The Washington herald., 1922-06-25

1t has become quite a fashionaple
pastime to redecorate ones own
furniture. which may be given
new coat of color whenever one
tires OF the old one. Stencil out
hts may be bought with patterns
all ready to use, or other outfits for
cutting stencils In which the pat
terms in the draperies may oe used.
In fact, stenclled and other conven-
tionai patterns have been in use for
so long that the amateur furniture
decorator welcomes with open arms
something that Is different.
That something different Is the
new polyehrome effect 1t Is
achieved by applying first a coat OF
bronze paint in gold color. and then
almost covering the gold coat with
a nat paint in any color to suit the
color scheme OF the room. The new
and different part OF the work IS In
the applying of :he second coat OF
paint. 1t is dabbed on with pats
Of the brush. and not applied with
strokes.
The bronze paint comes in all the
shades of gold and bronze. and IN
various shades of rose. blue and
green. 1t has a metallic luster that
dabs of nat paint.
RehnishinE nm Old Set.
This method of refinishing was
applied to an old bedroom set with
excellent effect. The wood in these
old pieces had been scraped and
rubbed and revarnished. until 1t
seemed impossible to do anything
with IL. The wood was not attrac-
tive enough to rub down to the
grain and then repolish, nor was II
smooth enough to cover with paint
in the ordinary fashion. When this
polychrome process was heard Of, II
seemed Immediately to be the one
way in which these. old pieces could
be made useful again.
bronze-paint in a red-gold color
was chosen for the first coat and a
blue-green fiat paint for the second
coat. First. the furniture was rub
bed with sandpaper to take of as
much as possible of the old varnish,
and to smooth down the toughest
spots. II is not necessary to rub
all OF the varnish OF a piece to
be treated to the polychrome effect.
II is necessary. however. to fll IN
the grain of new wood before the
the gold paint Is applied. Many
people are buying furniture to paint
that comes from the factory with
the wood entirely unfinished. In
such cases. one or two coats of nat
yellow as near to the gold color as
possible should be given the wood
before the gold bronz-paint Is ap-
piled. Otherwise, the bronx paint
will sink into the wook. which Is
porous and demands a filler before
any finish is applied
double bed and large chest of
drawers required three ounces of
the gold bronze paint. half a pint OF
bronzing liquid (banana oil will
dol. and half pint of nat green
paint. The bronze paint may be
purchased in one-ounce packages
at 25 cents the ounce, or II may be
bought by the pound somewhat
more creaply. Half a pint OF bronz-
ing liquid costs 30 cents.
The bronze-paint should be
mixed witt the bronzing LIQUID
until Il Is about the consistency
Of cream, and then applied to the
furniture with a camel's hair brush.
This Is a quick drying paint. and
the work should be done rapidly
when once begun. Twenty minutes
Is quite sufficient for the drying
of the coat of bronze-paint. BY
the time one has finished covering
the piece of furniture with 1t. this
coat is dry enough to take the
second coat.
The second Coat.
For the second coat. which, In
the case OF this old bedroom set.
was a soft green. a brush called
French sash tool is a good one
to use. This Is round brush,
with slightly longer brIstles in the
center than around the edge. In
applying the green paint the brush
must be held in a perfectly up
right position. with the bristles at
right angles to the surface OF the