How To: Faux Limewash your walls
When we first moved into our new rental, I knew we were going to have to add in a lot of color! Whether that was through art, furniture pieces, or paint, the place was so cold.
Our entire bottom floor was a blank canvas, covered in large grey tiles, with primer white walls and hospital-grade lighting. It was a blank slate, waiting for our personal touch to transform it from cold and sad to warm and inviting. After seeing so many places on our hunt for a new house, I knew this one had the right bones to create a home.
The first place I wanted to take the paintbrush to was our master bedroom. Luckily, we have faux wood flooring upstairs, enabling a warmer environment with the right touches. I wanted to create a cozy, luxurious, ‘grownup’ space, and putting texture on the walls was the perfect choice.
I chose the faux lime wash finish because it is a rental, and if necessary, it's easy to paint over! This adaptability gave me the confidence to experiment and create the environment I was envisioning.
How to:
First, grab the supplies you’ll need for this project.
Choosing a paint color- Contemplate the feeling you want when you walk into this space. Is it bold and making a statement? Are you looking for cozy and serene?
Soft and cool colors can create a more tranquil space, while darker, stronger colors add drama and moodiness. Don't be afraid to test a few colors! The lighting of a room can impact how the paint looks in space vs. on a paint swatch in-store. And consider paint finish (matt, satin, semi-gloss). This can also impact the durability of the paint in specific spaces. With high-traffic areas, you may want to consider a more durable, easy-to-clean finish like a satin or semi-gloss. Lastly, choose two adjacent shades on the same paint swatch. This ensures seamless blending and cohesive contrast to ensure your faux lime wash finish!
I chose semi-gloss Envie paint from Leroy Merlin, France’s version of Home Depot or Bunnings. I felt they had the best colour combinations and shades that I was looking for. I even found a few other colours I am excited to try out in other rooms in the house.
All links below deliver to the mainland USA.
Envie! Paint from Leroy Merlin - Beige Lin & Beige Falaise. This is a French Brand, that you wouldn’t get in the US, but the quality was great, and I would use it again for another project.
Paint brushes—You’ll want a very firm and thick-bristled brush. I also used a smaller brush for the wall corners and edges like this one since the thicker brush was a bit tricky to get into those smaller spaces and evenly create the brush strokes that were needed.
Protective coverings for the floor and furniture - Because you are making sweeping motions across the walls, this does tend to splatter. Unfortunately, I was wearing a white T-shirt that now has a few small paint marks across my chest.
You can go with an easy throw-away plastic covering or reusable drop cloths.
Paint trays—I bought your standard paint tray and used cardboard and tape to make a dividing wall to separate my paint.
Painters tape- I placed painters tape around all of the trim, the ceilings and outlets. This takes quite a bit of time, but when it saves your trim and ceilings, it’s worth it!
I used Scotch Painters Tape, which worked well. However, I have heard that FROG’s Painter's tape works wonders. It’s a little more expensive but it should keep your lines nice and crisp. I plan to use this on my next project, so I will report back!
Tape off your trim and ceilings, ensure you seal the tape down firmly.
Getting started-
This process is relatively easy! It's a little time-consuming, but the results are well worth the arm workout!
Prep:
Once you have purchased all of the items you need, it’s time to prep your space!
Use the plastic covers or drop cloths to cover the furniture and floor as the paint does have a tendency to spray.
Wash the walls and clean surfaces if needed. Make sure to dust and clean the walls, you don’t want to paint over dust or any marks on the walls that would show up through the paint. We have a large dog that, unfortunately, has a tendency to drool throughout the house, so I made sure to scrub any lingering spots on the walls before beginning.
Tape around your trim, outlets, and ceilings. This is time-consuming; I felt that it took longer than the painting (it didn’t), but you’ll thank yourself for taking the time.
Prime your walls if necessary.
Next, divide your paint tray into two halves. I used a piece of cardboard and some tape for this. This makes it easier for your paint not to mix into one new coour and achieve the two-dimensional look for the limewash.
Paint:
Finally, dip your brush into the paint and get started!
Take your firm bristled brush and dip it into BOTH colours, then apply the paint in a crisscross and 'X' motion to create texture. This mimics the traditional lime wash look. Keep doing this and blending your colours and strokes together. Once I got to the ceiling and wall corners, I used a smaller, thick bristle brush to ensure I didn’t get paint on the ceilings, and I was able to get the right colour combo into the corners. This took some extra time, and I had to come back and reapply in some areas.
Make sure to keep your colors separate.
Dip the brush into both colors of paint. Ensure you are getting plenty of paint on your brush!
I did end up taking the long way around to achieve the exact look I was going for.
For my first coat, I did not dilute my paint with water. This gave me a very textured look, and kept the paint colour darker on the walls. After letting it sit overnight, I realised it was a little bit darker than I was looking for and decided to go back and lighten it up to create a more even texture on the walls.
Don't be afraid to adjust your colors along the way.
You can see here it was darker and more textured. This is when I decided to dilute my paint and go back over it.
To do this, I added water to both paint colours, mixed, and reapplied using the same technique to all of the walls. To be honest, there was no science behind adding the water; I eyed the color I was looking for and just went with it! I do think that if I had added water from the beginning I would not have needed to do two coats on the walls and would have used way less paint. Understanding what look you are going for from the beginning may save you a bit of time and money! If you want more texture, and a richer colour, be prepared to do two coats and use more paint. If you want more of the European faux limewash texture, evenly coated, diluted colours, add water to your paint from the very beginning.
Finished walls! This room still needs its finishing touches; stay tuned!
