Faux Plaster Paint Treatments: Why and How To

 

 

I’m back today with an fun project for creating a faux plaster paint technique that is an easy way to get a plaster finish on the wall.

Last week, I shared the reveal pictures of my entry way revamp project:

 

In that post, I mentioned that I did a faux plaster technique throughout my entry way (except for the focal wall with the wallpaper) and that I would share today how I did it and what inspired me.  Before I jump into the easy technique that I used, let me show you what inspired me:

 

 

Segreto Finishes in Houston is a decorative painting company in Houston that is known for their amazingly beautiful wall treatments.  If you have never looked through Segreto’s portfolio and website, let me tell you, it is truly a special treat because their work is absolutely extraordinary.

Segreto is predominately known for their plaster wall treatments and this is a trend that seems to be getting more and more popular over the last couple of years.  Plaster is a gorgeous way to add subtle depth and texture to an otherwise solid white/off white wall:

 

The plaster treatment can be done very light or pronounced depending on the desired end look and it can be done in colors as well:

 

 

Over the years, as I have kept up with Segreto Finishes and all of their projects, I have fallen in love with the plaster wall treatment and thought it would look beautiful in my entry way.  Of course, Segreto Finishes uses a real plaster mix for the treatment and if I lived in Houston, I would have hired them in an instant to come out and do my entry way for me. Instead, I came up with a faux plaster wall treatment that was so easy to do and I just love how it turned out.

 

 

After I did all of the walls in my entry way, I decided that I wanted one focal wall with a bold geometric pattern.  The wallpaper that I picked out blended perfectly with the faux plaster throughout the rest of the space:

 

 

 

After a lot of research and tweaking of paint colors and my technique, I finally came up with the process and technique for the faux plaster for my entry.

The first thing I did was to paint my walls a solid color and after a lot of testing, I found that Sherwin Williams Useful Gray was the closest paint color to the base color of traditional real plaster:

 

I used the Duration paint from Sherwin Williams in matte tinted to Useful Gray (SW7050):

 

 

After I let the wall completely dry overnight, I mixed 1 part Sherwin Williams Faux Impressions Glaze tinted with the color Iron Ore with 1 part of my latex Useful Gray and mixed well  (50/50) .  I barely used even half the quart of glaze, so keep in mind that a little of that glaze goes a long way.

I then had a large bowl of water that I saturated a rag with a squeezed out the excess water and then I dipped the whole rag into my paint/glaze mix and wrung out as well.  I also had an old dry t-shirt rag.  I began by lighting patting my wet paint rag onto the wall and then immediately came behind and patted with the dry t-shirt to blend and remove.  This technique gives you the most control:

With my dry t-shirt I patted in some areas and swiped in other areas.  If you look at plaster, there are swipes and pats.  The more you pat an area with the dry t-shirt, the more you get that really cool crunchy plaster look.  I really removed a lot at first and then I came back over.  It’s better to layer to really control:

 

 

 

 

 

I did the whole room in less than an hour!  Once I got my technique down, it went really fast.  I went ahead and did my focal wall too just to see if I would like it better than the wallpaper idea I had planned:

 

 

 

 

I decided a month later to do the wallpaper just on the main focal wall.  While I loved the plaster wall, I felt like I needed something really bold on the main wall:

 

I just loved the way the faux plaster turned out and I cannot even tell you how fast and easy it was once I got into my patting groove.  It really looks just like plaster and the color combination looks just like the real thing.

If you want to see more ways that plaster wall techniques are being used, Segreto Finishes is the best place there is for inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by today friends and if you want to see more Paint It Monday projects, you can find them here.

Cheers!

Cyndy