This faux technique is very versatile, it can be used in many decors, colors and dimensions.
The faux blocks were designed to be distressed for this project, but can be made to fit your imagination.
Be prepared to do a lot of work to complete this project, but the rewards are gratifying. Up to two people to complete this project and various skills are required.
Start with several colors which are in the same family, in this case we used earth tones. The base will be a light color and the blocks will be glazed with the darker colors. The blocks in this photo were 6 x 12 in. The wall was mapped out using a 4 ft level. Each block was taped off with 1 in. blue tape, then the entire wall was skim coated with compound. A slight texture was given to the wall using a compound blade and more compound. Once the compound dried the tape was removed and the wall was primed. The wall was then painted with a coat of eggshell finish with the lighter color.
Note: When removing the tape the block edges will be chipped. This is good if your looking for a distressed look. If you would like a smooth edge to the blocks the tape will have to be removed before the compound dies.
After the base coat is fully dried the first glaze ( med. color ) is applied with a sea sponge. Use the sea sponge as if your washing the wall. The second glaze ( darker color ) will be used randomly and also applied with a sea sponge. The glaze mixture is 1 part glaze to 1 part paint. Let the glaze fall into the texture to create character for each block. Keep the blocks from becoming the same color, mix them up. If you find that a few blocks are to much the same repaint the base coat in that area and re-glaze.
We added a warmer glaze randomly to keep it interesting. Finally, the grout lines were re-painted with the base color using a small brush. I recommend using a practice board to apply the compound to create a texture that your satisfied with before applying it to your walls. Enjoy!
See more you can do with this project at this link
http://arrayofcolorinc.blogspot.com/2013/03/distressed-faux-block-wall.html
I'm big fan of faux technique. Whenver I opt this tact I find it very easy to repair concrete in fashioned way.
ReplyDelete