Dresser makeover with Tanglewood Sue-Per shifters

How To Use Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifting Metallic Waxes

Written by: Tanglewood Sue

October 15, 2025

Time to read 6 min

Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifting Metallic Waxes are the hottest new product in the DIY craft industry.

If you love color, you’ll love how each jar holds multiple shades that shift and shimmer with every angle: perfect for furniture makeovers, resin tumblers, home decor projects, jewelry and art.

Anything you can paint, you can Sue-per Shift.

Scroll down to learn about all the different types and how to apply them…

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS;

What are Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifters exactly? Here's How They Were Invented: Let's Talk About The Types Of Sue-per Shifters! Differences between Sue-Per Shifter types How do you apply Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifters How to pick the right basecoat Sue-per Shifters over white and black Can You Blend Sue-per Shifters Watch My Series On Blending Shifters On Furniture What kind of surfaces can you use Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifters on? How do you seal Tanglewood Sue-Per shifters? Popular Shifter Finishes

What are Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifters exactly?

There are a LOT of color shifting products on the market from car wraps to eye shadows.

What I could not find was a color shifting wax to use in my upcycling, furniture makeover and art projects.

Sue-per Shifters are NOT:

Paint
Watercolor
Powder
Boring :)

They are formulated with a special wax base that not only allows for a perfectly smooth application but also creates its own sealant when properly buffed.

Here's How They Were Invented:

We first created these metallic waxes to use over a very specific furniture makeover that I had envisioned.

When I could not find the products I needed in the current craft marketplace, I teamed up with Miss Lillian's Chock Paint to create the perfect product for my iridescent oil slick metallic furniture makeover. You can check out the whole journey/saga by clicking the button below.

YES, the rumors are true that I held the original sideboard hostage wnad when nobody paid her ransom i created my first Sue-Per Shifted masterpiece. She sold the next day and the rest is history!

Why Wax?

The primary purpose of the shifters was to add an intensity to furniture and art that could not be achieved with mere paint.

For this reason we created a variety of richly intense colors that reflect multiple colors when placed on top of painted surfaces.

Once we had a wide base of gorgeously shifting tones we stepped up the pigment to create the Sue-per DUPER lines and the Chromes. I'll go over the differences and how to use them below.

See ALL The Shifters Here

How do you apply Tanglewood Sue-Per Shifters

Now the fun begins!

Grab a soft but shorter bristle brush. My chisel tip brush works very well for shifter application) The shorter bristles will allow you to move the wax around and avoid brush strokes.

Make sure your surface is properly prepped. if you are using the shifters over Miss Lillian's All-In-One Chock Paint you are all set.

You CAN apply directly to certain surfaces without painting but you'll need to test first. If the surface is too glossy it may not adhere. If its too porous, it may not spread. If the surface does not work as is you can just paint it first.

If you are applying over wood, metal, leather, or vinyl I use First Step Prep to thoroughly clean and degloss the surface. Once the surface is clean you can apply the paint and then the shifters.

For optimum glow, paint your surface black ( I recommend Onyx or Black bonding primer). If you want to use a color or white see above rules for that.

Apply in smooth thin random coats. No need to pile it on in the first pass. Go for a smooth even coat. If you want more color and shift, let it dry, buff and then apply a second coat.

Once dry (at least half an hour) buff the wax with a clean dry cloth or buffing brush. Buff just like you would a car or your best leather shoes. (If no wax comes off you have waited enough time) Buff until the wax hardens and you see the colors deepen and become reflective.

Stand back and admire your masterpiece!

Start your next project!

How Far Can One Jar Go

Check out my experiment testing how far a single 1 ounce jar of my Sue-per Shifting wax can cover.

Spoiler alert... A LOT!

The color I used is HENRY➡️

How to pick the right basecoat

Although Sue-per Shifters generally shine best over darker surfaces they are not limited to that base.

Here's how to use them over different paint colors:

To use over white or pastels:

Use the NUDIES (our first line dsigned to go over light colors) or choose Shifters with white or clear bases such as Rune or Milady. You can download a color chart from the button below.

To use over any color:

Match your paint color choice to the base color of the Shifter. You may not get as intense a shift but the base color will hide the base of the colored wax.

To use over dark warm colors:

Most of the MOODIES have a dark red or orange base to them which makes them great to apply over dark reds, or orages or even browns.

Sue-per Shifters over white and black

Can You Blend Sue-per Shifters

Of course. You can blend these metallic waxes just like they were paint. I of course use my "smoosh & Moosh" technique but you can use whatever works for you.

You can also mix the waxes or add layers of waxes to get multiple shifts.

The possibilities are truly endless!