Earlier this summer a friend had dropped off a hutch that she picked up at a garage sale and wondered if I’d paint it. I haven’t been doing any painting for people since I started the garden parties but this cute little hutch I couldn’t resist!
So now, a few months later, I finally got around to giving it a makeover. I got to choose what I’d do with it. I knew she wanted a neutral color, like white or off white, so I thought I’d try something I haven’t done in a while..crackling. I read somewhere that you can use elmers glue to crackle paint and decided to give it a shot. I swiped my son’s brand new bottle of glue he had packed in his back pack for school and got started.
The finish on the hutch wasn’t shiny or overly smooth so I didn’t bother with any sanding. I should mention that I used my sprayer for this project but you could use a brush or roller also, I’m sure. I gave the hutch a coat of dark brown paint.
I then applied glue to the drawers and doors..
I used both a foam brush and my hands to spread the glue.
Now, here are a few important tips that I learned the hard way by not knowing about them before I started:
Always have the surface at a horizontal position to do this! I tried doing the sides of the hutch too, in a vertical position, but the glue ran and it turned out looking horrible, like it had a disease. I ended up stripping all the paint and glue and starting over. 
Apply a thick layer of glue! I tried applying a thin layer of glue but then it didn’t crackle at all.
After applying the thick layer of glue, immediately put on the top layer of paint.
Watch it crackle as it dries!
Again, here is the before picture…
and the after…
I left the inside of the top dark brown, I thought it added a little character..
It’s amazing what a bottle of Elmers glue can do!
Thanks for visiting, everyone!
-Mary
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