I'm so glad this was posted... even a year later it is helpful! I want to imitate this faux finish on a small section of a wall in my house and this video was very helpful. I'll be using other colors to compliment the theme I'm going for but I've never done any kind of faux finish before and seeing how this is done has helped me put things into perspective. Once again, much appreciated!
Thankyou for posting this. I don't know if I will use this for my current project but I can really appreciate a business owner like yourself taking the time to explain your technique and in such a high quality video.
You can use a veneer plaster like One Coat, or you can use a 20 or 40 minute mix and do smaller sections at a time. Don't mix more then you can comfortably carve before it sets too hard. If you're not sure of the adhesion, you can use a plaster bonder (which often looks like white glue), then plaster over that when it gets tacky. Then the next day after it's dry apply a PVA sealer, then paint & finish. Greg
Is there a version for exterior application? What type of "plaster" would survive winter weather? (I guess it might be be stucco wall type material?) I'd like to do for vertical faces of a couple of front concrete steps .
You are very welcome. Get some scraps of drywall, and practice on them first, then do several color combination samples as well. You'll get the hang of it.
Thanks, the area Im to plaster is the basement concert wall. I want it shape the plaster to look like stone or cobble wall. I will try what you said, thanks again.
Hi Greg, great video. Very useful for a novice like me. Your faux outdoor granite also looks stunning. I am building a small outdoor nook and wanted to install a real granite but its weight and my lower back pain is does not allow me to. Would you be so kind to point me out to the right outdoor mix. Thanks!
Your project looks amazing! I want to do something like this in my bathroom around my tub. Will it hold up in a room like that with all the moisture from the shower and bath water? Should I put some extra type of coating to avoid moisture build-up?
I am about to do something similar to a small wall and I want it to look like dark black/grey slate. any tips on which color should be my base and which colors should be sponged/dry brushed?
+Hi Jason, Do some samples to see what you like best. I'd try starting with a flat paint that's almost black. i sometimes use one called Raven's Wing. Then instead of sponging additional colors on, try doing a light grey wash over the whole thing, rubbing off almost all the wash so there's just some left in the tiny nooks & crannies. Finish with a flat paint drybrush that's perhaps a shade lighter than the wash was. If you don't like that, try sponging some different grays over the black/Raven's Wing before washing. Let me know how it turns out-
Ken, You are very welcome. I show a few other techniques in this other You Tube video titled : "Unique Environments - New iron railings w/ furniture compo, hosted by Greg Abramowitz" Happy projects!
We do a similar technique, but with different mateirals outside. We use mixtures of whaite and grey cement along with silica sand and concrete colors to produce exterior rockwork with the color in the mix itself, so once it's carved, it's done. uniqueluxuryenvironments.com/Sculptured_Stone.html
Just what I'm looking for! Went to homedepot.com and put in "plaster". Here are my choices: "plaster of Paris", "Joint Compound" "Fix it all Patching Compound". Which do I use? Thanks!
+fightingtbi, We use One Kote. It might not be available and a big box place like Home Depot. It or something similar should be available at a building material supply that local contractors would go to. Out West, Thompson Building Materials carries it. www.merlex.com/ca-one-kote.php
Hi Joseph, You can use any type of paint. Oil is always easier to work with, but you can use latex too. When using latex for faux finishes, you'll have more working/blending time if you add Floetrol Latex Paint Additive. you can add more than the recommended amount too, if you will be clear coating over it.
Greg the reason for the query, is for a 18"x36" resin & fiberglass faux stone fountain that is spalling. We've owned it for over 10 years, and just recently it's began to leak. Therefore once repaired, it will require a touch up to match existing, or a total paint refinish, employing a similar technique to what you demonstrate in the video. I assume the 'clear coat' is what you refer to in your video as the sealier? Not familiar with the 'Floetrol Latex Paint Additive', or know how to use it. However I appreciate the tip, because as you suspect, blending will be required. Also I'm concerned with using a water based latex in the wet environment. Hopefully I'm understanding the process. Thank you for responding.
Hi Alvaro, The colors would depend on the specific stone you want to be similar to. Consequently the colors are different every time. Find a stone you like, and then analyze it visually. The colors that you want in the deepest crevasses get applied first. The final color would be the drybrush color. I recommend using your lightest color or your darkest color for the drybrush. Experiment and make LOTS of samples. We often make 20, 30, or more color samples for doing finishes on each of our jobs.
You can use plaster only on interior surfaces. On surfaces where adhesion is questionable, use bonder (which is similar to Elmers white glue). Wait until the bonder is tacky, then apply the plaster.
the work needs to be finer than that and smaller areas at a time in order to get a really authentic look. If you slap on a load of plaster in large areas, you dont get enough time to do it properly before it dries. Once dried, its too late to make it good.
