How to Faux Paint Stone Finishes

Faux Paint Stone Finishes

If you have ever wanted to know how to faux paint stone finishes, but your not sure how, I will give you some basic steps to get you started.

Specialty faux finishes have been around for centuries, but are sometimes subtle. Other times they are used to create dramatic effects. They are applied to walls, furniture, light fixtures, even in set designs.

Particularly, Faux painting techniques are used to create the illusion of images, textures, and natural surfaces. In spite of trends, there are always useful ways to apply faux painted finishes to your home.

Apply the following techniques to your walls, floors, home accessories such as, mirrors or picture frames, or furniture. With this in mind, enjoy the complete one-of-kind look you will create for your personal space.

Materials Needed

Before you gather your paints, keep in mind that you don’t need to have exact colors. Pick colors you would find in a sample piece of stone. Consequently, you will achieve the necessary colors during the blending process. Overall, your colors will depend on the type of stone you want to create. Importantly, coordinate then with the area where they will be applied. For example, I used six main colors.

• Buy flat paint ( deep gold, chocolate brown, antique white, stone gray, cream white, bisque white)
• Use only cotton t-shirt rags
• Purchase only 2 in. & 4 in. throw away brushes
• Use small artist brushes for details
• Bring foam or plastic plates (apply paint and water to plates to dab colors and thin paint for blending technique)
• Lay down drop cloth
• Apply only blue tape
• For easy prep, use painters paper or plastic
• Don’t forget stir sticks

Preparing the Area

• First, cover surrounding walls with painters paper or plastic and blue tape. (Blue tape is less tacky and will be less likely to peel paint).
• Cover floor with drop cloths.
• Set paints aside in a place where you can move back and forth to various colors.
• Set a bottle of water aside to easily dilute paint when needed.

Techniques for How to Faux Paint Stone Finishes

1. Paint the smallest part of the space first in order to get your momentum going.
2. Apply the darker paints first with a large brush. Do not leave brush strokes.
3. Dab and pat in gaps with softer colors using a damp cotton t-shirt rag.  Overlap each color and blend the edges of the paint into each other. Don’t overwork the paint. For this reason, you will pull away the recently applied layers which creates light spots.
4. Cover the entire wall with paint.
5. Allow painted surface to set overnight so paint dries entirely.
6. Dilute lighter colors and randomly apply to all areas that need to be blended into each other. Keep in mind, you want to create a softer more natural look.
7. Create veins by pushing one side of the rag into the surface. Then blend into the finish.
8. Create fine lines with a small artist brush. Blend with a lighter or darker color on one side of the line.

Painting Tips

• Keep the base color of the wall the same to save time and money.
• Use the same paint that is used on the adjacent walls as one of the faux paint colors. With this intention, it helps keep the colors coordinating with the rest of the room.
• Frequently, stir paint to keep color consistency and prevent it from drying out.
• Clean up the edges with a small artist brush after the paper and tape is removed.

Check out this example:

https://youtu.be/gDIghCNCvMI