Crackle Painting Interior Trim and Moldings

Crackle painting is a faux finish painting technique that lends the patina of history to decorative items that aren’t actually so ancient. Tables, hutches and dressers have long been favorites for this quick and easy do-it-yourself project, but actually any painted surfaces in the home is a potential canvas for crackle paint. Interior trim and molding, including doors are a great place to add interest to your decor and create a unified theme with the use of crackle paint. Painting tasks of any sort can seem daunting to the uninitiated do-it-yourself-er. However, if decorative painting techniques like crackle painting were not a skill that’s pretty easy to acquire, you can be certain home improvement stores would not commit so much floor space to paint and finish products. In fact, your home improvement store is a great place to begin looking for inspiration. Visit the painting section and ask to be directed to the aisle that features faux paint finish products. Pick up a bunch of samples and take them home.

Select interior molding and trim surfaces you want to crackle paint. As with all faux finish techniques, a little crackle paint goes a long way. Choose one or two trim pieces to crackle paint as an accent. A single interior door, a fireplace mantle or the molding around the windows on a single wall, will look good with crackle paint; but crackle painting all the baseboards and crown moldings in a room may result in an overly busy cluttered effect.

Choose your colors. Your crackle painted interior trim or molding will have two colors, a top coat (the paint that is crackles), and an undercoat or “show through” color (the paint color that is revealed by the crackling of the top coat). For a bold effect you may want to choose an undercoat that contrasts with the topcoat. Conversely, a subtle effect is achieved by choosing under and topcoats that are close in color.

Crackle painted surface can look bold or subtle, depending upon the colors you choose. If you choose a trim or molding color that contrasts with the other colors in your room, the trim or molding will then be a key feature in the room. Be sure that is the effect you desire.

On the other hand a subtly distressed effect can be achieved by choosing crackle paint colors that match the other wall and trim surfaces in your interior. Try choosing same color top and undercoats that vary from each other by just a couple shades.

Choose your crackle paint product. All the crackle paint products in your home improvement or paint store are likely to provide a durable and aesthetically pleasing finish. The particular crackle paint product you choose will likely be determined by the available colors. Once you find the colors you like, make sure you choose product elements that are meant to work together. In other words, they should be made by the same manufacturer and should be recommended for use together.

Usually the undercoat is a standard interior latex paint, so the existing paint on your interior molding or trim may do fine. The top coat is also usually standard latex paint. It’s the crackling medium that is sandwiched between the two paint layers that creates the crackle paint effect. Flat or satin finish latex paint is often recommended.

After you think you’ve got everything you need, it’s a very good idea to ask for assistance from an in-store painting pro to make sure that you leave the store with all necessary supplies, including brushes, masking tape and drop cloths.

Prepare your surfaces. (Succumb to impatience by neglecting surface preparation and risk poor finished results and frustrating do-overs.) Sand any surfaces that are too rough to allow the proper crackling of your crackle paint product. Next, wipe down all surfaces to be painted with trisodium phosphate (TSP) to remove an oily residue and dust that will prevent the proper adhesion of the paint. Then wipe down again with clear water and allow to dry.

Mask off all adjacent surfaces you do not want crackle painted. This step is key to a professional looking crackle paint result. Do not skip masking unless you don’t mind uneven lines and also want to touch up a lot of over-painted spots. Use a high grade masking tape that removes smoothly (Nothing is more frustrating than picking away at bits and pieces of tape when you’d rather be enjoying your finished product.). A trick used by many decorative painters is to apply a very thin coat of clear drying acrylic over the edge of the masking tape (and allow it to dry) before beginning to paint the trim or molding. This prevents your decorative paint wicking underneath the masking tape.

Read the application instructions on the crackle paint product you are using. ch crackle paint product has its own recommended drying time and precise application technique. For optimal results, follow these as closely as possible.

And now the fun and easy part…

Apply the base color according to the instruction and allow to sit for the recommended drying time. Drying times for latex paints vary, but four hours is a typical minimum.

Apply the crackling medium. The method of application will affect your finished results. A directional crackling effect will be achieved by brushing on the crackling medium, while a more even crackling effect will result from rolling the crackling medium onto your surface.

Allow the crackling medium to dry. Again, drying times vary per manufacturer, but typically you need to wait at least one hour, but you must cover the crackling medium with the topcoat within a few days.

Apply the top coat. How thickly you apply the topcoat color to your trim or molding will affect the finished crackling effect. Thicker application of the topcoat will make for larger more dramatic cracks, while a thinner coat of paint will create smaller cracks. Manipulation of the paint as little as possible (as few brush or roller strokes as possible).

Remove the masking tape. Just a few minutes after applying the last coat of paint, remove the masking tape from around your trim or molding. Do not wait until the paint has dried completely; removing the tape while the paint is still wet will result less accidental peeling of your new paint from the molding or trim. Also, masking tape tend to adhere more strongly as with time, making removal more difficult.

Leave the painted surface undisturbed for the recommended drying time.

Finally, enjoy your beautiful crackle painted interior trim and molding, and start planning your next crackle painting project.