Gilding Terminology
What does it all mean? Gilding terms explained.
Understanding the meaning of words associated with gold leafing and gilding methods for furniture, objects, walls, glass, paintings, icons, pin stripping and exterior surfaces.
A handy glossary of Gilding terms to help you navigate through the rivers of gold.
Gilding Glossary
Definitions of common terms used in gold leaf, silver leaf, metal leaf, water gilding, oil (mordant) gilding, glass gilding, illumination, and restoration.
Jump to a term
- Assiette
- Bole
- Burnishing
- Compo (Composition Ornament)
- Gesso
- Glair
- Gilding
- Gilder’s Cushion (Pad)
- Gilder’s Tip
- Loose Leaf
- Matte Gilding
- Mordant Gilding (Oil Gilding)
- Patent Leaf (Transfer Leaf)
- Sealer / Topcoat
- Shell Gold
- Shell Silver
- Size
- Size Water
- Skewings
- Tamisé
- Verre Églomisé
- Water Gilding
- Whiting
Quick note
Terms can vary by trade (frames, signs, bookbinding, architectural gilding). These definitions aim to be broadly useful across professional gilding and decorative finishing.
Terms & Definitions
- Assiette water gilding / bookbinding
- A traditional clay-based underlayer used under leaf (often comparable to “bole” in English usage), associated with burnished gilding and sometimes referenced in bookbinding traditions.
- Bole water gilding
- A fine clay layer (often red, yellow, or black) applied over gesso in water gilding. Bole provides color warmth beneath the leaf and allows the leaf to be burnished to high brilliance.
- Burnishing
- Polishing leaf (typically water-gilded leaf on bole) with a smooth hard tool—commonly agate—to create a mirror-like shine and crisp reflections.
- Compo (Composition Ornament) frames / architectural
- A moldable ornamental material (often chalk/whiting plus glue, resin, and oil) pressed into molds to create decorative details—commonly seen on gilded picture and mirror frames.
- Gesso ground / prep
- A traditional preparation layer (often chalk/gypsum plus glue) used to build a smooth, absorbent, sandable ground—especially for water gilding and burnished finishes.
- Glair
- An egg-white-based binder used in illumination and traditional techniques; it can be used to bind pigments or help prepare surfaces for certain gilded effects.
- Gilding general
- The application of metal leaf (gold, silver, palladium, or imitation leaf) to a prepared surface using an adhesive system to create a reflective metallic finish.
- Gilder’s Cushion (Pad) tools
- A suede-covered pad used to lay out loose leaf for cutting and staging before pickup (often with a gilder’s tip) and transfer to the sized surface.
- Gilder’s Tip tools
- A wide, soft brush used to lift and place delicate loose leaf (especially gold and silver) from the cushion onto the tacky adhesive.
- Loose Leaf materials
- Unbacked sheets of metal leaf in a book. Loose leaf is extremely delicate and usually handled with a gilder’s tip for precise placement.
- Matte Gilding finishing
- A non-burnished gilded finish (often associated with oil/mordant gilding or unburnished areas in water gilding) that reads as bright but softer than a mirror burnish.
- Mordant Gilding (Oil Gilding) oil size
- A method where leaf is applied onto an adhesive “size” (traditionally oil-based). It’s widely used for decorative work and exteriors; it generally does not burnish to the same mirror finish as water gilding.
- Patent Leaf (Transfer Leaf) materials
- Leaf mounted to a thin tissue backing. The backing stabilizes the leaf for easier handling, making it popular for beginners, for signage, and for large or windy jobsite conditions.
- Sealer / Topcoat protection
- A protective coating applied over leaf (commonly needed for silver and imitation leaf) to reduce tarnish/oxidation and improve durability—especially on high-touch or exterior surfaces.
- Shell Gold
- Real gold prepared as a brushable medium (gold particles bound with a binder such as gum arabic). Used for illumination, lettering, fine details, and small repairs/touch-ups.
- Shell Silver
- Real silver prepared in a brushable, re-wettable form (analogous to shell gold) used for illumination, lettering, fine detailing, and careful touch-up work.
- Size adhesives
- The adhesive layer used to bond leaf to a surface. “Size” can refer to oil-based sizes, water-based sizes, or traditional glues depending on the gilding method.
- Size Water water gilding
- A water-based activation liquid used during water gilding to re-wet/activate the bole so leaf can be laid and later burnished.
- Skewings
- Small leftover bits of leaf (useful for patching, touch-ups, and tiny areas) gathered during cutting and laying.
- Tamisé Leaf Flakes
- Decorative metal leaf flakes—small irregular pieces used to create broken-leaf textures, blended metallic tones, and shimmering effects in decorative finishes and mixed media.
- Verre Églomisé glass gilding
- Reverse gilding on glass: applying leaf (often with design work) to the back side of glass to create reflective mirror-like effects, sometimes combined with painting or engraving.
- Traditional Water Gilding
- A traditional method using gesso + bole and a water activation step to lay leaf; it enables high burnish and classic contrasts between burnished and matte passages.
- Whiting materials
- Finely ground calcium carbonate (chalk) used in traditional grounds and ornament materials (including some gesso and composition/compo formulas) to build body and smoothness.
