternatively into the stain and glaze, brushing in a linear pattern and overlapping as we went.

We used just one brush and did not rinse in between products, allowing the two to intermingle, blend, and meld together. Scumble glaze has an extended open time which gave us the ability to work and rework the finish until we had achieved our desired custom blended finish.

After giving our blended finish ample dry time, we applied a thin coat of Clear Topcoat Sealer with our Topcoat Brush. After a full 24 hours, we applied a second thin coat. The Clear Topcoat Sealer was applied to both the wood and cast iron pieces of the desk.

This old desk is so much more suitable to a Modern Farmhouse now! We are certain that it will be used and enjoyed for many more years to come.

Do you have a furniture piece or accessory that would lend itself well to this blended technique? How about a table top or dresser front? We hope you’ll give it a try!

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