 This technique makes your walls appear to be crumbling from age, but it's actually a finish applied with a crumbly mixture thrown or pressed into the plaster. A synthetic stippling brush works the dark brown glaze into the crevices; the excess is rubbed off with a soft cloth to create a weathered look. "This is a good finish because it has a waxed top coat on it that prevents water and splashes from penetrating into it," Barbara says.
Gather Your Supplies
- Off White Aquabond or oil-base primer
- Paint roller
- SandStone
- Stainless-steel trowel
- PlasterTex
- Whizz fabric roller
- Lime Slag
- AquaCreme
- AquaColor: Earth Brown and
Autumn Brown
- 220-grit sandpaper
- Spray bottle with water
- Synthetic stippling brush
- Terry-cloth shop towels
Start To Finish
Note: This technique is messy, so take care to protect your floors with drop cloths and mask off any surfaces you do not want to cover. Because Lime Slag is a caustic material, be sure to protect wood surfaces.
1. Properly prepare the surface. Base-coat with one or two coats of Off White AquaBond or oil-base primer; let dry.
2. Dilute the SandStone with
10–20 percent water for easy rolling.
Apply a thin coat of SandStone, covering the entire surface; let dry.
3. Lightly scrape the dried SandStone with a trowel to knock off any roughness; dust off.
4. Skim-coat PlasterTex onto the surface using a Whizz fabric roller. Allow the PlasterTex to set up for five to 10 minutes and then compress it into the substrate with a stainless-steel trowel. Allow to dry for at least one hour.
5. Create a crumb mixture by combining 4 parts SandStone with 1/2 part Lime Slag.
6. Randomly add more PlasterTex to the surface using the trowel, skipping around over the surface and building it up thicker in some areas. While the plaster is still wet, apply the crumbs by either “throwing” them onto the wet surface, or by putting them on the trowel and compressing them into the plaster, opposite right. Knock down the materials but do not smooth out the crumbs and texture completely; leave some areas thicker and more crumbly than others. Cracks will occur where the plaster is left heavy. Let dry overnight.
7. Create a custom warm brown glaze by combining 2 cups of AquaCreme, 4 tablespoons of Earth Brown AquaColor, and 4 teaspoons of Autumn Brown AquaColor.
8. Knock off any loose crumbs or plaster and sand the surface with 220-grit sandpaper; dust off. Mist the surface with a thin film of water. Apply a coat of the warm brown glaze to the surface using a synthetic stippling brush, below, working it into all the cracks and crevices. Lightly dry-rub with a terry-cloth shop towel to remove any tool marks and excess glaze; let dry.
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