Salvaging a vintage gilded picture frame

Score! I managed to score a fantastic find at a local thrift store - a ruined gilded frame. This frame, which was originally made with a gold-copper gilding technique, had unfortunately been painted over with silver spray paint at some point in its past. Despite its less-than-perfect condition, I was immediately drawn to its potential and knew that with a little bit of TLC, I could restore it to its former glory. As I examined the frame more closely, I noticed that the gold leaf was peeling off in some areas, revealing the copper underneath. I knew that this would be a bit of a challenge to restore, but I was up for it. I was excited to bring this frame back to life and give it a new purpose in my home. Whether I decided to use it to display a family photo or a piece of art, I knew that this thrifted find would be a unique and special addition to my home decor.

Next, it was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work on the minor refurbishing of the frame. The first step was to do some minor plaster repair on the frame where necessary. This was done by carefully filling in any cracks or chips with a fine plaster and smoothing out the surface to match the rest of the frame.

Once the plaster repairs were done and the surface was smooth, I was ready to add the gold paint. I chose to use Tikkurila Taika Kulta, which may not be considered the best option for restoration, but it was perfectly adequate for an abused frame whose gilding was already far gone beyond repair. Using a small paintbrush, I carefully applied a thin, even coat of paint to the frame, taking care to cover every nook and cranny. After allowing the paint to dry for several hours, I applied a second coat, repeating the process until the frame had a beautiful, rich gold finish. Checking the match to the other decor.

Nice, time to do some weathering. Adam from Mythbusters gave a good tutorial of weathering with acrylic paints at his YouTube channel Tested below. 

The weathering really brings out the details and adds realism in the low-end faux gold look.