The Patina Party Potty

Is is OK to Faux Finish every surface in a room?

"Hell Ya!" Thanks, Lucille Cannonball

This was a three year work in progress. Thank goodness it is a bathroom in my own home. Guest were beginning to think the blue tape was trim.

I call this bath the Party Bath because it is in our lower level and it is used mostly when we entertain or on the odd chance that someone is using the bedroom downstairs.  The dated plain white tile, drab walls, flat white cabinet, and cultured marble counter top with built-in-sink were the perfect surfaces to road test some of the newer products from Faux Effects.  I like to use my home as a test lab before teaching anything- I would rather hear Bruce complain if it doesn't work then you guys.

Products I used for the Counter: Stone Decor, Faux Metal Copper, Verdigris Color Kit, Eggplant Faux Creme Color, and Rock-Kote Water-based Epoxy

I started with the cultured marble sink and counter which I cleaned first before rolling a coat of Stone Decor.  Stone Decor is a two-part epoxy plaster that is very high in solid marble dust and low in epoxy content.  This is a Gold Label product that requires a class to purchase-there are some in's and out's of using this product. I teach it in One Day New Product Intro or more intensively in Renew, Reuse, & Recycle.  I have found this to be a great bonding product on high use surfaces such as counters and floor tile. In testing, I've had Stone Decor stick to shiny marble, plastic wood, and foam molding.

Stone Decor is not limited to just a bonding base product-it may also be used as a decorative layer as well. Since it dries to a semi-opaque white, I tinted my next batch with some Faux Creme Colors (in case of a scratch it won't flash white) and popped on a texture layer with my trowel.  I sand in between all my layers to make sure each layer has bonded and to keep the surface feeling smooth.

I rolled Dark Brown Setcoat over the Stone Decor and then rolled and pounced Faux Metal Copper.  Faux Metal is real metal shavings in alcohol so use it straight out of the bottle. I love this stuff and think it looks the most like a true metal finish. Plus it is a Silver Label product so anyone may play with it.  When the Faux Metal is dry, I glazed and applied a patina using some of the FE Verdigris colors.  I also like to add eggplant to my copper finishes.Top coat is the Rock-Kote water-based epoxy (also Gold Label) which is a two-part mix. It goes on like glue but dries clear.  In my opinion the gloss may dry a little plastic looking. But you can mix a gloss and dull kit to get a nice satin finish.

Next, I tackled the shower tile. 



Products I used for the shower tile.



I wanted to change the grout so I rolled the whole surface with Primetch first and then rolled Cocoa Lusterstone over the tile and grout.  I don't stick Stone Decor directly to grout.  Grout is porous and often you can scratch some out with your fingernail.  The Stone Decor will bind to the top of the grout. And if you paint (to change the grout color), tape with grout tape, apply your finish, and pull your tape: You will pull through all the way to the original grout-OUCH!  If using Stone Decor, I tape off my grout first and then roll the Stone Decor to the tile. Later, after removing the tape, I paint the grout.

I decided to roll Primetch first-this is just a sticky primer. Let it set until not sticky anymore and roll your color coat. My color layer is Cocoa Lusterstone. I rolled a coat first over the tile and then the grout. My next coat I troweled and rolled the Cascade roller through at angles to create a "petal" effect. When this layer dried I troweled more Cocoa Lusterstone over Japanese Flower stencils from Royal Design Studio.

I troweled Palette Deco Gold over the finish softening the chatter with a damp cloth. When the gold was dry, I brushed and softened with a cloth Faux Metal Copper. Over this I glazed with FX Thinner and Antique Cherry Stain and Seal. After my glaze work, I pulled my tape rolled the Rock-Kote Water Based Epoxy over the tile and grout. I did not finish the soap dish. For whatever reason, soap sitting on top of the Stone Decor based finishes eats the finish-YIKES.  No problem with soap or shampoo residual on the wall tile though. I also left the shower pan white for the same reason plus I didn't want that to be slick.

 

Now the shower/toilet area floor.

Product used for the bathroom floor

The shower tile and the floor tile are the same plain glazed white finish.  The gout on the floor though is much closer together.  I mixed up Stone Decor and roller a layer over the whole surface.

 

 

This is what it looks like over a ceramic tile in our studio-like paste.  After this dried over-night, I troweled another layer to fill in some of the grout.  When this dried, I marked off larger tiles with tape.  I used a trowel to pop on a thick layer of Quartzstone and then let this set-up an hour (the floor was cold) before compressing with a flat trowel.  On top of this I troweled a fill layer of RS Crete Fine and then glazed it. I wanted butt joints so I had to finish every other square to the top coating stage and then back tape and finish the remaining tiles.

I thinned C500 Satin with water (about 20%) and rolled this over the tile waiting overnight between coats.  I wanted the finish to remain chalky in appearance-that is why I didn't use Rock-Kote water based epoxy.

The walls in both areas of the bathroom were painted with the Dark Brown Sharkskin. I really like this stuff-it is more expensive then regular Setcoat but it covers really well and gives me a nice "grip" for applying wetter finishes such as the Lustersuede used here. Plus one coat is usually fine.

I used a Sea Sponge Roller to apply a quick coat of Cocoa Lusterstone that I had left over from the shower tile project covering about 80% of the surface. When this dried, I trowled some more of the Cocoa over the Funky Wheel stencil from Cutting Edge (circles are a motif in our home).

After the stencil dried, I popped in Queen Anne Lace Lustersuede and Charred Gold Lustersuede. While the Lustersuedes were wet, I popped in Copper Faux Metal which will oxidize some from the Lustersuedes. For more "patina" I brushed in Blue/Green Verdigris and misted with water. I sealed the whole thing with the same C500 I used on the floor.

I used more Stone Decor to roll the top of the toilet seat and then applied Cocoa over the Billiards stencil from Faux Effects. I then Wundasized and foiled the pattern before pulling some of the Queen Ann Lace Lustersuede over the surface. This was also sealed with the C500 satin.

I was "over" the bathroom by this point so I just used a sponge roller to apply a high/low coat of Dark Brown Sharkskin to the walls in the sink area. Then I tight troweled Cocoa Lustersuede over the walls.  In this area I hung some of the canvas art I did in Deb Drager's Class.

My final project was the large flat white enamel cabinet.  I cleaned the surface and rolled a coat of primer. 

I painted the cabinet with Dark Brown Setcoat and popped on a coat of Master Finishing Medium. I made the stipple even smaller by using a plastic bag.  When this was done, I painted the MFM Dark Brown because I didn't really have a plan!  To do this again, I would tint my MFM with the Setcoat and save a step.

I mixed a custom Faux Creme Color Concentrate Color, French Grey, with FX Thinner and brushed it over the texture. As the French Grey dried, I used a Scotch Brite pad to rub the tips off revealing the Dark Brown underneath.  Over this I used Cutting Edge Stencil Dahlia-another circle-in Faux Metal Copper. I over glazed with American Walnut Stain & Seal and sealed with the C500 satin.

Ha-this post was almost as long as this project but I hope it gave you some ideas for re-doing your own unconventional surfaces