FINISHES

In our laboratory expert wood artisans, carvers, lacquers and decorators work with passion, making each OPIFICIO ITALIANO piece a unique product, entirely handmade using national wood by guaranteed traceability, as well as treatment products such as natural lacquer, water-based paints with a low environmental impact.

LACQUERING

It is the final step that characterizes our collections and makes it recognizable. There are two types of lacquering made by our laboratory:
in the first one called  "classical lacquering”, firstly, a base of pure gypsum is applied, then painted and finally antiqued with patina of natural color. The final result is a piece of furniture which is warm and reassuring that matches well with any style of furnishings.
The second kind of lacquering is called “antiquary lacquer ": in this case colours are directly spread on the wood and after being properly antiqued they are fastened with several coats of transparent paint that enhances the elegance of the furniture.
All the products we use for our lacquerings are water-based.

THE GILDING

The gilding is a process of ornamental decoration used to embellish an object  by the application of a very thin layer of gold called "gold leaf"; there are several gilding techniques and  the “gouache” one is the traditional used since 1200 by the great Italian and European artists but also the most difficult because  it consists of many complex steps.
Firstly the gypsum dissolved in a water bath together with the rabbit glue, is spread on the table with 3/4 coats of brush and once dried it is smoothed.
Then the clay bolus clay always with the addition of rabbit glue is applied and let to dry to be smoothed again.
After these two steps, the table is dampened to reactivate the glue and go on with the application of the gold foils that will bind to perfectly to the worked part.
Once applied the gold leaf, there is the burnishing of the gold foil with the agate stone to make it shiny..
It is also possible to use the method of gilding "mission" which is carried out precisely with the use of the "mission" that is a vinyl glue used to apply the gold leaf.
After it has been spread  directly on the paint in one or two coats the gold leaf can be applied; at a later stage it is pressed with cotton to make it adhere well over the entire surface and finally it is dusted with another soft brush to remove the impurities.

MARBLING

the marbling is a technique that allows to decorate a material leding it the marble appearance, with the typical veins and spots, through the use of paints.

DUSTING

The dusting is a very old technique used for the production of decorative ceramics and porcelain and  during the Renaissance becomes the most common employed to create large frescoes.
Firstly, you draw a subject to size on a tissue paper, secondly you  perforate the contours of the drawing with a needle for wool or another tip.
The perforated design is then fixed to the surface to paint and the pierced parts are dabbed with a cloth pad filled with cotton wool and charcoal powder or graphite
Once removed the sheet, you will  have a trail of dots sufficiently detailed and you can proceed with painting.
The decoration is entirely handmade by our artists. First we paint the layout and then by several steps of shading (light and dark) we give to the painting the right depth.

THE HIGHLIGHTING

The highlighting is a technique used to highlight the areas of light; it produces an outward movement which creates volume.

WAX

We produce internally most of products we use to finish our furniture using the best raw materials. We buy the wax block directly by beekeepers, then we let it to dissolve in a water bath together with the carnauba wax which gives the product more hardness and clearness. Then we add the Greek pitch to the two waxes so to allow a greater adherence in coating and finally, the turpentine to give everything a creamy consistency.

MARQUETRY

Precision work by which a wood furniture is carved and precious woods of different colors or other materials such as gold, silver, mother of pearl are fitted together to create a pattern.

WOOD VENEER

Covering of a soft wood with a finer material cutted in different thicknesses ranging from 1 millimeter to the 5-6 millimeters.

OWL'S BEAK

Finishing shape of a table top or cupboard that resembles roughly the beak of an owl.

DOVETAIL

Interlocking to join two axes at right angles and used mainly for drawers.

PILASTER

Decorative element, with the shape of a pilaster with fluting, protruding from the wall of the cabinet.