How To: Gold-Leaf Accent Wall

Add a dazzling accent to a wall with our decorating ideas for an easy-to-apply gold leaf.

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Filed under: Wall, How To, Decorating

Materials and Tools:

painters tape
220-grit sandpaper (optional)
drop cloths/newspaper
Rolco Acrylic Topcoat
adhesive
one 50-meter roll of imitation gold leaf (covers approximately 80 square feet of wall area)
one gallon Ace Sensations paint Canyon Wall
3/4-inch soft goat-hair gilder's brush
two paint brushes
two paint rollers
two paint trays

Steps:

1. Prime and paint the entire wall with the room color. Prep the area for gold leafing, covering the floors and defining the gold leafing area with painters tape. Smooth any rough areas with sandpaper.

2. Apply the adhesive to the gold leafing area carefully and as evenly as possible. Allow the adhesive to become tacky on the wall; this process can take from 30 minutes to three hours.

3. Once the adhesive has tacked, you can begin applying the gold leaf. Carefully fold back the protective paper to expose the gold leaf, lay it out onto the area and roll it out onto the wall surface. Make sure to hold the leaf firmly and carefully so it does not tear.

4. After the leaf has been adhered to the surface, gently rub the leaf with a gilder's brush. Seal the finished wall with a thin layer of acrylic topcoat over the gilded area and allow to dry.