Large Vase - Paper Mache

The last five layers were all applied running down the length of the vase to give the impression of wooden panels.

Once the paper mache was completely dry we sanded it lightly and then painted it with a couple of coats of white household emulsion coloured with burnt umber acrylic.

This was sanded between each layer and left to dry thoroughly.

Once dry, we masked off the horizontal panel and applied several coats of dark brown boot polish to the rest of the vase, buffing well between coats.

We removed the masking tape as soon as we had finished as it can become difficult to get off if it's left on too long.

After letting the vase settle for a couple of days we carefully applied a layer of undiluted white glue to the unpolished panel and rolled the vase in coarse sand. This needed a couple of coats.

Once the glue was completely dry we masked the edges of the sand with tape and gave the vase a final coat of boot polish.

A Word of Warning

We did initially cover this piece with a coat of polyurethane varnish but it made the boot polish run and it never really dried.

It was still sticky to the touch three weeks later and basically the whole thing was a mess.

We stripped as much of the sticky mess off as we could using a turpentine substitute and then left it to dry.

We followed that with a good rub with sand paper, then added several more layers of paper and redecorated it, this time without the varnish.

This vase is not sealed with any form of varnish or sealer. It's now about two years old and it is still going strong with only the occasional coat of boot polish added as a general clean up and shine.

The boot polish, and the white glue under the sand, seem to be enough to make the vase fairly resistant to its environment.

It is in a private collection in Vryheid, South Africa which has a warm and dry climate.

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