Aged Wall Technique

Room by Room : Episode RXR-1808 -- More Projects »
Materials:

latex satin base coat paint (Peartint SW1402)
latex satin paint (Agold SW1404, Savannah Green SW1406, Settler's Coat SW1112)
paint rollers
joint compound
pail
paintbrushes (4" flat edge, 2-1/2" sash brush)
rags
clear satin latex faux painting sealer

Steps:

1. Apply the base coat and allow it to dry for 24 hours.
2. To create texture, put joint compound into a pail and add some of the base coat color. Mix until it's the consistency of brownie batter, and then dip a four-inch flat-edge brush in. Create soft fan shapes like those of a stucco finish--some areas will get covered very well and have a lot of texture and other areas won't. Let the compound dry for at least 24 hours.

PHOTO

Figure A
3. Thin Agold down a bit with water and make sure to mix it well. Create uneven lines with a 2-1/2-inch sash brush almost dripping with paint--these lines will add depth to the texture and the base coat. To blend it into the wall color even more, dab the lines/drips with a damp cloth as you paint them onto the wall (figure A). Once it's dry, there should be about the same amount of the base coat showing through as there is of the top coat color. This becomes a lovely mottled background for the rest of the technique.
PHOTO

Figure B
4. To add veining, thin Savannah Green down with water quite a bit--it should be very runny, allowing the color to be translucent rather than solid. Once the paint is mixed well, fashion diagonal, weaving veins and dab them as you go with a damp cloth. Repeat with Settler's Coat (figure B). Note: There's nothing to fear in this process since you really want things to look irregular, as if the imperfections simply appeared over years and years of water damage and natural aging. If the final outcome looks too dark, add more of the lighter color until satisfied.
5. Once satisfied, let the walls dry for 24 hours. To protect and enhance the work, apply two coats of sealer, which really brings out the richness of the colors and texture.
Resources
paint
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Website: www.sherwin.com
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