Yes, work in small batches and practice on some scrap material so you can learn what's a comfortable amount for your skill level. As you get more experience, you will be able to do larger areas. Best of luck!
Also, If you want a finer looking faux stone, try working with white cement (& grey), silica sand, and concrete colors. then you have longer working time, and the color is already in the material. No painting needed. uniqueluxuryenvironments.com/Sculptured_Stone.html
Sergey, I also do a similar technique for outdoor installations, koi ponds and waterfalls, but I mix the color right into the cement/silica sand mix; uniqueluxuryenvironments.com/Sculptured_Stone.html
Hi Greg, great video. Very useful for a novice like me. Your faux outdoor granite also looks stunning. I am building a small outdoor nook and wanted to install a real granite but its weight and my lower back pain is does not allow me to. Could you share the recipe for the outdoor concrete mix. Thanks!
Well, try to purchase a solid piece that size and find out why faux types are used. If it’s existing structure, why gut the whole thing and replace it if you can accomplish the same appearance? There are many reasons why. But seriously: go look for a solid slab of 8” thick granite or marble that measures 8’ by 3 for a countertop. Thousands depending on the color. Like diamonds...the other the solid piece, the more exponentially expensive it is.
I worked on movie and TV sets for 11 years , I worked at Universal, MGM, Sony, Fox, and at Paramount Studios for 6 years straight. I'm going to be honest with you Greg, the art directors that I worked for would not be happy with what you presented in this video. The faux implies that what you created actually looks like something. What you do would be rightly called decorative painting it doesn't have to look like anything it just has to make the customer happy. And you probably know that customers can be talked into just about anything if you just act like you know what your talking about. I am not trying to be mean but if one of my crew did what you did he would be doing it over. One time I went to see a job a friend was doing on a very expensive house in Santa Barbara and he showed me a sample of what he had talked the customer into letting him do on the walls in the dinning room. I took my friend out to the garage where they were storing there paints and stuff. Their was a 5 gallon bucket that they had been spinning their brushes in to clean them. The side of that bucket looked exactly like the sample he showed me. One of the things that we did in Hollywood was get a lot of research photos so we would have something to work from. Once we had to do a set that was an exact replica of the inside of the New York City waterworks. It was an old brick building filled with water in the bottom. there were about 80,000 bricks to paint so with a 4 level scaffold to guys per level we painted every brick individually with sponges. If you would like to see the set rent Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman. the only way we could be sure to get it right was to have photos. We sent a photographer to New York to take a whole bunch of pictures. Don't give up get better, your texture did not look like any stone I have ever seen.
Please... Next time you write something this LOOONNNGGG... Break it up into Paragraphs... so we can READ it better, not a continuous sentence... One more thing... NEXT time you decide to ROAST someone's video... Be more Positive to the person you're hurting their feelings... Tell him he did a great job, but to be more Professional LIKE YOU... and YOU are Professional... THEN give him examples of what to do better... I too work in the film industry... but I"m a TEACHER... and (try) to Teach without hurting someone feelings... (sometimes it can't be helped, but I NEVER belittle someone in front of others...) I call that being a Bully. You blasted him out of the water within the first few sentences of your LONG Rant. I'm not saying what you said is Wrong... You are right... but most people would have STOPPED reading your ass-chewing after a few lines... You being the Professional that YOU are... This man would Love to hear what you have to say... if it is Constrictive Criticism... Please RE READ what you wrote to this man... but pretend someone wrote it to YOU... and SEE if you'd like to be embarrassed in front of thousands of people... I would love to hear more of what you have to say, but now I"m a little scared of what you might say... even if you are right and you are a professional.
Ken, You are very welcome. I show a few other techniques in this other You Tube video titled : "Unique Environments - New iron railings w/ furniture compo, hosted by Greg Abramowitz" Happy projects!
I'm so glad this was posted... even a year later it is helpful! I want to imitate this faux finish on a small section of a wall in my house and this video was very helpful. I'll be using other colors to compliment the theme I'm going for but I've never done any kind of faux finish before and seeing how this is done has helped me put things into perspective. Once again, much appreciated!
Thankyou for posting this. I don't know if I will use this for my current project but I can really appreciate a business owner like yourself taking the time to explain your technique and in such a high quality video.
Thanks Andrew. Glad you enjoyed it and found it useful.
Well done! Enjoyed your technique very much.
Linda, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it and found it useful :)
hi,very,very nice faux job. you gave me some great ideas,thanks,ken
You can use a veneer plaster like One Coat, or you can use a 20 or 40 minute mix and do smaller sections at a time. Don't mix more then you can comfortably carve before it sets too hard. If you're not sure of the adhesion, you can use a plaster bonder (which often looks like white glue), then plaster over that when it gets tacky. Then the next day after it's dry apply a PVA sealer, then paint & finish.
