CRAFTS : Versatile Vinegar Paint Makes a Decorative Topcoat

If you liked dabbling with finger paints in grade school, you’ll probably enjoy vinegar painting.

Decorating items such as furniture, boxes and picture frames with vinegar paint first took hold during the 19th Century. The paint was an inexpensive, colorful, easy-to-apply finish that people could make themselves.

Later, interest in vinegar paint waned. Now the old paint has found new popularity. That’s because of the decorative effects you can achieve with it, and because it’s so environmentally friendly. You’ll find most of the ingredients right in your kitchen.

Depending on the applicators and colors you use, you can create an array of colorful patterns that add pizazz to many projects.

Here’s what you need to batch up your own vinegar paints:

* 1/2 cup white vinegar

* 1 teaspoon white sugar

* a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent

* powdered poster paints (tempera paints available at art-supply stores).

For supplies, have a measuring cup, measuring spoons, small mixing bowls.

Begin by combining the vinegar, sugar and detergent to make the base solution. Then using a separate mixing bowl for each color, stir together four tablespoons of powdered poster paint and enough base solution to make a paste. Stir in additional base solution until the mixture matches the consistency of cream.

Vinegar paints are designed to be translucent topcoats, letting an undercoat finish show through. In other words, don’t try to finish raw wood with them. (If you have a raw wood item, it should first be sanded, primed and finished with two coats of semi-gloss enamel.)

Working on one area of your project at a time, brush on a topcoat of vinegar paint, being sure to let the undercoat show through. You’ll have about 15 minutes to “pattern” the topcoat before the paint dries.

Try a variety of applicators such as brushes, sponges, nylon scrub pads, wadded paper or plastic wrap. Experiment to see the variety of effects you can get with the different applicators. (Don’t forget to try using your fingers.)

You can always wipe off mistakes with a vinegar-dampened cloth and start over. When you achieve the effect you want, let the topcoat dry for at least 24 hours and then spray on a coat of varnish to protect your artistry.