Troweled-on texture topped with
ragged-on glazes makes even
less-than-perfect walls look
stunning.

Stone Sorcery

This timeless wall treatment does more than add texture and color to walls; it disguises imperfections such as cracks, dents, and rough patches.

Achieve this textured look by rolling on a liquid-stone product (similar in consistency to cake batter) and creating more textural variation with a trowel. Once the stone product dries, add more depth and color by ragging on two shades of glaze.

You can start with any wall color, but if the original paint is bold, bits of it may be visible when you're finished.

 

• Wide painter's tape
• Leakproof drop cloth
• Thick-nap paint roller
• McCloskey Special Effects Sculpture stone
• Trim brush
• Trowel or drywall mudding tool
• Clean, lint-free rags
• McCloskey Special Effects translucent color glazes: Mocha 94825 (MO), Taupe 217405 (TA)
• Plastic-foam or plastic plates

1. Use wide painter's tape to mask around doors, windows, the ceiling, and the floor. Protect the floor with a drop cloth.
2. Working in approximately 4-feet-square sections and using a thick-nap paint roller, roll the textured-stone product onto the wall, randomly applying it thicker in some areas and thinner in others. Coat corners and areas too small for the roller using a trim brush.
3. Using a sweeping motion, gently smooth the textured stone with a trowel until you are satisfied with the random, subtle pattern you've created. As you work, try to develop a consistent texture so that each section will have a similar appearance. Wipe any excess product off the trowel with a clean, damp rag.
4. Repeat the rolling-on-and-troweling process until you have finished an entire wall, then move to the opposite wall, and finally, to the walls in between. Allow the finish to dry overnight before applying glaze.
5. Apply the glazes in two steps: Start with TA. Pour a shallow amount of the glaze onto a plate. Ball up a clean, lint-free rag in your hand, and dip it into the glaze. Next, rub the "loaded" rag onto the wall using a circular motion. Work the glaze into the crevices created by the textured-stone product. Continue dipping and rubbing until you have finished an entire wall, then move to the opposite wall, and finally, to the walls in between. Allow the glaze to dry overnight.
6. Apply more in the same fashion, using as much as you desire. The wall shown was finished using equal amounts of the two glazes -- both applied in a thin layer.