Faux Stone Finish on an Exterior in W Yorkshire
Lee Simone, Traditional Painter for Yorkshire, used assorted glazes, brushes and tools to create this faux stone finish on the exterior of a very grand conservatory in a lovely home in West Yorkshire.
Faux Stone Conservatory
Conservatory with Stone Paint Effect – West Yorkshire
The clients contacted me because the original faux paint effect had been done around 15 years previously, and was now looking rather faded and worn in places. It needed bringing back to life! (see photo below).
The original finish
Base coats and preparation
As with most of my faux finish work, preparatory base painting was required before I could start applying the actual stone paint effect. This work was undertaken by the clients’ painter and decorator.
The original old effect had actually been applied over textured masonry paint, so when I spoke to the decorator I asked him to leave it and not sand it back – I planned on incorporating it and using the texture in my effect.
After thoroughly preparing, filling and repairing all the areas that needed attention, he applied 3 coats of a smooth Dulux Weathershield in a light yellow ochre colour.
The Weathershield provided the perfect non-porous base on which to work.
Beat the weather
Exterior faux painting work in England is often a challenge because, let’s face it, the weather is nothing if not ‘changeable’. I was going to need scaffolding for this project, so I asked the client if they could arrange a tarpaulin that would protect any painted areas in the event of rain. This tarp was going to be vital as the glazes can stay wet for around 16 hours. As you can see from the pictures below, the clients went above and beyond, and this is what greeted me on my first day! My very own chrysalis 🙂
The amazing scaffolding/tarpaulin set up
It really was a wonderful and unique environment to work in, with the chrysalis letting in enough light for me to work, whilst keeping me and the paint weather-free. Although the project was done in the summer there were some seriously massive storms with torrential rain, but whilst it blew a gale outside, I was safe and dry inside my little chrysalis. I think the project would still be unfinished if it weren’t for the tarp!
My view under the tarp
Creating the painted faux stone finish
The stone effect was created by tinting 6 different oil colours with Polyvine Oil Glaze and then mixing and blending them with a variety of brushes, cloths and other bits and bobs.
The colours I used were raw umber, burnt umber, yellow ochre, flesh tint, sap green, paynes grey and white.
I applied two layers of glaze to build up the colour and the patination of the faux stone effect.
Creating the effect
I even painted on some mildew effects around the edging and the drainpipes, so as to add just a little more authenticity to the overall effect. As you can see from the photos below the effect I achieved was very realistic and blended in well with the real stone on the areas below the window sills.
Picture showing the real stone (below the window sill) and my faux effect above
Close up of the faux stone effect
Close up of the faux stone effect
Close up of the finished effect and the lovely realistic patination
Once the effect had been created I varnished it with two coats of oil varnish which has an anti-UV component, so that the finish wouldn’t fade like the original.
All in all this was a wonderful and slightly surreal environment to work in, but I was really happy with the results, as were the clients 🙂
The finished faux stone effect
A faux tastic finish 🙂
The view from the right
Close up of some of the ‘columns’
Thanks for reading! Lee specialises in hand painted kitchens and has applied a few decorative effects in his time. If you are interested in other faux projects Lee has undertaken, please visit his main faux finish page.
As the plumbers say about central heating: install it when it’s hot, use it when it’s cold. Likewise, if you are considering this sort of specialist exterior painting project, please allow plenty of time to plan and book.
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