Gold Leaf 101: How To Gold Leaf A Picture Frame

Crafting with gold leaf is gorgeous and easy! It’s amazing how the gold leaf sheets are so thin, but apply so perfectly. And the transformation is just magic! Once we learned how easy it was to turn thrift store finds into keepsake treasures, we were hooked! You will be too!

Follow along with the video we made, then try your hand at gold leafing following the instructions below.

If you liked this video, we have more on our YouTube channel!

How To Gold Leaf A Picture Frame

Materials
Thrift store picture frame
Spray paint primer, white
Piece of paper
Gold leaf adhesive sizing
Gold leaf sheets
Gold leaf sealer
Small craft brush

Steps

1. Select the picture frame you want to upcycle. We looked for a fancy Baroque one to go with the gold leaf!

2. Give the frame a good brushing to remove dust and dirt. You might need to spray it with a little spray cleaner too.

3. Remove the glass and backing. Prime with white primer spray paint.

4. Apply the Gold Leaf Adhesive Sizing with a paintbrush. Apply a thin coat to avoid pooling. Make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies. Let the glue dry for 15 minutes. It will get very tacky!

5. Apply the gold leaf sheets to the glue. The gold leaf sheets are thin and pieces will break off. Save them to reapply. Press the gold leaf down into the spaces using your fingers and the (clean and dry) Brush off any loose gold leaf pieces. Keep apply pieces and sheets of gold leaf until all of the frame is covered.

6. Some parts of the frame might still have white showing through where the gold leaf just didn’t stick. Paint these spots with more adhesive sizing and let it dry for 15 minutes. Add more gold leaf to these spots and brush off the excess. (Save any pieces of gold leaf that brush off, you can use them on your next project!)

7. Paint a thin coat of gold leaf all over the frame and let it dry.

What do you think? Magic, right? We’d love to hear what you plan to gold leaf or have gold leafed in the past. Let us know in the comments below.

Cheers,
Jennifer & Kitty

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