Update those old brass or gold faucets, cabinet hardware or light fixtures with acrylic enamel paint either sprayed or brushed, creating dark, shiny finishes or antiqued finishes that let some of the brass or gold show through. The process is easy, involving light sanding, priming, sealing and painting. For dappled finishes or for light fixtures with complex parts, brush-on techniques afford more control. But spray paint is the simplest way to give brass or gold fixtures a brand new appearance. Follow all safety precautions when using spray paint.
Oil-Rubbed Bronze
Use spray paint in dark, red bronze to change a brass or gold faucet, giving it the appearance of oil-rubbed bronze at a shiny or satin finish. With a dressing table, a faucet in oil-rubbed bronze includes a tailored, clean-lined and antique appearance. Whether you want a shiny or satin sheen in oil-rubbed bronze, spray paint allows you produce a general, even complete, especially if you use a wire brush to remove imperfections prior to sanding. To paint without removing the fixture, mask the surrounding sink and vanity to protect it from stray paint.
Whitewashed Effect
In Shabby Chic-style rooms, light fixtures and complex dresser magnets in whitewashed brass or gold have an ethereal, vintage appeal. The whitewashed look is not difficult to accomplish by rubbing on white paint, then wiping some off fast. Opaque paint gathers from the recessed portions of the light fixture or hardware, while protruding details show glimmering bits of gold or brass. Whitewashing functions best with ornate fixtures, which have loads of recessed scrollwork where the paint tends to collect. Otherwise, create a whitewashed finish on a smooth surface with successive thin washes of white paint.
Gray-Wash Technique
For a softer look, coat decorated light fixtures in brass or gold with a matte gray wash. The sort of gray wash is dependent upon your fixture or cabinet knobs’ undertone and your room’s colour scheme. Brass is a yellowish gold, so a gray wash with purple undertones provides complementary contrast, as violet and yellow are situated across the colour wheel from one another, whereas paint washes in matte blue grey or green grey complement orange-gold light fixtures. A brass light fixture having a light, matte, warm-gray wash blends in rooms with earth tones.
Verdigris Patina
A matte, verdigris finish that simulates an old patina is simple to create on gold or brass light fixtures or cabinet hardware. By layering many different shades of turquoise, green and white paint after gently sanding the fixture, then flecking with copper, you build a complex matte finish to replace the gleaming gold or copper. Verdigris light fixtures harmonize in white kitchens or at rooms with a palette of charcoal grays with mint green accents.