Greg
Is there a version for exterior application? What type of "plaster" would survive winter weather? (I guess it might be be stucco wall type material?) I'd like to do for vertical faces of a couple of front concrete steps .
Regular plaster will not properly adhere to wood; it needs lath. What did you use here?
I am going to try this technique on a plaster pot. Thanks for sharing!
Annie Springate You're welcome Annie. You might want to wet the pot first before applying more plaster so you have more working time.
Love it! Now what's next...tile painting perhaps?!
You are very welcome. Get some scraps of drywall, and practice on them first, then do several color combination samples as well. You'll get the hang of it.
Great job! What type of surfaces can you plaster over?
Thanks, the area Im to plaster is the basement concert wall. I want it shape the plaster to look like stone or cobble wall. I will try what you said, thanks again.
Hi Greg, great video. Very useful for a novice like me.
Your faux outdoor granite also looks stunning. I am building a small outdoor nook and wanted to install a real granite but its weight and my lower back pain is does not allow me to. Would you be so kind to point me out to the right outdoor mix. Thanks!
what materials did you used to make it ????
Your project looks amazing! I want to do something like this in my bathroom around my tub. Will it hold up in a room like that with all the moisture from the shower and bath water? Should I put some extra type of coating to avoid moisture build-up?
That was cool!
+Douglas Stone Glad you liked it.
Trying to figure out how to restrain my old rock pattern that was created using stucco over block foundation?
I am about to do something similar to a small wall and I want it to look like dark black/grey slate. any tips on which color should be my base and which colors should be sponged/dry brushed?
+Hi Jason, Do some samples to see what you like best. I'd try starting with a flat paint that's almost black. i sometimes use one called Raven's Wing. Then instead of sponging additional colors on, try doing a light grey wash over the whole thing, rubbing off almost all the wash so there's just some left in the tiny nooks & crannies. Finish with a flat paint drybrush that's perhaps a shade lighter than the wash was. If you don't like that, try sponging some different grays over the black/Raven's Wing before washing. Let me know how it turns out-
Where do you purchase these tint colors??
Universal Tint colors are typically available at any professional paint store. They may even sell them at The Home Depot.
Ken, You are very welcome. I show a few other techniques in this other You Tube video titled : "Unique Environments - New iron railings w/ furniture compo, hosted by Greg Abramowitz"
Happy projects!
I like how you do t give any details on time or materials
How does this same application do outdoors?
We do a similar technique, but with different mateirals outside. We use mixtures of whaite and grey cement along with silica sand and concrete colors to produce exterior rockwork with the color in the mix itself, so once it's carved, it's done.
uniqueluxuryenvironments.com/Sculptured_Stone.html
Just what I'm looking for! Went to homedepot.com and put in "plaster". Here are my choices: "plaster of Paris", "Joint Compound" "Fix it all Patching Compound". Which do I use? Thanks!
+fightingtbi, We use One Kote. It might not be available and a big box place like Home Depot. It or something similar should be available at a building material supply that local contractors would go to. Out West, Thompson Building Materials carries it. www.merlex.com/ca-one-kote.php
What kind of paint is being used?
Hi Joseph,
You can use any type of paint. Oil is always easier to work with, but you can use latex too. When using latex for faux finishes, you'll have more working/blending time if you add Floetrol Latex Paint Additive. you can add more than the recommended amount too, if you will be clear coating over it.
Greg the reason for the query, is for a 18"x36" resin & fiberglass faux stone fountain that is spalling. We've owned it for over 10 years, and just recently it's began to leak. Therefore once repaired, it will require a touch up to match existing, or a total paint refinish, employing a similar technique to what you demonstrate in the video.
I assume the 'clear coat' is what you refer to in your video as the sealier? Not familiar with the 'Floetrol Latex Paint Additive', or know how to use it. However I appreciate the tip, because as you suspect, blending will be required. Also I'm concerned with using a water based latex in the wet environment.
Hopefully I'm understanding the process. Thank you for responding.
What are the name colors you used please
Hi Alvaro, The colors would depend on the specific stone you want to be similar to. Consequently the colors are different every time. Find a stone you like, and then analyze it visually. The colors that you want in the deepest crevasses get applied first. The final color would be the drybrush color. I recommend using your lightest color or your darkest color for the drybrush. Experiment and make LOTS of samples. We often make 20, 30, or more color samples for doing finishes on each of our jobs.
Love it
You can use plaster only on interior surfaces. On surfaces where adhesion is questionable, use bonder (which is similar to Elmers white glue). Wait until the bonder is tacky, then apply the plaster.
