Gilding

We all know that all that glitters is not necessarily gold, but with sales pitches that use the term “gold leaf” indiscriminately it can be difficult to make informed choices when choosing gilded picture frames. The Workshop uses a variety of precious metals including white gold, silver leaf and of course 23k double weight Italian yellow gold, which is the standard gold for our genuine gold leaf hand gilded frames. The Workshop also offers more economical gilding options such as oil gilded imitation gold, silver and aluminum leaf. There is always a way to provide clients with a gilded option to fit their budget.

As the title suggests this is the finishing of a surface by painting it either an appropriate solid colour or to utilize the illusionistic qualities of paint to mimic the surfaces of other materials ie. marble or tortoise shell faux finishes.

The application of a stain to raw wood emphasizes the natural beauty and grain pattern apparent on the woods’ surface. Stained finishes work beautifully with hardwoods such as Black Walnut or Oak, these woods have intrinsic beauty in their natural fiery grain patterns and a stain will help to enhance and accentuate the contrasts within those patterns.