Creating golden Lao art work

The results surprised even me.  Take a look as I gilded this wood carving that I bought in Laos almost 20 years ago into a new piece of temple inspired art work.

Background

In my living room, one of the primary colours I'm using to decorate is gold.  I remembered that I had this wood carving but its original colour no longer suited my taste or my current decor colour scheme.  Thus came the idea to try gilding.

This art piece always meant a great deal to me.  It was carved by a friend in Vientiane based on a design that I got to choose.  Of course, it was inspired by the beautiful art work that can be seen at Lao Buddhist temples.

Now it was time to give it a new life.  The gilding process involved is straightforward.  But more than anything, it took time and patience.

Tools

The tools needed include:

• Imitation gold leave
• leaf sizing (aka glue)
• brushes
• chemical stripper
• clear acrylic sealer
• blank acrylic paint

Process

In brief, the process was:

1. Spread a thin layer of chemical stripper to remove the existing lacquer and stain.  Let it sit for 30 minutes.  Then come back and scrape and scrub it off.  Then wipe it down with a wet rag and let it dry.
2. Once it was dry, I spread a thin layer of sizing and letting it rest for approximately 30 minutes just as the instructions on the package stated.  The sizing then becomes tacky and ready for the leaf.
3. Then I started laying sheets of imitation gold leaf on to the art piece using a combination of my fingers, a brush, a knife, and a flat piece of wood - essentially whatever I had around the house.  Using a paint brush, I pressed the leaf onto the piece and into all the nooks and crannies.  And while this sounds simple enough, leaf sheets are delicate and tedious.  They stick to everything, fly away at the slightest breath, and when brushed or wiped it they become glitter that goes everywhere.  So work in a calm area that will be easy to clean after.
4. Then repeat steps 2 and 3 to fill in any spots you may have missed.  Then let completely dry.
5. Finally, because this is copper based imitation gold leaf, note that it will tarnish and therefore require a sealant.  In my case, I used a clear acrylic glossy spray that I had.  Spray thoroughly and let it dry.  You can stop at this point or do a final next step.
6. At this stage, it's beautifully shiny gold.  But if that's a bit too much for you or if you'd like a slightly aged patina antique look, then you can end with putting dabs of black acrylic paint over the piece and quickly wiping it away.  This step tones down the shine of the gold a bit, adds shadow, and makes the details of the carving more visible.

The final look

Here is the final result of the fruits of my labour.  I'll be adding this to my wall of Lao art.