Tin effect: creating a high-quality real metal surface

ADLER real metal coatings allow you to conjure up unique surfaces with your own personalised design. We show you how to turn wood into tin, step by step. And without any alchemy!

The silvery-white lustre of tin has fascinated mankind for thousands of years. In our homes too, surfaces with a metallic look have an almost magical appeal. And thanks to Austria's leading manufacturer of paints and varnishes, ADLER, creating them doesn't require any witchcraft – instead of using a magic wand, carpenters and furniture makers can simply reach for a paint spray gun! ADLER application engineer Stefan Oberladstätter shows us how it's done:

Steps

The ingredients

A few special ingredients are needed to conjure up the tin effect: Bluefin Pure-Metal, together with the hardener Aqua Hardener 8450, forms the basis for the liquid gold, silver, copper – or in our case tin, which is added in powder form as Aquafix Zinn. PUR-Ecofill White is the product of choice for the substrate. A little Spezial-Verdünner 8502 is also helpful. The paint is given a final topcoat with either Tiropur NG G70 – or PUR-Antiscratch HQ G10 if we have used a special trick with our Aquafix Blue-Patina.
Step 1: Preparation

Work done in the background – i.e. on the substrate – is crucial for a successful work of art: a coat of PUR-Ecofill White is the perfect way to prepare wood or MDF boards for the real metal coating: this insulating filler is applied with a cup gun.
Step 2: First round of sanding

After a single coat of spray-on filler, the surface needs to be sanded with a fine sandpaper. The primed, dry surface should be sanded using a grit size of 240.
Step 3: Mixing

Now we come to that magic potion feeling – time to mix our ingredients: add 5 % Aqua-Hardener 8450 to 400 g of Bluefin Pure-Metal. Then add 1000 g of Aquafix Zinn. Important: make absolutely sure that the metal powder is stirred in well, without any lumps – this is best done mechanically using a basket mixer.
Step 4: Painting

Now the paint is applied in a single, generous coat. Best results are achieved with a compressed-air cup gun. The surface should then be left to dry for at least five hours.
Step 5: Sanding

To make the surface shine and give it that real metal magic, it now needs to be sanded well – with increasing grit sizes: work your way up from 180 via 240, 360, 600, 1000 and 1500 to 3000. This does require a little effort, but will give you a perfect metallic effect!
Step 6: The topcoat

Once the sanding dust has been completely removed – our Spezial-Verdünnung can be of practical help here – a topcoat is applied using Tiropur NG in gloss level G70. Alternatively, you can also use Pigmotop G70. Abracadabra: the radiantly beautiful tin surface is ready!
Step 6a: Patina effect

Perhaps you don't like such an even look? In this case, you can also artificially age the tin surface and give it a cool vintage style: apply Aquafix Blue-Patina to the dried and sanded Pure Metal surface before applying the final topcoat. It's up to you whether you use a light spray mist or thick droplets, apply it across the whole surface or only in certain areas – this is what makes your design unique! As if by magic, the oxidising solution will create the distinctive patina effect overnight.
Step 6b: Patina topcoat

Here too, a final protective topcoat is required: in this case, we used PUR-Antiscratch HQ G10 to achieve an especially resilient surface. Et voilà – enjoy an enchanting tin and patina effect!
Finished!

With or without patina, a tin surface such as this will transform any piece of furniture into an exceptional design element in your interior space. The metallic look will make it truly eye-catching, almost magical, enchanting the onlooker with its soft lustre and elegant style.