Hey, great project. What kind of plaster did you use?
Sqiwamjon, I'm glad you found it useful!
Greg
thank u sir i like to learn something from u
Great to hear it was useful, Star Putty.
omg that looks like real stone!!!!!
+ Hi Daniel, glad you enjoyed the video.
nice thecnique i will try on custom painting for motorbikes and helmets...thanks for sharing
Thanks for the kids words Conrad!
Greg
the work needs to be finer than that and smaller areas at a time in order to get a really authentic look. If you slap on a load of plaster in large areas, you dont get enough time to do it properly before it dries. Once dried, its too late to make it good.
Yes, work in small batches and practice on some scrap material so you can learn what's a comfortable amount for your skill level. As you get more experience, you will be able to do larger areas. Best of luck!
Also, If you want a finer looking faux stone, try working with white cement (& grey), silica sand, and concrete colors. then you have longer working time, and the color is already in the material. No painting needed.
uniqueluxuryenvironments.com/Sculptured_Stone.html
Dang!
Shoot with more light.
the inreresting one you dont use rubber stemple.
Sergey, I also do a similar technique for outdoor installations, koi ponds and waterfalls, but I mix the color right into the cement/silica sand mix; uniqueluxuryenvironments.com/Sculptured_Stone.html
Hi Greg, great video. Very useful for a novice like me.
Your faux outdoor granite also looks stunning. I am building a small outdoor nook and wanted to install a real granite but its weight and my lower back pain is does not allow me to. Could you share the recipe for the outdoor concrete mix. Thanks!
👍👍👍
It looked better in the before.
since rock is the most abundant material on the planet, why not use real rocks
Well, try to purchase a solid piece that size and find out why faux types are used. If it’s existing structure, why gut the whole thing and replace it if you can accomplish the same appearance? There are many reasons why.
But seriously: go look for a solid slab of 8” thick granite or marble that measures 8’ by 3 for a countertop. Thousands depending on the color.
Like diamonds...the other the solid piece, the more exponentially expensive it is.
I worked on movie and TV sets for 11 years , I worked at Universal, MGM, Sony, Fox, and at Paramount Studios for 6 years straight. I'm going to be honest with you Greg, the art directors that I worked for would not be happy with what you presented in this video. The faux implies that what you created actually looks like something. What you do would be rightly called decorative painting it doesn't have to look like anything it just has to make the customer happy. And you probably know that customers can be talked into just about anything if you just act like you know what your talking about. I am not trying to be mean but if one of my crew did what you did he would be doing it over. One time I went to see a job a friend was doing on a very expensive house in Santa Barbara and he showed me a sample of what he had talked the customer into letting him do on the walls in the dinning room. I took my friend out to the garage where they were storing there paints and stuff. Their was a 5 gallon bucket that they had been spinning their brushes in to clean them. The side of that bucket looked exactly like the sample he showed me. One of the things that we did in Hollywood was get a lot of research photos so we would have something to work from. Once we had to do a set that was an exact replica of the inside of the New York City waterworks. It was an old brick building filled with water in the bottom. there were about 80,000 bricks to paint so with a 4 level scaffold to guys per level we painted every brick individually with sponges. If you would like to see the set rent Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman. the only way we could be sure to get it right was to have photos. We sent a photographer to New York to take a whole bunch of pictures. Don't give up get better, your texture did not look like any stone I have ever seen.
They were stone shape but the color way off
Please... Next time you write something this LOOONNNGGG...
Break it up into Paragraphs... so we can READ it better, not a continuous sentence...
One more thing...
NEXT time you decide to ROAST someone's video...
Be more Positive to the person you're hurting their feelings...
Tell him he did a great job, but to be more Professional LIKE YOU... and YOU are Professional... THEN give him examples of what to do better...
I too work in the film industry... but I"m a TEACHER... and (try) to Teach without hurting someone feelings... (sometimes it can't be helped, but I NEVER belittle someone in front of others...) I call that being a Bully.
You blasted him out of the water within the first few sentences of your LONG Rant.
I'm not saying what you said is Wrong... You are right... but most people would have STOPPED reading your ass-chewing after a few lines...
You being the Professional that YOU are... This man would Love to hear what you have to say... if it is Constrictive Criticism...
Please RE READ what you wrote to this man... but pretend someone wrote it to YOU... and SEE if you'd like to be embarrassed in front of thousands of people...
I would love to hear more of what you have to say, but now I"m a little scared of what you might say... even if you are right and you are a professional.
Ken, You are very welcome. I show a few other techniques in this other You Tube video titled : "Unique Environments - New iron railings w/ furniture compo, hosted by Greg Abramowitz"
Happy projects!