General Finishes Water Based Glaze Effects, 1 Quart, Van Dyke Brown

I like it. I did not finish the entire kitchen because still weighting out if I should......Our cabinets are pretty bitten up. The are gaps between them, the doors are somewhat warped, etc.... But I tried it on one door from the cabinet that we discarded after our new fridge did not fit..... The process was really easy. I cleaned it, lightly sanded, and put 3 coats of milk paint . It was a nice off white color. Then I applied a glaze by the same brand, which was really fun to learn (from the GF video). After that 3 coats of GF poly acrylic in satin. To my opinion, it dried pretty hard and will be quite durable. After I let it cure, I tried to "destroy" the finish by scratching to see how will it resist everyday use. Pretty great results. I decided to write this review in hope to help somebody to make a decision.... I include the pictures "before and after".

Prep was easy. The coverage was achieved with two coats. The finish is good. So far it has been durable. The product is easy to work with.

Love the color this gave. Layered it on top of a milk paint. I get so many compliments on my table and plan to paint more with it! Thin paint and easy to work with. Very pigmented for the thickness

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I'd never used glaze before but googled and got some great tips. I was working on a big flat surface - a large oval table top. It was wood with poly on it. The top was super ugly but it was attached to a really great vintage wrought iron base. Anyway, first I painted the table top with 6 very thin coats of Poppy Beyond Paint (love that paint!) and let each coat dry for 1 hour before the next one, then letting the whole thing dry/cure for just 24 hours. The wood grain still showed through, though the color was solid, which was exactly what I wanted. Latex gloves, wet paper towels and a wide paint brush was all I needed next. I worked very quickly, in sections, wearing gloves & painting the glaze on over the dry paint with the brush, and then using a wet paper towel, I smudged the glaze WITH THE GRAIN of the wood. After the whole table top was covered in glaze this way, I ran the wet paper towel from one long end of the table (again, with the grain) to the other, over and over, until I essentially had long streaks of glaze over the paint, with no smudges along the way. It naturally took on somewhat random glaze and paint dominant areas, which, again, was what I wanted. I let it dry 1 hour. Then I repeated the same process. I let those 2 coats of glaze dry for just 24 hours more before applying multiple coats of water based wipe on poly with terry cloth pads. Again, with the grain, and spreading from one long end to the other. 1 hour between coats. Four coats all together. It's been curing & I plan to let it cure for as long as I can manage it before we use the table for anything. Meanwhile, the bottom line: a formerly very tired looking table is now truly beautiful! Am eager to try glazing more things, using different techniques. Also, this is is a great color, especially if you like antiques. Even after just one project I can see that it's a neutral that can work over any color base coat you like to add dimension, age & subtle interest. And you can leave on as much or as little as you want. Great stuff!

Love how the color turned out on the top of my cabinet.

I love the finished product after using this glaze. However, it’s somewhat challenging to use. I tested it on a few different pieces before applying it to my actual project piece. It took several times to get it right.I strongly suggest diluting it with water for a larger piece and then using the regular strength product around the edges. Also, you must apply a clear top coat of paint before trying to glaze. I found this out the hard way. If there isn’t a clear top coat, the glaze is almost impossible to wipe off.Overall, I love this product. But there is a learning curve to getting it applied correctly.

but.....yes but... I am so sad to write this. IT SCRATCHES SO EASY. it is not a hard set. I refurbished an old bookcase. I sanded, I used a stain by the same maker, and then waited till FULLY DRY, did not DOUBLE COAT. just single coat on both. looooooked amazing. seemed dry 48 hours later. I started putting books on the shelf. the ANTIQUE BOOKS got some of this on them!!! PRICELESS BOOKS! the stain was likely not the problem but the glaze was.... I am not pleased with the finished results. neither are my priceless first editions. only gets three stars BECAUSE some people may be happy how good it looks initially, but this is not quality finish.