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Wet & Set® patching material
trimmed to size.
from Hyde comes with patching material
and spackling compound. After cleaning
around the hole, we cut the patch to
size allowing one inch to overlap the
damaged area.
Into a pan of warm water, we quickly
dipped the Wet & Set® patch, immediately
removed it and let the excess water
drip off. We placed the patch over the
damaged area and smoothed it with our
fingers so that it spread evenly and held
tightly to the wall. It dried in 30 minutes.
Using a 13-inch hawk and a flexible joint
knife, spackle was applied to the patch
and the surrounding area. Once it dried,
we sanded it smooth and primed the
area to match the rest of the wall. Our
wall was white, but the color of the wall
is not important because once the faux
finish process is completed little, if any,
of the original color will show. The final
color and effect will come from the faux
finish product.
Creative Effects a Pro Can
Deliver
We chose a Venetian Plaster product
tinted to produce a color called
Cappuccino. But different tinted
products can be applied over each other
to produce numerous creative effects.
One real advantage of faux finishes is
they are only limited by the painter’s –
and his customers’—imagination.
| pdca.org
Wet & Set® spackling compound
applied with joint
knife.
Eight ounces at a time of Venetian Plaster are scooped onto a hawk/. The
base coat applied in a cross-hatch pattern with a flexible joint knife.
Completed patch ready for
priming.
The Roman faux finish product can be applied
with a roller or brush. But we used
flexible joint knives and a finishing trowel
to create the exceptional high gloss or
marble-like effect we wanted. Each faux
finish application can be customized. For
example, while there are several “standard”
pigments available to tint the product,
depending upon the manufacturer, it
is possible to mix and match, apply a base
coat in one color and a top coat with another
color to create a special effect.
The beauty of creating a faux finish is
that no two will be alike. Even using the
same product and tools, the end result
will always be unique because the faux
finish process gives expression to each
painter’s style.
Using a flexible six inch joint knife we
transferred about one-half cup of the
product onto the hawk. The product’s
consistency – unlike paint – kept it on the
hawk and gave us better control as we
applied it to the wall.
Starting with a three foot by three foot
section of the wall, we applied the base
coat with a flexible six inch joint knife
making X-patterns on the wall. Holding
the joint knife at a 90 degree angle to
the wall, we crossed from left to right, for
example, and then reversed the motion.
Each application slightly overlapped the
previous one but we kept wet edge to wet
edge to avoid pulling any of the product
off the wall. When the wall was covered,
we let the base coat dry. The drying time
was approximately two hours, but it can
vary from one hour to four hours depending
upon the ambient conditions.
For the second coat, we used the same
product, although we could have used
a product with a different tint for a
different effect. We did not follow the
same pattern as with the base coat.
While we again used the hawk and the
six inch joint knife, we applied a second
coat in three foot by three foot sections,
working across the wall from right to
left. Again, the uniqueness of the faux
finish process is that each application is
individualized, and that contributes to
the unique end result.
Because the wall was well prepped and
because two coats produced the desired
effect we do not have to apply any more
product before moving on to the final
step! However, different surfaces or
design options may require from one
to four coats depending on how well
the product covers and if it creates the
desired results.
Fool the Eye
With the second coat applied and dried,
we were ready for the final two steps
needed to create the final finish and truly
fool the eye. First, we sanded the wall using
600 grit sandpaper, using circular motions
to smooth and polish the surface.
Then we cleaned the surface with a clean
cloth dampened with warm water. The final
step was to burnish the surface.
Using a 12 x 4 inch stainless steel
finishing trowel – held parallel to the
surface - we applied light pressure and
rubbed it across the wall using a circular
motion. The heat and friction created
by the trowel burnishes the product and
Base coat worked in 3 foot by 3 foot sections, keeping wet edge
to wet edge. Second coat applied over dried base coat using
different pattern.