Plaster Faux Finish Powder Room: Ashley's Bath

Ashley and her husband Justin are first time homeowners. They purchased a 5 year old two story in the spring of 2008. In addition to standard builder’s grade cabinets, tile, and flooring, the previous owners stripped the fixtures and let the kids draw pictures on the wall. One bedroom scribble depicted a Giant Beaver with an orchestra baton! Their dog, Scout, looked a little worried.

Many coats of primer later, Ashley was ready to transform her new home into a warm contemporary environment perfect for a couple in their 20’s.

Since Justin and Ashley both work full-time jobs, they decided to start with a small project first-the kitchen half bath. The finish they selected is the Tribecca Bronze. Like most new construction, the cheapest and thinnest coat of contractor’s paint covered the walls. We applied a coat of Faux Effects’ Dark Brown Setcoat to seal the walls and give us a dark color that becomes part of the finish. This layer should dry at least 2 hours.

Our second layer is FE’s Venetian Gem Plaster in Tiger’s Eye.

To maximize coverage and create a textured base, we roll the Tiger’s Eye with a sea sponge roller. Don’t smush the roller. Pop it across the surface to create some varied height. More plaster may be buttered on the trowel and popped in areas to create more density and interest.

Come back over the area you just rolled, holding the blade at a slight angle from the wall, and lightly flatten the plaster to smooth rough tips. Only 10%-20% of the base color should show after the Venetian Gem layer is applied. Dry time is about 2-4 hours depending on the room temperatures. An outer facing wall will dry slower in cold weather.

When the Venetian Gem is dry, we apply a tight coat of FE’s Bronze Palette Deco (pre-tinted metallic plaster). Put a small amount on your trowel and pull tightly to backfill the Venetian Plaster layer. Don’t bury the Tiger’s Eye. This is a water-based plaster so you may use a bottle to spritz water on the surface first or on the Bronze Palette Deco and then pull with your trowel. Using a Japan Scraper will really reveal more of the undercoat. Palette Deco dries fast and hard-you should be able to apply the final coat in the same day.

The final layer is FE’s Charred Olive Lusterstone. The Charred Olive is applied exactly like the Bronze Palette Deco. Remember you want to see some of each layer or it wasn’t worth the time and product to apply that coat. All products used in the Tribecca Bronze hold up well to moisture- no topcoat is needed unless you want to enhance (darken and pop the colors) the finish. We like C500 in a Satin Finish.

Ashley added a pre-finished dark wood vanity with a clear vessel sink. Her mother-in-law and Decorative Painter, Julie Reuter, made the artwork using a variety of plasters and stencils.

And finally a cheeky “Smell No Evil” Monkey lends just the right amount of quirk to the new contemporary bath.

And although you can’t tell it, Scout seemed relieved.

Sources:  Ashley Reuter. Julie Reuter.  Faux Effects.  Royal Design Kyoto Stencil.
Lowe's Bath Vanity.