How to Give a Verdigris Look to a Tin Ceiling

Painted verdigris mimics the look of rust on tin, copper and brass.

Verdigris, with its beautiful green colors and aged appearance, results from the natural corrosion of copper, brass and bronze. There are two ways to create this appearance: one is through the application of an acid; the other, easier way is through paint-based techniques. Creating this effect by building up layers of acrylic paint allows you to produce the finish you want. As verdigris arises from a natural, organic process, there are no rules or patterns to follow. The application of more paint, if needed, makes corrections and changes to the finished effect easily.

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning brush
• Kitchen sponge
• Mineral spirits
• Soft towel
• Matte anti-rust primer (spray-on)
• Natural sponge
• Dark blue-green acrylic or latex paint
• White acrylic or latex paint
• Paper towels
• Blue-gray acrylic or latex paint

Instructions

Preparation

1. Clean the tin ceiling using a brush or the rough side of a kitchen sponge to remove any grease, dirt or rust. Be careful not to scratch the tin. Dry the ceiling with a soft cloth. Wipe the ceiling with mineral spirits on a rag to remove all remaining grease and to prepare the surface for priming.

2. Select the color of primer. For a true verdigris look, the primer should be the color of brass, copper or bronze. However, burnt umber or a deep green color will also produce rich finishes.

3. Spray the matte anti-rust primer onto the ceiling, following the instructions on the can. Be careful to apply a thin layer of primer. Let dry, then spray a second coat if needed.

Painting

1. 

   Natural sponges create interesting patterns.

   Apply the dark blue-green paint with a natural sponge. The finer the sponge pores, the more detailed the finish will be. Adjust the pressure you use on the sponge and twist it slightly to obtain a range of effects. Make sure to leave some of the underlying color showing by covering only about 70 percent of the primer layer. Allow the paint to dry.

2. Lighten the dark blue-green paint by mixing in a small amount of white paint. Apply this lighter-color paint with a sponge, again ensuring that some of the underlying colors show through. Cover about 15 to 25 percent of the paint previous layer. Use a paper towel to wipe some of the white paint off while it is wet. Let this coat dry.

3. Sponge on an additional coat of white paint, wiping some of it off as you go. Cover only a small area of the ceiling, just to highlight the previous colors. Let the paint dry.

4. Add water to the light blue-gray paint and dab it on the ceiling using a sponge or a brush. Wipe it off gently while it is wet with a soft paper towel, leaving just a hint of the color. Let this dry thoroughly.

5. Use a kitchen scrubbing sponge to take off some of the layers of paint, leaving the lower layers exposed for a more distressed look.

Tips & Warnings

• Work on several ceiling tiles at the same time to spread the effect across the tiles.

• The verdigris effect should not be uniform; there should be differences across the ceiling.

• After painting about one-quarter of the ceiling, step back and examine whether there are any blank spaces where you need to add more of the light green or blue-gray color.

• If you feel that not enough of the primer coat is showing, sponge some acrylic paint the color of the primer coat onto the ceiling over the dark and light green layers.

References

• Faux Painting Techniques: Verdigris
• Fine Furniture Finishing: How-to Create a Verdigris Finish
• Folk Art Kits: Tole Painting Tips