Beautiful Pompeii Style Decoupage Project (art included)

Step 23 Seal, Screw on Hardware, and Felt

  Seal that hard work with a good matte spray varnish. Glossy is too shiny, but a decent matte  varnish will protect that layer of paper embedded in Mod Podge. I actually give my boxes a minimum of five coats, because they get a lot of use! In traditional decoupage, it would be a minimum of 25 coats to embed all the paper designs (every piece is embedded in the varnish layer), but I prefer my dimensional style. Mount the hardware on the back, and glue on felt or cork at the bottom corners to protect the wall it hangs on. I have had some customers not hang it at all, but keep their box on a counter.  I just use tacky glue for the felt and used three layers of felt squares. You will have many years of use, and the box will always look beautiful. Give it a gently cleaning monthly and a couple of new coats of sealer every several years.  I use these boxes in the kitchen, bathroom and studio. They make memorable, unique gifts and are such a good way to recycle plastic bags.