Gilding | With Coloured Silver Leaf

Discover our process for crafting our colourful and lustrous pieces

Gilding with Coloured Silver Leaf

Gilding is the stage where a piece is completely transformed. After all the laborious preparation, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for!

Silver leaf is made by hammering pure silver into extremely thin sheets. It arrives layered between tissue and must be handled with patience and care – even breathing on it can send it flying! The light resistant coloured silver leaf I use in my work has been dyed and coated which causes it to be more brittle than standard silver leaf – especially problematic on curved surfaces.

Preparing the Surface

Before any leaf is applied, the surface must be properly prepared to ensure a good finish and that the leaf adheres properly. Silver leaf is unforgiving; it will highlight every mark, grain line or speck of dust so the piece is carefully cleaned, filled, sanded and primed to create an even foundation.

A specialist adhesive, known as size, is then brushed onto the surface. The size must be left to go tacky – if you try to apply the leaf when it is still wet you will end up with a sticky mess!

Applying the Leaf

Having completed all the prep work it’s time to start gilding! Once the size is ready, the silver leaf is applied sheet by sheet. I use light resistant dyed silver leaf, which comes in vibrant colours but it is particularly brittle. It breaks easily, especially when applying to curved surfaces (as I usually am) so it’s a matter of taking pieces by hand and positioning them on in sections until the whole piece is covered. A soft brush is used to encourage the leaf into place and after the entire piece is covered, the loose fragments are carefully brushed away.

Burnishing and Finishing

The surface is lightly burnished with a soft cloth. This smooths the leaf making sure it is fully adhered to the size and removes any remaining flakes. The result isn’t a mirror finish, but a soft, luminous sheen.

Silver will naturally tarnish over time if left unprotected. To prevent this oxidation, the piece is degreased and sealed with several thin coats of specialist varnish. 

The Finished Piece

Once the varnish has cured the piece of reclaimed wood, gilded with coloured silver leaf, is ready to be made in to a lamp.

Gilding with coloured silver leaf is probably the part of my practice I enjoy the most. It’s a very satisfying process working carefully with the beautiful material and I’m always delighted by the end result – the intense colour and soft lustre are truly captivating.