Modern Masters Shine Big, Shine Small - Vintage Glam and Rust Patina #Modern Masters

This post is part of a campaign with Modern Masters and LooksiSquare.  I was provided with materials for my projects, but all opinions are entirely my own.

Modern Masters Shine Big Project

I have been working in decorative painting and design for over 15 years and in that time my favorite specialty paint company has always been Modern Masters. Honestly.

Their products are always on my shelves.

So, when the opportunity to work with their products 

and create a unique finish came along, I was in.

The promotion I joined was the Modern Masters Shine Big, Shine Small campaign and the task was to create one large and one small project using 

my choice of Modern Masters Paint.

For my Shine Big project, I wanted to create a furniture finish that combined the shine and glamour of a Modern Masters Metallic with 

the vintage beauty of Miss MustardSeed’s Milk Paint. 

 Vintage glam. 

 Visit my post, Two Toned Glam Distressing with Duck Egg Blue here to see a similar finish using chalk paint..and of course, Modern Masters!

Now let me tell you that, like I said, I had a vision in my head 

and usually with an idea, I just get off and painting.

So, sometimes the unexpected happens.

And sometimes the unexpected is wonderful.

For this project I used:

Modern Masters Metallic Paint in Warm Silver
Modern Masters Master Clear Top Coat

Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Ironstone

Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer
wax

To begin, I applied a base coat of primer. I did this for two reasons. To ensure good adhesion of Modern Masters Warm Silver to the furniture piece and to provide a neutral base for Warm Silver to show its true color.

Next, I brushed on 3 coats of the Modern Masters Warm Silver Metallic Paint. Keep in mind that Modern Masters Warm Silver is an opaque color. I recommend choosing one of their opaque colors for this finish since you want to achieve a solid metallic finish with the fewest coats.

The next day, I began the top layer. After mixing my Miss Mustard Seed’s Ironstone, I applied 2-3 coats with my brush, waiting about 30 minutes or until dry to the touch between coats.

Now, if any of you are familiar with working with Milk Paint, you know that without a bonding agent, you can expect some pealing for that chippy look but…you never know. Sometimes it may peel a lot, sometimes not much at all. 

So, just what would happen over metaliic paint…hum??

Well, there was minimal chipping. Not good because the effect I wanted was to have the metallic peeking out of the weathered milk paint.

But, there was a sweet surprise. Remember, the unexpected?

What appeared was a beautiful, fine crackling, revealing the sweet sheen of metallic underneath. Unexpected, but wonderful. The crackling was so authentic. I had never liked crackle mediums because they were so unpredictable. 

But, these two products created their own magic.

Because I wanted an aged piece with some randomness to the distressing, I waited a day, and then also wet distressed the edges and moldings with a sanding block.

Wet distressing this way is my favorite way to distress. Just dip the end of a sanding block into a small bowl of water and sand gently along the edges. The water softens the block and the paint, revealing the color beneath, in this case Modern Masters Warm Silver without sanding through to the wood. The sanding block gives you great control and you can follow up with a damp rag to easily rub off more paint now that it is soft, revealing more glamour.

Beautiful vintage Glam

 Modern Masters Shine Small Project

For my Shine Small project, the product I selected was ModernMasters Iron Reactive paint from their Metal Effects line. 

For this project I used:

Modern Masters Metal Effects Primer

Modern Masters Iron Reactive Paint

Modern Masters Activator

With this project, I wanted to show how authentic the rust created with Modern Masters Iron Reactive Paint is and how you can transform a plastic urn into one that seems old

 and stately.

Here is a picture of one of my two urns I madeover for this project. I have had them for years and they were under $15 each and sadly they sort of looked like it.

I started by applying 2 coats of Metal Effects Primer.

 then

 2-3 coats of Iron Reactive Paint

Followed by

spraying on the Activator

Remember to wear rubber gloves, respirator and goggles when working with the activator.

When the paint is dry, follow with 2-3 coats of activator, waiting 5 minutes or until dry between each coat, and watch the magic. I did 3 coats to achieve the look I wanted.
For outdoor use, you will also want to top coat this with 
Modern Masters Permacoat Xtreme topcoat.

After 15 minutes..a beautiful transformation.
Thank you Modern Masters!

Check out these other great Shine Big, Shine Small projects at these blogs:

Patio furniture from A Nest For all Seasons
Bathroom Nook from The Benson Street
DIY Puppet Theater from Fynes Designs


So have you ever used Modern Masters products for a furniture finish or other project? I'd love to hear from you!