Modeling Paste Embellishments

Have you ever used modeling paste to embellish a piece of furniture? When you use it with a stencil it looks like you have added an applique to your furniture.   You can find it in the art section mixed in with other mediums.  It looks very much like cake frosting, is easy to work with, and will even accept a color tint.  This is what it looks like.

I decided that I would like to embellish this pair of mahogany night stands that I was working on.  This is a photo of them before the final coat of paint.

I chose a stencil and taped it to the side of one of the nightstands. (I'm not using the stencil on the right under the credit card.  The stencil I chose had two different stencils.)  I put some modeling paste onto a credit card and scraped the card over the stencil.  Just scrape evenly over the stencil and make sure you've filled in all the areas and that the paste application is smooth.

When I lifted the stencil away, what remained was the stencil design in  relief.

It's hard to see because it's white on white.  I did the same process on a piece of scrap wood so you could see the result better.

I also added a design to the front of the legs of the night stands.  It was almost impossible to see so I did it on the wood scrap too.

Stencil which I added vertically on the front legs.

When the modeling paste dried I applied the last coat of paint which sealed the applique.  I also distressed the night stands with my palm sander and added some black glass knobs to them.

I lined the drawers with some houndstooth paper.

I hope you'll give it a try.  I've used this technique on furniture, boxes, magazine totes, beds, and dresser fronts--just about anything I've painted.   My one hint though is that you get a better result on flat surfaces.  It's very difficult to get a good look when trying it on curves.  I tried to add an embellishment to the curved drawer and it didn't work.

Let me know if you give it a try.  I'd love to see your project.

Kathy