Replies

1. 
   PhillGiles | Sep 28, 2003 12:04am | #1

   Are you talking about putting a skim on using that slighly pinkish plaster, or Venetian plaster ?

   .

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

1. 
   Doc | Sep 28, 2003 12:18am | #2

   Thanks for the reply.  I guess what it comes down to is that I have no idea what I'm talking about.  I guess I've seen authentic interior stucco demonstrated on Television where they mix dry pigments with plaster and hand trowel it on the wall.  I've also seen painted walls that look very similar that didn't require such a technique.  I guess I assumed that it was a faux technique of some kind done with brushes or sponges or something.  I'm looking for any technique, to be honest with you.  I would just like to achieve that look in a rich red color on my kitchen walls.  So, any advice you could offer on the authentic or fake technique would be great.  Hard to believe I'm actually a carpenter and woodworker.  The last two paragraphs I've written make me sound like a Martha Stewart groupie.  I hope no one I know reads this. 

1. 
   SEBDESN | Sep 28, 2003 12:51am | #3

   Go to your local library and get a book on faux finishing.

   It will have more stuff than you will ever want to know about that stuff.

   Did a kitchen last year on the cheep, and used period mdf trim that I painted a light yellow, and then grained it with a light brown glaze and  varnished it. Looked  like the maple HD cheepo cabinets I used. It was a rental house, and I couldn't bill anybody for the time, but saved a bunch of bucks.

   Bud 

2. 
   Theodora | Sep 28, 2003 12:58am | #4

   The Venetian Plaster Phill mentioned may indeed be what you are thinking of, and it's googleable, http://spatespainting.com/VenetianPlaster/ , among other resources.

   I used a "color washing" technique using glazing medium on my dining room walls. After the wall paper and liner were down, I had a quite damaged and dinged surface, which the glazing technique turned to advantage. It is pleasing, and the eggshell finish has a slight gloss. It would work in reddish/goldish/brown tones very nicely. It approximates a Venetian plaster, but does not remotely replicate it.

   Edit to add: Here is a good Web resource that includes both Venetian plaster and the color wash technique I used.

   http://www.faux-painting-techniques.com/index.html

   I rolled on a smooth base coat in my first color. Didn't occur to me that I could have gotten more rustic effect through random brush on of my first coat, maybe I'll try that someday. And I used a brushes similar to the first and third brushes in this link to apply my two glaze coats.

   http://www.ehomestore.net/faux_finish_brushes.htm

   "Our whole American way of life is a great war of ideas, and librarians are the arms dealers selling weapons to both sides."-James Quinn

   Edited 9/27/2003 6:06:44 PM ET by Theodora

3. 
   PhillGiles | Sep 28, 2003 06:58am | #7

   There was an excellent article on Venetian plastering in a recent Walls & Ceiling magazine; you can also get a good description of it in the Behr section of your local HD (Behr make a pretty good Venetian plaster materials set) or on the Behr website. I've seen the coloured plaster (geez, I wish I could remember what it was called) done, and I decided that was beyond me, but I can do the Venetian plaster. Oh, I've also done a couple of Ralph Lauren faux looks using their special brushes - linen and chambrey - not bad, but boy does it swallow time. .

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

2. 
   pino | Sep 28, 2003 05:10am | #5

   We used a faux finish techique in our 1916 bungalow that looks fantastic and far better than any faux finish I have ever seen, IMO. The end result is very similar to Venetian plaster.

   We started with our base coat which was our lightest color. In our case this was a light umber. This was a two coat step. After rolling that on, we applied two wash colors, a moss green and a venetian red. These were applied by rag and greatly thinned by wiping the color into the wall suface. The key here was to "rag" it on but to wipe it out after a bit of drying. This really softens the look. We used three coats eachcolor in this process allowing sufficent dry time in between, although the time was brief because of the whisper thin coats.

   After this process was completed, we applied a 1 lb cut of dark garnett shellac with flattener added, again using the same wiping techique, building up some shadow and light areas. The shallac created a wonderful aged look. When it was where we wanted it color-wise, we applied a flat varnish to the entire surface for protection.

   unlike a lot of faux finishing I have seen, this techique of multiple coats created incredible depth and a great aged patina. Even if you are trying to achieve a deep red, applying various shades of red using this technique should yield stunning results.

   My biggest piece of advice is to create large size samples on drywall before you proceed. That way you can experiment to yor hearts content until you get precisely the color and look you desire.

   
   

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   Edited 9/27/2003 10:14:01 PM ET by pino

1. 
   brownbagg | Sep 28, 2003 05:31am | #6

   I painted my bathroom with different colors and a feather duster. It came out great