Kraftex® Creative Cracks is a quality homecraft product from Pratley that allows for the effortless and quick creation of a unique decorative crack effect on a variety of painted craft, hobby, furniture and artistic objects. “This is an easy-to-use craft product that produces a really amazing end effect,” explains Mark Bell, Adhesives Marketing Manager at Pratley.

Kraftex® Creative Cracks is a water-based product that enables you to create creative antique cracks on a myriad of surfaces like doors and walls, as well as diverse applications such as bar counters and chairs. “Kraftex® Creative Cracks allows you to be creative and even play around with different colours,” adds Bell.

The first step is to paint the surface with a base colour – that is, the colour that shows through the cracks. Allow sufficient time for the paint to dry completely. Use a sponge brush to apply a coat of Kraftex® Creative Cracks to the painted surface. The thickness of the layer determines the crack size, meaning that a thicker layer results in wider cracks.

Leave for about ten minutes, but ensure that the Kraftex® Creative Cracks layer remains tacky and does not dry out completely. Sponge over a second contrasting colour of your choice, with a water-based PVA paint. Apply brush strokes in different directions, as the cracks tend to follow these lines.

The thickness of the second paint layer, however, only has a marginal impact on crack size. For thinner cracks, dilute the paint with water. Cracks will start to appear within minutes. Allow the second coat to dry thoroughly, whereafter you can seal the surface with Kraftex® Seal Coat, Kraftex® Varnish or Kraftex® Pratliglo®.

Pratley also has a complete solution for decoupage enthusiasts in the form of a handy Kraftex® Pratliglo® Starter Kit that is perfect to allow you to produce a beautiful painted tray with an inset picture. Once you have mastered the tray, you can attempt more intricate projects like clock faces, seashell designs, figurines, chess boards, coffee tables and wooden coasters.

The arts-and-crafts segment is a growing market for Pratley. “We have customers constantly informing us of new uses for our Kraftex® products, which means we learn something new every day,” highlights Bell. Additional craft products are under constant development by Pratley’s research-and-development department.

Kraftex Creative Cracks® is available in 250 ml jars, and Pratley supplies the product to arts-and-crafts shops in dispensers of four.