Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
Pressing film or fabric into glaze and then peeling it off produces a finish known as frottage, French for “rub.” The technique results in a richly varied texture far different from what you can do with a brush or roller.
Materials used to create the texture are limited only by your imagination. Thin plastic, such as dry-cleaner bags or inexpensive drop cloths, work well. You can also experiment with fabric such as burlap or lace.
Glossy newspaper pages, as used here, transfer some of their ink to the glaze, adding to the mysterious, mottled look.
For this effect, use pages from a Sunday magazine or advertising inserts. The ink transfer is subtle, so you won’t find whole words or identifiable images appearing in reverse on your wall.
Materials and tools you’ll need:
* Base paint (eggshell sheen) * Painter’s tape * Glaze * Paints or pigments to tint the glaze * Rollers with covers (one per glaze color) * Paint trays (one per color) * Glossy newspaper pages * Clear finish, such as acrylic or shellac * Brush or roller for clear sealer * Disposable glove
1. Over a properly prepared surface, apply two coats of base paint. Allow each coat to dry as the label recommends.
2. Apply painter’s tape to the top and bottom of the wall. You don’t need to tape corners if you will use this technique on adjoining walls.
3. Crumple sheets of newspaper and then open them up. Let the wrinkles set while you prepare several colors of opaque glaze. Using separate rollers, apply the glazes in randomly sized blocks over an area about 3 by 3 feet. The blocks should meet each other.
4. Working quickly, press the wrinkled sheets into the glaze.
5. As soon as you have pressed paper into all of the glaze in a section, lift a corner of the first sheet to check that the ink color has transferred. If it hasn’t, leave the pape in place a little longer, but don’t wait so long that the glaze dries. The room’s termperature and the proportion of paint to glaze will affect the amount of time the process takes.
6. If small parts of newspaper stick to the glaze, leave them to add to the look, but brush or roll on a clear finish to seal the surface and keep the bits of paper from falling off. As with all techniques created with glaze, you should also apply seaer if you will need to clean the wall on a regular basis.
Decorative Paint & Faux Finishes This Sunset book is by far the best book we have ever seen on the subject of doing your own decorative painting. Step-by-step photos and professional advice guide you through the art of producing many different and stunning faux finishes.
Pressing film or fabric into glaze and then peeling it off produces a finish known as frottage, French for “rub.” The technique results in a richly varied texture far different from what you can do with a brush or roller.
