Step 1: Trims & Appliques
We began our latest art project with an undecorated cabinet made from MDF board as our blank canvas. Our first port of call was attaching WoodUbend trims to the top and bottom of our cabinet, starting with 0020IE.1 on the bottom edge. First, we thoroughly warmed the trim with a heat gun until it was flexible before cutting off an appropriately sized section. We did this due to how thick this specific trim is; it would have been very awkward to try and wrap it around our cabinet in one single application.
As we knew these sections of trim would need to form mitred joints on the corners, we cut them at a 45 degree angle. Next, we applied some WoodUbend WoodUglue to our surface, using a small paintbrush to spread it until the entire available surface was covered. After gently heating the WoodUglue with a heat gun to activate it, we pressed our trim down onto the surface. To complete the adhesion we then warmed the trim up once more in situ, before pressing it down again and wiping away any excess glue that leaked out with a wet paintbrush. As our trim wrapped around the bottom of our cabinet, there were two mitred corners where sections of our trim joined.
To make these corners perfect mitred joints, we first shaved off the excess trim with a knife. Then we sanded these corners down until we had created a natural looking smooth connection. Now our first trim was successfully adhered to our cabinet we moved on to attaching TR725. We, again, first heated our trim and applied WoodUglue but this time to the top edge of our cabinet.
As this trim was significantly thinner, it was easier to wrap around our cabinet so cutting sections out and mitring corners was not required this time. Once this trim was fully adhered to the surface, we simply cut off the unneeded excess and cut along the opening and hinges of the doors.
Our final step in this first stage of our art project was to attach the WoodUbend applique WUB1301. Following the same steps as our trim applications, we heated up and applied WoodUglue to three of our WUB1301 appliques. They were then attached to a different panel each, one applique being positioned on each side of the cabinet excluding the back side. As one of these was positioned in the centre of the front panel we also cut this down the middle to allow our doors to open.
Step 2: Painting & Athenian Plaster
Our next step was to paint our cabinet and start creating the textured effect we desired for this art project. We began by applying a base coat of Royal Green by Magic Paint to the entire surface of the cabinet. Once we had allowed this to dry, we decanted a few scoops of Posh Chalk Athenian Plaster into a convenient plastic tub and mixed in a few drops of the Posh Chalk Rich Ochre Colour Kick. Once this was thoroughly mixed we began dabbing it onto our surface with a sea sponge.
We did this one panel at a time, using a Posh Chalk Premium Finishing Trowel to flatten the coloured Athenian Plaster while it was still wet before moving onto the next panel. After we had completed this process on three of the panels and allowed our plaster to dry, we sanded down the panels first with sandpaper and then with a belt sander. This is to help create the polished textured effect we were aiming for.
Next we coloured some more Athenian Plaster, this time with the Posh Chalk Royal Indigo Colour Kick. This was layered on top of our previously applied Athenian Plaster in the exact same fashion, stopping to smooth out the coloured plaster with a finishing trowel as we went. Once our Royal Indigo Athenian Plaster had dried, we decided to polish the piece to create a textured and glossy finish. To do this we went over the entire piece using a belt sander.
Step 3: Detailing
Entering the final stage of our art project, we decided to create some shading. For this we selected the Posh Chalk Dark Brown Patina and began stippling it on around the appliques using a Posh Chalk Mouldings Brush. This technique and brush was used to ensure Patina got into all of the nooks and crannies of our applique. Once satisfied with the shading effect we had created, we then used a Posh Chalk Wax Extender Brush to apply a coat of Posh Chalk Patina Extending Wax to our piece. We began on the area we had applied patina earlier, to make the shading somewhat more subtle, before moving on to the rest of the cabinet.
This adds to the glossy finish we were creating as well as acting as an outdoor grade sealant which protects your piece from any elements it could be exposed to. We then wiped away any excess wax left on the surface with a cloth. The final step to complete this art project was to add some detailing. The Posh Chalk Pale Gold Patina was perfect for this, so we gently dry brushed it over the peaks of our mouldings and trims across the entire piece.
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