Specialty Rollers: DIY Loops

IT'S TUESDAY-LET'S GET LOOPED!

Our DIY project today uses our new Loop Roller. Like the other rollers, Loops may be used to create both raised and imprinted patterns just by varying the products used.  Let's start with a imprinted sample.

My favorite product to use with the rollers is Faux Effect's Venetian Base Coat. This is a creamy white plaster that dries to a semi-opaque matte finish.  It may be tinted with any of the FE colorants including Setcoat.  I find that it dries slower then some of our other plasters making it a good choice when you are troweling and rolling across 6ft-8ft tall walls.  For this finish I am leaving the Venetian Base Coat un-tinted. Start by troweling a section of wall from top to bottom and double the roller width.

You may place the roller at the top or bottom of the wall and just roll.  This is a non-directional pattern so the roller may be turned different ways at ceiling and baseboard areas.  I usually flip the roller when I am connecting areas.  Proceed across the wall by troweling in your next area of plaster and lapping the wet edges.

Remember that the rollers may be cut to a smaller size to get into tight areas.  The plaster will dry and be ready to sand in one hour.  Use a sanding block to knock down any rough raised edges to the pattern.

I mixed FE Designer Metallic Charred Gold (1 quart Charred Gold + 2 TBSP Silver Concentrate) and rolled this over my finish.  After I rolled this- I decided to foil the finish and could have saved myself a step by mixing this color into my Venetian Base Coat. Only the tips of the loops show in the end so even a good latex flat paint would also work for this sample.  When the paint dried, I rolled a layer of foil size and let it set up an hour.

I placed our new Antique Gold foil over the pattern and scrubbed it with a Robert Rubber brush. Don't worry about getting the foil down into the loop pattern.

Foil is pulled and ready for glazing. I used a mix of 3 parts FX Thinner :1 part American Walnut Stain & Seal : 1 part Rich Brown Stain & Seal and applied it with a pointed glazing brush to swirl color into the surface.

While this color is wet, I added 3 parts FX Thinner mixed with 1 part American Walnut and 1 part Van Dyke Brown Stain & Seal. I applied to areas using the same brush and swirl technique.

Use a lightly damp cloth to blot the stain and soften the swirl marks. 

My other sample is made by dipping the loop roller in Wundasize.  Knock the roller against the side of the bin to remove the excess.



This finish shows best over a darker well sealed base.  You will get a few sags in the loops. Roll back through the pattern without re-dipping the roller-this will break up the drips.

Apply the pattern to the whole wall and let the size set-up at least one hour before applying the foil. I used the Antique Gold foil again and applied it in the same manner as the previous sample.

I love this color-it the perfect "dirty gold" with some brown undertones. The best part of using foil is you may apply your next layer immediately.

I rolled FE's Charred Olive Lustersuede over the loops and softened with a damp cloth. When the Lustersuede dried, I glazed with the same American Walnut/Rich Brown stain mix. For added depth, I sealed the finish with C500 gloss when the glaze dried. This was more for effect then protection but in a wet room a topcoat might be needed.

Of course, there are harder ways to make loop patterns if you want....



Faux Finish Rollers: DIY Embossed and Metallic Alligator

UIP Photo

"That's not a special gator...this is a special gator..."

Thanks Paul, I'll handle the skins from here.  BTW, what happened to him? Croc hunter's don't have long careers, do they?  Good thing Faux Finishers do! As promised here are two specialty variations using our new alligator roller.

Isis: Embossed Alligator.

My favorite product for skin finishes is Faux Effects Venetian Base Coat. This is a creamy slow-setting plaster that dries to a semi-opaque white. I love it because you get nice medium thick coverage in one coat and it tints easily with Setcoat, Stain, or any of the Faux Creme/Faux Color Colorants.

It is thicker then O'Villa Plaster and stiffer then Softex or Lusterstone.  It also dries to a matte sheen compared to using Venetian Gem or Stuco Lux.  I use this for many finishes and think it is a really under-used product...and it is silver label.  I troweled on a medium thick layer of plaster twice the width of my roller. Graceful trowel lines are fine because the roller eliminates most of them.

Just like the Classic Gator finish, I roll down one way and then flip the roller to roll the next section. This creates the backbone of the skin. The Venetian Base Coat holds the shape really well without smearing. 

For this finish I left the plaster un-tinted.  When it dried (about one hour), I rolled one full coat of Wundasize 100% over the surface.



I let my Wunda set-up several hours and then placed my new favorite reverse stencil #3083 Donatella Damask from Royal Design Studio.  I placed our Bright Silver Foil with the shiny side up and scrubbed it over the stencil. Remove the foil.  With the stencil still in place I used a black foam roller to apply a sheer black glaze over the pattern.  This makes the embossed "background" stand-out better.

After I pulled the stencil, I applied our Champagne Gold Foil over the remaining exposed Wundasize.  I like this foil because it is not a brassy gold like some of the other gold foils I've seen.

The whole piece is glazed with a mix of 3 parts FX Thinner + 1 part American Walnut Stain & Seal + 1 part Ebony Stain & Seal.

Sobek: Metallic Alligator

For this finish, I rolled the Alligator roller in Wundasize and tapped the excess on the edge of the paint bin.

This finish shows best on a dark well sealed surface.  I rolled vertically first.

Right away the Wundasize will run but that is OK. Without re-dipping in the size, I rolled back through it horizontally.

This rolled through any sags and removed some of the Wundasize. You will not create a crisp alligator skin (like using a plaster) with this method. Your pattern will be more like a lizard skin.

Did anyone ask for Alligator Lite?

I used the Hologram Gold foil for sparkle.  After the foil was applied, I rolled Cocoa Lustersuede over the texture and rolled the Alligator Roller through the wet Lustersuede removing the chocolate brown color to reveal more of the gold pattern underneath.



 I opted not to glaze this finish but that is certainly an option. So one roller and 3 different looks.

So I will either " See You Later" or "After A While."