You want a lime was effect to create a wall accent or paint a whole room by doing it yourself? This is what I wanted to try, a lime was effect in our master bedroom without the regular lime wash paint.
I wanted to experiment creating a similar effect to what traditional lime wash paint does by using regular wall paint.
Why? Simply because I like to experiment and learn the alternatives to what already exists for those who may opt for a more affordable option to lime wash or when the latter is not easily available.
So that’s what I did. There are many lime wash recipes out there, this is how I did mine.
I must say I thought this would be easy but it was not as easy as I thought it would be. I made mistakes, I did not get it right the first time, I had to find ways to fix what I did but ultimately, I was able to get to something I love.
Tools
- Stiff bristles paint brush
- Soft bristles paint brush
- Drop cloth
- Painters tape
- Pail
- Mixing cup
- Paint stick
Materials
- Paint. Preferred paint colors are beige, sand, linen, etc. (I used Benjamin Moore Winds Breath and Revere Pewter – more on the second color later)
- Drywall compound (I used a 90 density so it doesn’t dry too fast)
- Water
The mixture
- One part plaster
- One part water
- Three parts paint.
Prep your space!!!
- Before you make the mixture, ensure your wall is clean, if you have holes or other imperfections, patch them and fix them.
- Clean your walls with a damp cloth and let dry
- Tape around the area to be painted and remove any furniture that’s too close to give you space to work
- Put a drop cloth on the floor. The mixture is quite liquid and it’s better to protect your floors
Prep your mixture
Mix the plaster and the water and make sure the plaster is well dissolved.
Add in the paint and mix well until you have a homogeneous mixture.
Start applying your first coat with the stiff brittle brush in uneven strokes. You can do X shaped strokes or waves. The objective is to get texture and an uneven finish for the texture to come out well.
When you start, make sure you finish the entire wall so that all the surface dries evenly and avoid having a clear line that doesn’t blend in with the whole surface.
Let it dry, and then apply a second coat.
This is where I found that the second coat removed most of the texture and covered the wall too evenly.
So, in order to get more texture, I decided to make a third coat by mixing in the second color (Revere Pewter). The latter being a darker greige, I mixed 2 parts Winds Breath with one part Revere Pewter and set out to apply the third coat without covering the entire surface.
I thought that by doing so, I’d have the texture and colors from both mixtures and it would blend in just right to reveal a textured effect. I was not entirely wrong… BUT…
Mistake that I made!
I used the stiff bristle brush and because it was slightly darker than the previous one, it resulted in having very visible traces of the bristles which I totally disliked. It felt like it did not blend enough and just looked too weird, very far from the beautiful lime wash texture I wanted.
So I experimented a little more. I tried to use a foam to cover the marks but quickly found that I was going to have the same issue I did after the second coat, which is an almost non existing texture. You can see it in the picture below on the bottom left.
Finally, this is where the soft bristles brush came in. At that point I was either going to paint over the whole wall and start again or find something to fix it. Luckily, the soft bristle brush was all I needed! I made a fourth coat with the same second mixture (Winds Breath & Revere Pewter) and applied it with soft strokes. This time, it worked perfectly!! As soon as this last coat was done, I removed the masking tape and let it dry.
I can’t tell you how relieved I was because I just did not want to start over.
So, as with any DIY, there’s a lot of mistakes and learning and I’m so glad I tried this.
Would I do it again? I totally would! And yes, with both layers of paint color and with both brushes. Probably, done the right way, it would require only three coats.
Yay!! so happy to have a recipe for a DIY lime wash effect. The texture of the wall is amazing and I love the warmth, the interest and organic feel it gives to our master bedroom.