Go With the Faux

Experts at Branson's Bratton House of Design share step-by-step directions on giving your ordinary walls an extraordinary metallic plaster faux-finish.

Every homeowner is familiar with the magic that a simple can of paint can bring to interior spaces. But what if you wanted to up your game, so to speak, this winter? Why not try metallic plaster faux finishing? This mica plaster material can bring warmth, depth and a subtle sheen to your walls without breaking the bank or taking more than a couple hours of your time.

Fortunately for do-it-yourselfers in 417-land, you won’t have to travel far to be tutored by some of the top instructors familiar with applying this special plaster. As co-owners of Bratton House of Design, Jake Rogers and Krista Dowlin were trained by the “legend in faux finishing: Kelly S. King,” according to Rogers. Because of the staff’s intensive hands-on education, the Branson company is now one of only 36 Platinum Training Centers in the world that is qualified by the manufacturer Modern Masters, Inc. to teach the application of their products. The pair offer classes in their Branson training studio, where students have the option to stay overnight in one of the three bedrooms in the renovated home.

Initially used in kitchens and dining rooms, metallic faux-plastered walls are now trending in bathrooms as well. “It can look Old World or very modern; it just depends on how you apply the plaster,” Rogers says. And with more than 51 pre-mixed colors, the number of hues that can be created are virtually limitless since the mixes can be combined.

In addition to color choices, there are literally “a hundred thousand ways” to trowel on the finish, said Dowlin. Some finishes can look like wallpaper, some like textures or even fabric. One of Rogers’s favorite finishes is known as elephant skin, a texture that uses cheesecloth in its application and ultimately creates a leather-like look on walls.

For starters, however, Rogers and Dowlin suggest using a simple Venetian plaster finish. Applying this product as a Venetian finish will create a simple and beautiful effect, Rogers says. And best of all, it can be done in an afternoon and cost less than $250 for an average-sized bathroom.

Directions:

1. Begin by wiping down walls and repairing any chips or cracks. Clean walls with a degreaser like TSP. Finish by removing light fixtures and switchplates.

2. Tape off with plastic any surface you do not want to cover with any paint.

3. With a small Whizz roller, apply one coat of base coat primer to your walls. If you are looking for more depth to the finished wall, you can use a tinted metallic primer. Allow to dry.

4. Begin to trowel on the first of two coats of metallic plaster. At Bratton House of Design, Rogers and Zowlin use a kitchen spatula to “butter” their trowel (putting the product on the top third of the trowel.) “The product will have a consistency of fluffy whipped frosting,” says Zowlin.

5. Apply the product to the walls with your trowel. Start troweling from the top corner of your room and proceed downward in three-foot sections, eventually moving across the whole wall. “Top to bottom and across” is the mantra used by professionals.

6. According to Rogers, “faux finishers are famous for using all sorts of crazy tools to do finishes.” But for beginners, a technique called Venetian plaster is a good easy start. Simply move the trowel in an “X” pattern to create a standard Venetian finish.

7. Allow to dry for two hours.

8. Use a sanding sponge to do a light sand, and smooth the surface of the first coat.

9. Apply a second coat using the same movement as the original coat.

10. If you have plastered the walls of a bathroom or kitchen, it is recommended that you apply a polyurethane topcoat to the finished project.

Note: If you’re not up to trying this out yourself, contact Bratton House of Design, 169 Topeka St., Branson, 417-332-7257, brattonhouseofdesign.com.

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