Essential Gilding Products & Sundries for Gold Leaf Use at Wrights of Lymm

Gilding is an ancient craft — whether you’re restoring a monumental piece, working on a frame, signwriting, or adding decorative touches. At Wrights of Lymm, our expertise in gold leaf together with high-quality gilding sundries, ensures that restorations are durable, beautiful, and true to tradition. In this post, we explain the key gilding materials, adhesives, and tools you need; how to choose them; and how our current sundries range supports monumental, restoration, and decorative gilding work.

What is Gold Leaf

• Gold leaf refers to ultra-thin sheets of genuine gold beaten to fine thinness. Varieties include 24ct, 23.5ct, etc., each with subtle differences in colour, durability, and suitability for indoor or outdoor work.

• Goldleaf (often used as variant spelling) is used in signage, art, and restoration. Sometimes also used to refer generically to “gold leaf work.”

Understanding what quality and carat you need is vital—especially for restoration or monumental gilding, where exposure and historical accuracy matter.

Types of Gold Leaf & Alternatives

Wrights of Lymm’s stock includes:

• Genuine gold leaf in high carats (for restoration and monumental uses) — ideal when authenticity and longevity matter.

• Imitation gold leaf / composition leaf: more affordable, used indoors where real gold might be too costly. Wrights of Lymm carry imitation gold & silver leaf among our gold & imitation leaf ranges. 

• Transfer leaf vs loose leaf: Different formats depending on skill level, ease of application, and project scale.

Adhesives & Sizes: The Bonding Agents

Critical for gilding is choosing the right adhesive (“size”). The adhesive ensures the gold leaf adheres properly.

• Water-based gold size: Dries faster, easier clean-up. Good for indoor decorative work.

• Oil-based / Japan gold size: Longer open time, better for outdoor or monumental work where you may need more time to lay out the leaf, or in less controlled environmental conditions.

• Acrylic emulsions: A bridge between water-based and oil-based sizes. Moderately fast drying, easier for cleanup. Useful for mixed interior/exterior, or when flexibility is required.

Sundries & Tools: Achieving a Professional Finish

Beyond leaf and adhesive, the right tools and sundries are essential. Some of the Wrights of Lymm gilding sundries include:

Choosing the Right Products for Restoration and Monumental Gilding

When working on restoration or monumental projects, some factors are especially important:

1. Durability & Exposure — Outdoor or monumental features need genuine high-carat gold leaf plus durable adhesive and sealants. Imitation leaf may tarnish or degrade more quickly outdoors.

2. Authenticity & Historical Accuracy — Restoration often demands matching original materials. Using the same carat, same technique (water gilding or oil gilding), same colour tones.

3. Handling and Format — Large, complex surfaces benefit from transfer leaf for speed and ease; fine detailing requires loose leaf or shell gold.

4. Finish (Shine vs Matte vs Burnished) — Some projects require burnished high-shine finish (common in monuments, signage in sunlight), others a softer matte or aged look (frames, interiors).

Product Range from Wrights of Lymm

These are examples from current stock that Wrights of Lymm offers, relevant for different gilding contexts:

• Gold Leaf: genuine gold leaf in various carats.
• Imitation Leaf: imitation gold/silver leaf; variegated leaf; tin leaf. 

• Metal Powders & Shell Gold: gold powder, genuine silver powder etc. for decorative detail and repairs.

• Gilding Tools & Brushes: gilder’s tips, gesso brushes, string bound brushes, mops. Agate burnishers are part of the range. 

• Adhesives and Sizes: water-based size, oil-based size; acrylic emulsions. 

• Sundries & Supports: boles, clays, sealants, shellac varnish, cushions, gilders’ knives. 

Step-by-Step Best Practices for Gilding Projects

To get the most from your gilding, especially in restoration or monumental work, follow these steps:

1. Surface preparation: Ensure the substrate is clean, smooth, stable. Use primer/sealer if needed. Fill cracks etc.

2. Select leaf and size early: Choose the gold/carat/imitation leaf you will use; test the adhesive (size) to see tack time, drying behaviour.

3. Apply adhesive size: Even layer, consistent coverage. For oil sizes, allow full open time; for water-based, ensure tack is right.

4. Lay leaf: Use tools like gilder’s tip, cushion, transfer leaf where applicable. Carefully smooth with mop brush, avoid wrinkles.

5. Burnishing / Finishing: Use burnishing tools (agate) after leaf has set appropriately. For genuine goldleaf, burnishing brings out shine; for imitation or decorative work, a softer finish may be desired.

6. Seal / Protect: Apply sealant or varnish as needed, especially for outdoor and high-traffic areas.

7. Regular maintenance: Periodic checks, gentle cleaning; repair small losses with shell gold or gold powder.

Why Choose Wrights of Lymm

• Deep experience in monumental gilding and restoration; trusted by professionals and heritage clients.

• Full range of goldleaf supplies, both genuine and imitation, plus sundries, adhesives, tools.

• Expertise in advising what product suits what project.

• Quality assurance: products like high carat leaf, burnishers etc that perform reliably.

Conclusion

Gilding is as much about the materials as the technique. Whether you're restoring a historic monument, framing a treasured painting, or applying gold leaf for decorative purposes, using the right gold leaf, adhesive, tools, and sundries is essential. At Wrights of Lymm, we supply everything needed for high-quality gilding — from 24ct gold leaf for monumental works to affordable imitation leaf for interior décor — always supporting restoration, craftsmanship, and beautiful finishes.