How To Use Paint Inlays by Iron Orchid Designs
Paint Inlays are new this year with Iron Orchid Designs, to be honest I was super intimidated by them , IOD is coming out with even more designs later this year so I figured I better jump on board if I ever want to sell them. They come in a package that look a lot like transfers, they come in eight 12 by 16 sheets. I used Morocco
You want to work in small sections and piece the sheets together as you go to create a pattern . Step 1 is to paint your piece with a chalky paint, you don't want to use an all in one furniture paint with these.
I mixed Daydream Apothecary Paint equal parts Saltwash and Lemon Shark with a spoonful of Sea La Vie to create the most perfect minty blue .
Step 2. While the paint is still WET... take one sheet of the inlay and lay it paint side down ( there is a grid on the back to help guide you ) where you want it
Once you have placed it where you want it make sure it is smooth and taut . With a fine spray mister mist the whole area
Once you have saturated the entire area , take a wet sponge and smooth out any bumps or creases, this also pushes the moisture into the design to get the paint in the design to really ahdere.
Repeat with a new sheet until you have created the design you are looking for , I used the entire booklet to cover my piece
once you have covered your piece you want to let it dry to the touch , it took around 30 minutes. Once it is dry you spray it again with water , smooth with your sponge and wait 30 seconds.. now you are ready to pull off the backing , start at the corner and slowly pull .
As soon as I pulled it off I knew it wasn't going to be perfect, the biggest mistake I made was not smoothing it down as it dried, which created lines in the paint where the creases were . I am ok with it being this way because I was going for an old world vintage look . Because it is paint, it is still wet when you pull the backing off, I used a small brush to kind of blend where the imperfections were to give it a washed look . Next time I will pay more attention to the paper as it is drying .
Once the paint dried I took a fine grit sandpaper over the whole piece to help blend it even more and make it look worn, I then used Dream Coat topcoat . Here is the finished result, I am super happy with it ... and I am a huge fan of the inlays.
