One Step Paint Tutorial

Amy Howard One Step Paint Tutorial – this paint is SO easy to use!

About a month ago, I bought a bench at an auction.

I bought it because I saw what it could be, and it had beautiful bones.  I knew I could fix the dark brown (cracked and peeling) faux leather cushion and the (chipping) finish.

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I recently spent some time in Memphis with the Amy Howard team.  I was excited to use what I had learned while there, and I gave the bench a makeover with Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint.

One Step Paint eliminates the need for sanding, stripping, and priming, and it has the chalky finish you know I love.   I cleaned my bench, and I was ready to paint!

One step paint is meant to be sheer, but you can add a second coat if you prefer complete coverage.  For my bench, I was looking for more of a washed look, so I painted only one coat of Atelier.

Although I eventually want to reupholster the bench seat (the faux leather is in bad condition), I decided to paint it as a temporary fix. I used the One Step Paint in Bauhaus Buff.  I stippled it on using a large round brush.

Since I wanted complete coverage, I added a second coat once the first coat was dry.  (I finished the seat by sealing it with antique wax, and the cushion was complete!)

In-between coats, it’s a good idea to cover your brushes to avoid drying them out.

To bring out all the details, I added gold gild to areas of the bench.

Once my paint was dry, I brushed on size, a special adhesive for the gold leaf.  I brushed it on using long clean strokes.  I waited until it came to tack – meaning it was sticky.  I waited around 15 minutes for it to come to tack, but it does depend on how thick you paint on the sizing.

The gold leaf comes in a booklet.  I cut my book in half so it was the right size for my piece, and I didn’t waste the leaf.

Applying the gold leaf takes a little practice, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes!

Pull the tissue back and while holding onto the tissue and the gold, turn it toward your piece and hold the end with your left hand and lay down firmly.

While holding the tissues – in place – rub your fingers back and forth – burnishing them into the surface.

When you pull up, pull the tissue away.  (When laying multiple pieces, do not try to match lines.  Overlap for full coverage.)

Take a rag, burnish it and clean it up really well.  Then, take steel wool and lightly rub it in one direction.  This allows for some of the paint to show through.

Once the gilding process is done, you can begin the waxing process.  Although One Step paint doesn’t require sealing, I used light wax to give my piece some age.

I put my brush into the wax and offloaded it to get the wax even on my brush.

Next,  I went over the entire piece and allowed it to dry for around 20-30 minutes.  Once dry, I did the same process with the dark wax.

The dark wax is what makes the piece look aged.  Place it where the piece would have gotten age and wear – the top of the piece, around the hardware (if it has any), legs, arms – anywhere your hands would go!

Once the waxing process is complete, I used Dust of Ages powder.  This powder gets in the crevices and gives your piece an authentic old look.

I dipped my brush in the Dust of Ages and pounced it on – getting it in the crevices.

Using a clean rag, lightly buff to get the patina.

And my bench makeover was complete!

I now have an elegant bench (that looks to be a fine antique!) at the end of my bed.

You can find Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint at Ace Hardware and on their website by clicking HERE. I hope this Amy Howard One Step Paint Tutorial was helpful!

Go create something!

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*This post contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post through Amy Howard at Home. I received compensation in the form of product in exchange for my review. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own.