Faux Plaster
How to Age Walls

Faux plaster is a great way to age and antique walls in order to simulate 'aged plaster' - used to describe old plaster painted with limewash and tinted with earth colors.

By glazing walls using faux paint techniques like color washing we can emulate that mellowed and weathered imperfection of antique walls, color washed decades ago and faded by the sun, but still retaining their original brightness in the shadows of moldings and under ledges.

All you need is a courageous spirit, some paint and the easy steps below showing how to first color wash, then distress and shade your walls in order to age and antique them.

And remember, if you make a mistake there's nothing another coat of paint wont fix.

Have fun - and don’t forget to leave a wet patch around each section you're working on in order to blend the next section, or you will have 'seams' running down your wall!

MATERIALS

PREPARATION

Base Coat

Existing or newly painted walls in water-based paint or limewashed walls.

METHOD

1. Mix one or two colors for the base as well as for the darker sections - for example: raw sienna and yellow ochre for yellowed plaster; raw sienna and burnt umber for warmer tones; burnt sienna and burnt umber for stronger tones. The colors can be darkened with a little raw umber or black universal stainer. Dilute the paint mixture with water to the required color.

2. Add one cup of scumble glaze to the paint mixture to make it more transparent and extend working time.

3. Dip the 120mm (4 ¾ in) brush into the diluted paint mixture and, starting in a corner, paint a random pattern in a stip about 1m (3ft) wide. Alternatively, dip a cloth into the paint and rub it over the wall using a circular motion.

4. As the paint starts to dry, either brush it with a dry brush or rub over it with a dry cloth. Brushing the wet paint in one direction will build up a color and create a water mark or stain.

5. When all the walls have been painted and have dried, go over them again using a slightly darker color. Corners and areas just below the cornice and above the skirting should be painted slightly darker.
A broad hake can be used to soften the drifted color.

You can either end the project here, or you can continue with faux wall finishes - distressing and shading.

If completeing the project at this stage, once the last coat of paint is completely dry you can also sand the layers down here and there exposing the base coat for a more textured look.

Source: Pictures and excerpts taken from the book Decorative Paint Finishes by Louise Hennigs and Marina Niven - Published by Struik