Ever wanted marble but could not afford it?

You can with this simple faux finish.

This project was originally a Dutch traditional painting with a dark orange background and the colours I had chosen, just weren’t working. So I revamped the project and decided to opt for something very simple like this:

To create your own faux marble finish:

1. Timber or MDF piece, sealed and prepped with a dark orange brown background paint.

2. Mix a light green colour with some cream yellow, dark green, and white if necessary.

3. Base coat over the top with the *light grayish green, and while wet, wet a sponge and pat over the piece. Note that this picture does not really show the correct colour.

4. Lay a piece of kitchen or Glad wrap over the top and stretch and move around, then scrunching in a ball and dab it over the surface. This will lift some of the light green coat, revealing some of the background underneath in a haphazard way, that looks natural.

5. Dab on some light yellow and dark green, and even a little Prussian blue on different sections of the damp sponge and pat here and there over the surface.

6. Use the scrunched glad wrap ball to soften any harsh lines from the sponge. You want it to blend gradually.

5. Dab on some light yellow and dark green, and even a little Prussian blue on different sections of the damp sponge and pat here and there over the surface.

6. Use the scrunched glad wrap ball to soften any harsh lines from the sponge. You want it to blend gradually.

7. Let dry

8. Drag a feather through warm white acrylic colour and pull across surface in wavy lines to simulate the cracks of colour in marble.

I used one from my pet cockatoo. ( NOte: It had fallen out, I did not pull it out!!!)

You can also use a fine liner brush if you don’t have a feather.

9. Soften with a mop brush or scrunched wrap ball if necessary.

* I don’t use retarder, which extends the open time of the paint, but if you are having trouble with it drying before you can manipulate the finish with the glad wrap ball, then either mix retarder into the surface of the light green paint, use retarder on the sponge as you paint.

Now you can decorate the rest of the project. Varnish as desired in the usual way. I use either spray or brush on.

N. B. If you want to decorate on top of the marble faux finish, a protective coat of sealer/clear glaze medium is advised.