General Finishes Water Based Glaze Effects, 1 Quart, Van Dyke Brown

I have used this over milk paint and latex, and the results are amazing. It is very important that your topcoat is fully cured before attempting to apply glaze. There are a variety of ways to apply this product which all produce different results. Some of the options include sealing or not before application, sealing or not sealing after application, and scuffing or sanding before or after application for example. It might be advisable to review these instructions on the can and even do a test area if you are interested in the different possible looks.

Goes on smooth. Perfect color. Dries pretty fast.

I like it. I did not finish the entire kitchen because still weighting out if I should......Our cabinets are pretty bitten up. The are gaps between them, the doors are somewhat warped, etc.... But I tried it on one door from the cabinet that we discarded after our new fridge did not fit..... The process was really easy. I cleaned it, lightly sanded, and put 3 coats of milk paint . It was a nice off white color. Then I applied a glaze by the same brand, which was really fun to learn (from the GF video). After that 3 coats of GF poly acrylic in satin. To my opinion, it dried pretty hard and will be quite durable. After I let it cure, I tried to "destroy" the finish by scratching to see how will it resist everyday use. Pretty great results. I decided to write this review in hope to help somebody to make a decision.... I include the pictures "before and after".

We are giving our kitchen a complete makeover - starting with cabinets. I don't have a before picture of the cabinets I actually painted, but I used an image of another section to give you an idea. First, you will see an unfinished cabinet. Next, I included the cabinet painted with the Prestige Paint (Satin) Mozart Blue, which is fabulous all by itself. Lastly, I included the cabinet with General Finishes Water Based Glaze Effects (black glaze) for a contemporary look. This glaze was magnificent and so easy to work with. My project turned out fabulous and all my months of research paid off. I AM SO EXCITED about this paint and how my cabinets turned out! I HIGHLY recommend this product!

I'd never used glaze before but googled and got some great tips. I was working on a big flat surface - a large oval table top. It was wood with poly on it. The top was super ugly but it was attached to a really great vintage wrought iron base. Anyway, first I painted the table top with 6 very thin coats of Poppy Beyond Paint (love that paint!) and let each coat dry for 1 hour before the next one, then letting the whole thing dry/cure for just 24 hours. The wood grain still showed through, though the color was solid, which was exactly what I wanted. Latex gloves, wet paper towels and a wide paint brush was all I needed next. I worked very quickly, in sections, wearing gloves & painting the glaze on over the dry paint with the brush, and then using a wet paper towel, I smudged the glaze WITH THE GRAIN of the wood. After the whole table top was covered in glaze this way, I ran the wet paper towel from one long end of the table (again, with the grain) to the other, over and over, until I essentially had long streaks of glaze over the paint, with no smudges along the way. It naturally took on somewhat random glaze and paint dominant areas, which, again, was what I wanted. I let it dry 1 hour. Then I repeated the same process. I let those 2 coats of glaze dry for just 24 hours more before applying multiple coats of water based wipe on poly with terry cloth pads. Again, with the grain, and spreading from one long end to the other. 1 hour between coats. Four coats all together. It's been curing & I plan to let it cure for as long as I can manage it before we use the table for anything. Meanwhile, the bottom line: a formerly very tired looking table is now truly beautiful! Am eager to try glazing more things, using different techniques. Also, this is is a great color, especially if you like antiques. Even after just one project I can see that it's a neutral that can work over any color base coat you like to add dimension, age & subtle interest. And you can leave on as much or as little as you want. Great stuff!

Love how the color turned out on the top of my cabinet.

I wished I had stopped for a moment to snap a picture of its arrival. It arrived quickly but most importantly it was not damaged like the box. It was not horribly beat up either but the USPS handy work is to thank for that and not the company! I had multiple orders enroute so it did not register at first what a mess I was about to get in to so I was seriously impressed with it. Absolutely no dents or scratches on the can and it was wrapped in bubble wrap in a box that was appropriate for its size so no bouncing around. I don’t have a project to show the outcome of how amazing this stuff is because it turned out to be not able to get the look I was going for on my current project. I still tried it out and loved how it transforms the piece so I am just going to get started on something else next where I am going to use this glaze!

I love the finished product after using this glaze. However, it’s somewhat challenging to use. I tested it on a few different pieces before applying it to my actual project piece. It took several times to get it right. I strongly suggest diluting it with water for a larger piece and then using the regular strength product around the edges. Also, you must apply a clear top coat of paint before trying to glaze. I found this out the hard way. If there isn’t a clear top coat, the glaze is almost impossible to wipe off. Overall, I love this product. But there is a learning curve to getting it applied correctly.