The Technique of Faux Marble Painting

Use gray and white glazes to paint faux marble.

Marble surfaces provide a touch of elegance, but genuine marble can be too expensive for all but the most lavish budgets. An economical solution to achieving the look of marble involves painting your own faux marble with decorative painting techniques. Iconic white-veined Carrara marble is striking to look at, matches most decorating schemes, and is fairly simple to imitate. Color washing and ragging provide the overall mottled pattern of marble, while details done with fine brushes, feathers, and natural sea sponges add the finishing touches. If carefully executed, your faux marble will pass as the real thing.

Things You'll Need

• Low-tack painter's tape
• Latex primer
• 2-inch angled paintbrush
• Paint tray
• Paint roller
• Foam roller, optional
• White latex paint in eggshell finish
• Photograph or marble sample
• Palette
• Acrylic paint in white, raw umber, black
• Matte medium
• Containers
• Thin sign-painters paintbrushes or feather
• Rags
• Natural sea sponge

Instructions

1. Tape along the edges of your painting surface with low-tack painter's tape. Apply primer around the edges with a brush. Roll out large areas with a paint roller. Use a small foam roller for small projects. Allow the primer to dry completely, preferably overnight.

2. Apply the white paint using a wide brush for the edges. Fill in the rest of the surface with a roller. Smooth out any drips or lap marks as they occur. Apply two coats of paint, allowing the paint dry between coats. Lightly sand between coats, if necessary.

3. Study your photograph or marble sample to understand marble's general structure. Mix a dash of white acrylic paint with 1 part matte medium and 1 part water to make a white glaze. Make a gray glaze using 1 part water, 1 part matte medium, and acrylic paint in white and black. To add natural warmth to your gray glaze, add a drop of raw umber paint.

4. Use a wide brush to apply the white glaze to the surface. Brush on the glaze using random, quick brushstrokes in different directions. Add gray glaze in different areas. Soften the white and gray glazes by dabbing with a bundle of soft rags, but do not blend them completely. Allow this coat of glaze to dry completely.

5. Use your thumb and forefinger to gently grasp a long, thin sign-painters brush or feather. Make thin, wavy veins with the gray glaze. Slowly drag the brush or feather across the surface in a diagonal direction. Pivot your wrist as you move to create natural looking veins. Continue to add parallel veins, letting some of the lines touch or overlap in places. Paint a few veins that run perpendicular to the rest of the veins to form cross veins. Soften and lighten the lines by blotting with a rag, if necessary.

6. Add another part of water to the white glaze. Brush the surface with this runny glaze. Blot with rags. Make short, horizontal strokes with the sea sponge to "flame" the surface. Flames, fairly transparent and subtle, usually occur along main veins.

Tips & Warnings

• Protect your faux marble with a coat of clear varnish.

References

• "The Art of Faux: The Complete Sourcebook of Decorative Painted Finishes"; Pierre Finklestein; 1997