How to Crackle Paint Interior Trim and Molding

If you think the trim and molding in your house looks too new for its surroundings or if you just want to give your trim and molding a new look, try crackling them. Crackling is a faux-painting technique that uses paint and a glaze medium to create multiple cracks in a painted surface, thereby giving that surface a weather, age-old look. You can achieve the same look on your home’s trim and molding in a few easy steps.

First, gather all the materials that you will need to crackle your trim and molding: a can of latex paint for your base coat, a bottle of antiquing or color-tinted glaze for your topcoat if you plan on using a porcelain crackle medium, a can of flat paint for you topcoat if you plan on using any other type of crackle medium, crackle medium, paintbrushes, a paint tray or trays, painter’s tape, drop cloths, spackle, a spatula, a can of clear acrylic topcoat, and a fine grit sandpaper.

Next, if the trim and molding have already been installed on your walls, use the painter’s tape to tape off the adjoining area and to thus keep the paint and crackle medium from marring your wall’s current finish. If your trim and molding hasn’t been installed, either install it or lay it down on a drop cloth, a length of butcher’s block paper, or newspaper to paint. Fill any imperfections in the trim and molding with spackle. Allow the spackle to dry and then sand smooth with fine-grit sandpaper. Wipe all dust and dirt from the trim and molding. If a wet cloth is used for cleaning, allow the trim and molding to dry.

Then apply your base coat of paint. For a dramatic effect, pick a contrasting color from your topcoat of paint. For a more subtle effect, choose a shade several shades lighter or darker than the topcoat. Allow the base coat to dry thoroughly.

Now apply your crackle medium. There are several different types of crackle medium available. The first is a store-bought porcelain crackle medium like Lowe’s Valspar Porcelain Crackle Glaze or Anita’s Fragile Crackle. Porcelain crackle glazes stimulate the effect of time on painted porcelain by creating finely lined cracks in the paint. Initially, apply the porcelain crackle glaze to your trim and molding by using a paintbrush and an overlapping X pattern. Then apply more glaze by brushing the medium in the direction of the trim’s grain. The idea is to make the coat of glaze as even as possible before it dries.

The second type of crackle medium is a weathered crackle medium like Lowe’s Valspar Weathered Crackle Glaze, the Home Depot’s Behr Premium Plus with Style Crackle, or Sherwin-William’s Illusions Faux Finish Crackle Medium. Whereas porcelain crackle mimics the effect of time on painted porcelain, weathered crackle imitates its effect on painted wood. Apply an even coat of the weathered crackle glaze to your trim or molding with your paintbrush, being sure not to overwork it. Your topcoat of paint will crackle in whichever direction you brush the glaze, so it’s best to follow the lines of the trim and molding. Unlike porcelain crackle glaze, which can dry overnight, weathered crackle glaze should only be allowed to dry two to four hours before the topcoat is applied.

The third type of crackle medium is a white school glue like Elmer’s Glue. Use a paintbrush to apply a thick coat of the school glue to your trim and molding. The school glue should not be allowed to dry. Instead, you must apply your topcoat to the glue while the glue is still sticky.

The final type of crackle medium is a hide glue like Titebond Liquid Hide Glue. To use hide glue as a medium, first mix it with hot water and stir until the glue-water mixture has the consistency of a thick soup. Then apply the mixture with a brush to your trim and molding. You should let the hide glue medium dry until it is only slightly sticky, i.e. more than you would the school glue but not as much as you would the porcelain or weathered crackle medium.

After you apply the crackle medium, apply your topcoat. If you used a porcelain crackle medium, your topcoat will be either a an antiquing glaze like Lowe’s Valspar Antiquing Glaze or a translucent, color-tinted glaze like Lowe’s Valspar Signature Colors Faux Glaze, the Home Depot’s Behr Premium Plus with Style Faux Glaze, or Sherwin-William’s Illusions Faux Finish Latex Glazing Liquid. Apply it with either a cloth or a brush and remove the excess before it dries. If you used one of the other three mediums, your topcoat will be a coat of flat latex paint. Apply the paint in one direction with as little strokes as possible. Don’t go back over areas to reapply or touch up the paint. Such a technique tends to disturb the crackling process. As a general rule, the thicker you apply the paint, the larger the resulting crackle pattern will be.

After the topcoat has dried, you may further age the surface of your trim and molding by rubbing select areas with sandpaper or steel wool. You may also choose to apply a clear acrylic topcoat to protect the crackle finish. Lowe’s carries a clear acrylic topcoat called Valspar Signature Colors Faux Clear Protector, while the Home Depot carries one called Behr Premium Plus with Style Crystal Clear Water Based Polyurethane.

When the acrylic topcoat has dried, remove the painter’s tape or install the trim and molding and enjoy your newly crackled decor.

Sources Cited

Crackle, http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/activity.jsp?aid=612&subnav=interior&leftNav=noSteps&from=search.
Crackle, http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pdf/faux_finishing/crackle.pdf.
Crackle Finish, http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_furniture_other/article/0,,hgtv_3445_1371702,00.html.
Crackle Furniture, http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=HomeDecor/CrackledFinish.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavHowTo.
Elmer’s FAQ, http://www.elmers.com/faq/index.asp.
Faux Collection: Crackle How-To Guide, Lowe’s 2007.