Painting - 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

(Also posted to furniture refinishing forum)

I think your problem is the base coat. Sounds like the yellow is too rich. Any attempt to cover it will glaze will not work. I had a similiar problem with some walls in my family room. We started with a mustard color base, then a light glaze. The place looked like an Italian resturaunt. I lightly sanded the walls, recoated everything with a more neutral off-white paint, the glazed with a dark green mix.