The more you know...
There's lots to know. How much of it do you need?
Every project has a unique profile. You (or your client) may want the 'real' stuff... until you start pricing it. A 35sqft dresser is one thing, but a 1,200 sqft ceiling is another.
Here's a bunch of basic info, facts and specs for you to pull together for your unique project.
Leaf coverage
A book contains 25 leaves, a pack contains 20 books, equaling 500 leaves. Each pack of 500 leaves covers a surface area of 39.50 sq.ft. without waste or overlap. The gilder can determine the percentage of waste based on the complexity of the object and his or her own expertise in laying leaf. If for example, the surface is very ornate with deep crevices, it will require more leaf than the same size area of a flat surface.
Karats and Alloys
Gold is alloyed with Silver, Copper and other metals to achieve a variety of colors and shades. A higher gold content and/or greater amount of copper will result in deeper tones of leaf. The higher karat leaves are also more durable due to the higher gold content. In the lower karats of leaf, such as 18kt, 16kt, and 12kt, gold is alloyed with Silver or other metals to achieve lighter colors.
About Gold content
Gold leaf is manufactured in a wide range of colors and karats. Leaf made from 100% gold is 24kt. To produce a wide variety of colors, copper and Silver is mixed with gold. When copper is added, the leaf becomes warmer and richer in tone. When Silver is added, the leaf becomes paler in tone. The addition of these other metals lowers the karat value of gold leaf. Gold leaf is manufactured in a range from 9kt "White" to 24kt "Fine Gold". Gold is completely resistant to corrosion. The addition of Silver and copper lowers the resistance of gold leaf to corrosion. However, the copper or Silver in 23.75kt or 23kt leaf is so low that it will maintain its integrity outdoors for 30 years or more. A dome, building detail, metal fence or outdoor statue will require a 23kt to 23.75kt leaf that ranges from 96% to 98.5% in purity. Karats less than 23 are recommended for indoor use and many colors and karats are available. More about Exterior Gilding.
Leaf Thickness and Weight
Leaf thickness is best described as grams per 1,000 leaves. This measurement is used to compare one variety with another. The approximate weight of leaf for an outdoor surface is 18 to 23 grams per 1,000 leaves. The heavier the leaf, the longer it will repel the abrasive effects of snow, rain, wind, dust and sand particles. When selecting gold leaf for an exterior architectural project, look first for the gold content and gram weight. A 23kt to 23.75kt gold leaf weighing 18 to 23 grams/1000 leaves properly applied will shine for decades. Gilding step-by-step tutorials, tips and techniques.
Different Types of Leaf
Regular Gold - This term refers to the average thickness which a manufacturer has deemed as the standard for gold leaf. This standard may vary from one manufacturer to another. One gold beater's regular may be thinner than the regular leaf of another brand.
Surface Gold - Surface gold leaf may have a few irregularities and is often used where double gilding is required or the leaf will be distressed or toned.
Loose Gold - A book of loose gold leaf is assembled by placing each piece of gold leaf between pieces of thin rouged paper. The gilder can then remove one leaf at a time without disturbing the remaining leaves. It is removed from the book with a gilder's tip, a flat natural hair brush.
Glass Gold This term applies to gold leaf which is selected for it's higher quality having fewer pinholes and irregularities.
Double Gold Double gold does not mean that the leaf is two times thicker than regular leaf. Double leaf may be only 10% to 20% thicker than regular gold leaf. Double means that it is heavier than regular.
Patent Gold Patent gold leaf, also referred to as transfer leaf, is gold leaf mounted to special tissue paper by a pressure process. A book of patent gold leaf is assembled by placing each unit of gold leaf and tissue paper between pieces of thin rouged paper. The gilder can then remove one leaf at a time without disturbing the remaining leaves.
Patent leaf is removed from the book without the aid of a gilder's tip. The leaf will stay on the tissue until it is pressed onto the prepared surface and the tissue backing is removed. This form of gold leaf is necessary for outdoor work or where conditions would make loose leaf unmanageable. Patent gold leaf is not suitable for water gilding and is best suited for flat surfaces.
Patent gold leaf is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity and needs to be stored properly. Store patent leaf in a damp environment of about 80% humidity wrapped in plastic wrap. This helps to prevent the moisture content of the tissue paper from fluctuating.
Patent leaf may become loose on the tissue paper if stored in a dry warm environment. To correct this problem, the book of patent leaf needs to be stored in a humid environment under pressure to 'remount' the leaf to the paper. If the leaf was stored in a very hot and humid environment, the leaf may adhere too tightly to the paper. To correct this problem, store patent the patent leaf in a refrigerator or a dry cool place.
Gilded Building details made from wood, stone, fiberglass and metal take on the dynamic qualities of gold - its luster and color. The correct selection of gold leaf, its gold content and thickness, will ensure a long lasting gilded ornament.
Skewings
Small, irregular pieces of genuine or metal leaf that are the excess leaf bits during the gilding process.
Holiday
Areas of the gilding process that are void of leaf. Vacant spots. Typically caused by application of adhesive size problems resulting in areas that do not have adhesive size and therefore leave areas of the gilded surface that will not bond leaf.
