Mod Living Room, The

Metallic-leaf Stripes On Glass

Tools And Materials Needed

• Glass tabletop
• Bendable Tape
• X-acto Knife
• Aquasize
• Different colours of Metallic Leaf
• Foam Brush
• 1-inch Artist's Brush
• Softener
• Clear Spray Varnish
• Plastic Drop Sheets
• Low-tack Tape

Getting Started

1. Remove the glass tabletop, and place upside down on a flat surface. Wash and dry the glass.
2. Measure an area in the center of the tabletop to the size you want and mask it off with low-tack tape. Using the bendable tape, create curving lines and waves down the length of the box, at approximately 1.5-inch distances from each other. Press the tape down firmly.
3. Apply the aquasize with a foam brush or foam roller all over the exposed glass inside the rectangle box. It will go on milky and is ready when the surface has gone clear and is tacky to the touch.
4. Take different colours of metallic leaf (we used silver, gold, and green) and break them into pieces then mix them together in one bag. Cover the aquasized area with the mixture. Pat down with your dry, clean fingers and a clean dry natural bristle paint brush. Let dry.
5. Brush off the excess pieces with a softener brush, so that the surface is smooth and flat. Brush lightly in one direction to keep the excess from flying all over the place.
6. Take the glass outside. Attach plastic drop sheets to any exposed glass outside of the leafed box with low-tack tape.
7. Wearing a face mask, spray varnish the leafed box with several coats of clear varnish, drying in between coats. Let dry properly.
8. Using an X-acto knife, score all of the edges of the tape, so that when you lift it up, it won't pull the varnish and the metallic leaf up with it.
9. After the scoring is completed, very carefully pull the tape back off of the glass. Pulling the tape back on itself will avoid lifting any excess off.
10. Carefully clean the glass, removing any residue of tape adhesive and scraping any aquasize or varnish off that snuck under the tape. Put the glass top back on the table.