How Can I Create a Custom Glaze, Wash, Varnish or Stain?

ANSWER: You can design your own custom glazes, washes and varnishes with General Finishes intermixable water based products. See tips and recipes below:

GF Tip: For all of the following mixes, GF recommends the following two steps:

First: Applying a base layer of High Performance Top Coat before applying your custom glaze.

Last: It is essential that you protect all of these finishes with 2-3 coats of top coat when youre finished.

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Custom Glaze/Translucent Color Hues:

Milk Paint + Clear Glaze Base

50:50 ratio

Note: You can further increase the color palette by mixing 2 or 3 Milk Paint colors together before adding the clear base.

Pastel Glaze/Whitewash:

Milk Paint + Winter White Glaze Effects 

-OR- 

Milk Paint + Water Based Whitewash Wood Stain

NOTE: Do not add more than 50% paint. If you add more than 50% you'll have so much pigment that it will be difficult to wipe away the finish.

Gray Glaze:

Pitch Black Glaze Effects + Winter White Glaze Effects

Experiment with proportions to get the color you like best.

Stain as a Glaze:

Water Based Wood Stain + 10% High Performance Top Coat 

-OR- 

Oil Based Wood Stain + 10% Mineral Spirits

Note: Make sure that you wait 72 hours before applying a water based top coat on top of an oil based stain.

Aged/Varnish Glaze:

Water Based Wood Stain 

-OR- 

Dye Stain + High Performance Top Coat

50:50 ratio

Custom Colored Stains:

1 part Milk Paint + 1 part Pre-Stain Natural [50:50 mix] 
-or- 
1 part Milk Paint + 1 part Glaze Effects - Clear Base [50:50 mix] 
-or- 
1 part Milk Paint +  2 parts Water Based Stain Natural [1:2 parts]

Note: Proportions are relative to the color you are reducing. Some colors may require 2 parts clear base to reduce strength, others may require 1. Begin with a 50:50 mix, and add more clear base if necessary.

Note: You can further increase the color palette by mixing 2 or 3 Milk Paint colors together before adding the clear base.

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Glazing Tips:

-As always, ideal room conditions are 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70% humidity.

-If you want to slow the drying (especially in low humidity situations) you can add 10-15% Extender.

-If you put down a coat of High Performance top coat before you glaze, it will give you more control. Without a layer of HP, the product will penetrate more quickly and deeply.

-If you apply glaze on liberally, the product will be easier to wipe off.

-We like using a Warner Handi Painter applicator to apply product

-For water based products such as GFs Glaze Effects use Bounty paper towels, Viva paper towels or blue cotton shop towels to wipe away product instead of cotton rags. Cotton rags work well for oil based products but paper towels work better with water based glazes.