Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Glazing over too-dark paint - help!

I painted two bookcases and their adjustable shelves yellow. It turned out mustardy and I'd like to lighten it up. I purchased some glaze and paint intended for such projects (Berg?) and mixed it as directed (more than 4:1 glaze to paint so I could get a more translucent effect). The paint is a creamy color, not exactly off-white but close. Very pale yellow.

I thought this would produce a soft veil of translucent pale yellow/cream color that would lighten up the original yellow. Instead, I've got opaque brushstrokes that look basically white.

I only did some of the shelves to experiment. Now I'm wondering (a) if I can sand the glaze/overpaint off, (b) how to proceed with the rest of the shelves and the cases themselves???

Would thinning the paint with water work? (The original paint is semigloss or satin.) Or do I need a paint that's closer to the eventual color I want? If so, what's the point? Why not just repaint the whole thing???

Thanks for any help,

Margaret S.

Margaret:

My experience with paint on furniture is limited, but I'll tell you what I do know and advise you to repost this wuestion in the painting forum for a more definitive response.

Glazing in furniture refinishing (factory type) is intended primarily to serve as an accent - rarely as an overlay of continuous color as you were trying. As you intimated, you would have been better off to repaint the entire piece the color you wanted rather than trying to use a glaze.

A glaze mixed 4:1 with paint has very little color. A glaze by its nature is supposed to be semi-transparent; by diluting the applied color as much as you did, the mustard base color over-rode the paler yellow in the glaze, virtually making it transparent - hence the white streaks. You're looking at 4 parts glaze, one part color. Against the dark yellow background, the softer yellow in the glaze is overpowered.

I'd sand down your experiment, not worrying about getting JUST the glaze, then pick another color and repaint the entire piece.