Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup: Antique sponging paint effect question

Antique sponging paint effect question

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Forum Discription: For how-to's and where-can-I-find
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4239
Printed Date: 5/14/25 at 9:39am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Antique sponging paint effect question

Posted By: greenphoenix
Subject: Antique sponging paint effect question
Date Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:48pm

I want to paint my walls like a sepia photo, if that makes sense. Gold with some type of darker texture/sponging over it. Does anyone know which colors and sponging procedure work best for this antique type feeling on a wall?

Replies:

Posted By: kries13
Date Posted: 9/11/09 at 3:55pm

My first recommendation is to do it in the reverse with your darker color (I would suggest a very deep brown such as an umber tone) and then do a glaze of your gold over the top. The glaze is going to be a thinned mixture of glazing compound with your gold paint. You can get glazing compound in most big box home improvement stores.

You will apply your gold glaze after the base coat is dry and then workin in sections you will apply the glaze and then rub off to the desired effect.

I would use natural sea sponges as you can - as they are less likely to give you a rigid pattern. You can also just use very soft cotton cloths and I've even used wadded up plastic bags - varying the "crinkle" so that again you don't get a pattern going.

The other thing is you can take a stippling brush and go over the wall to give brighter and darker impact as it is needed. A stippling brush is a brush that has stiff bristles (you will probably want a round shape) with a flat top end. You dip this into a shallow dish of paint - just tipping the edges, stipple a test board to remove the heavier globs of paint and then you can advance to the wall. Again work in sections so you can control the effect.

You may want to finish the whole effect with another glaze of a darker tint to tone down the gold finish and to provide that additional antique look.

It's a process but can be completely rewarding when done.

Best of painting to you!

-k-

-------------
kries
I art therefore I am.
www.artisrelative.com

Posted By: peacock
Date Posted: 9/16/09 at 10:24pm

The previous answer is excellent, but possibly expensive, depending on how many walls you have to paint. I am a firm believer in quick and dirty answers. We did antiqued walls by taking a dark tan wall paint and dividing it into three parts. One we added a lot of white, one about half as much white, the last we left as is. We rolled the walls with the lightest color, used large sponges to paint the second color and smaller sponges to to the final darker color. We used cheap cellulose sponges which we tore to make rough edges because sea sponges are expensive. I all depends on how particular you want to be. Our walls looked pretty good and we did it all in two work days.