Faux Stone Fireplace

For a beautiful example of a faux stone fireplace, take a look at the work done by skilled artists at Steve Austin Painting, which can be found at http://www.wonderfaux.com/walls10.html . It's hard to believe that this beautiful stone fireplace isn't really stone at all, but paint on top of regular old plaster.

Faux painting is not as difficult as you may imagine, and simply requires a little bit of research and practice. The good thing about paint projects is that if you make a huge mistake, you can always cover over the area with some primer and start al over again.

A faux stone fireplace technique is quite simple. You really can't do this wrong, as you can always touch up here and there until you're completely satisfied with the effect. And, like I said, worst case scenario: you totally mess things up and have to start all over. No harm done, and you learned a thing or two in the process.

Step One:
Prepare the surface onto which you will be painting by cleaning and removing any mildew or dust that has deposited on the surface. If you end up using soapy water or some other wet substance, be sure to let the area dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Step Two:
Find a stone model in shades that are the same or similar to the look that you want for your faux stone fireplace. Select a basecoat color in an eggshell (otherwise known as 'satin') or other low luster sheen.

Apply two coats of this basecoat color with a roller. You will have to use a paint brush to work in from the corners, tops and bottoms of the areas to be painted. With faux finish painting, it is not critical that every inch is covered, as the top texture will cover any bare spots, but it is a good idea to shoot for total coverage.

Step Three:
Use a crumpled rap or paper to apply a paint / glaze mixture in the accent color of your stone model. You can find faux finishing glaze at any paint, hardware or home improvement store. Though the glaze instructions may say to use five parts glaze to one part paint, I've found that a mixture of two to three parts glaze to each part of paint is much more suitable for any faux texture effect.

Dab the paint / glaze mixture onto the wall to create a textured effect. Continue to do this until the entire surface has been treated. You can apply as many coats or shades and coats as is necessary to create the look you have in mind. Just be sure to let each different color or layer dry completely before applying the next.

Step Four:
Trace some real stones onto a piece of cardboard. If you do not have any real stones, simply draw four or five (or more) different stone shapes. These will serve as your stone block templates. Lightly trace around the blocks on the wall using chalk or pencil, alternating the various blocks.

Step Five:
Paint the outlines of the block shapes with a fine artist's brush. Try to use earthy tones, relative to your stone model, of course. Try to blend several earthy tones and use a feathering technique over the edges to give a more realistic and rustic appearance.

Good luck! Faux finish painting projects can be stressful if you've never done them before, because they can seem all kinds of wrong right up until the last finishing touches are applied. So relax and try to have fun with it.