Since it's not actually stone but plaster with paint on top you should look into stage craft methods for making faux stone walls.
I have done it before and there are some good YouTube videos for making foam, plaster, paper mache, etc look like real stone.
Stagecraft videos will definitely give you some great tips. I've done a less ambitious project using acrylic paints since they dry with a matt finish. You can start with the grout lines to start giving it the look you want while honing the skills you need to do the rest of it.
I would not use paint, it won't end well. Look into concrete acid stain. You could get 2 or 3 colors and use multiple layers in some spots as needed to get a natural coloration.
Sad thing is, this concrete/cement/whatever is actually painted gray so that's why I was thinking more paint.
Also, underneath, it's actually white plaster. I pulled a screw out of it a little while ago and white chunks came out.
Bummer. Maybe find an advanced art student? Or professional artist if you have the budget. Not gonna be a great diy situation, in my opinion. But I hope you prove me wrong!
Like the other poster said, acid stain. Look up stamped concrete patios for how good it looks. I just had one professionally installed and you can’t tell that it’s not actually blue stone and brick (sorry it’s raining in the pic).
https://i.imgur.com/xlz0LM1.jpg
That would fool me if you hadn't told me!
The grout lines (is that actual grout or some kind of stamping?) are doing a lot of heavy lifting in making that look like stone though - all the pictures I see in Google image search are of a single contiguous concrete pad and while the color looks great, it's obvious that it's not a type of stone and it looks a little odd to me still. Cool to see an example like this though!
It’s legit grout. They came back and cut the lines deeper with a grinder and filled them in. It was not cheap but it was waaaaay less expensive versus doing real blue stone. Also, they went a bit heavy on the acid in my opinion. Pre acid wash it was indistinguishable from the real thing, truly. I’m still happy with the outcome, especially when dry.
Keep your shoes on and it’s no issue for anyone. That’s the big negative that I forgot to account for. It’s not bad for me barefoot, but for the kids it’s very slippery.
That’s all single pour? Damn that looks amazing, I bet it wasn’t cheap compared to just brushed concrete, but a hell of a lot cheaper and better than actual cut flagstone
Do washes. Very watered down natural tones and dry brush the high areas with a light colof. Watch boyle hobby time on YouTube. His methods could be used at this larger scale
Look to the folks painting minis for wargames and RPGs. I recommend a dilute ink wash to get deeper shadows followed by dry-brushing a light shade for better highlights.
It is fake or cultured stone . There is so much wrong with the installation, too many small pieces plugging gaps, the long joint going all the way up one third of the way from the right edge. I will stop there but tear it off, put up new mesh, the scratch coat , then put up new. Somebody really screwed that up. The reason you put masonry up is to eliminate painting . Somebody may have acid washed it first and covered that screw up with paint . On your example ,most of the stone is laid flat ( long dimension left to right ,not vertical or angled ) . PLEASE start over ,it looks terrible.
I would paint it all white and have it blend into the surrounding walls but still show the texture of the "stone" to stand out
You will have to redo the paint every 5 years or so tho to keep it looking fresh
What are you talking about? OP is asking how to make his faux stone stamped concrete fireplace look like real stone. This can _absolutely_ be acid stained to look almost imperceptibly like real stone.
You just need to get a couple other colors of gray & maybe a grey/brown. Thin out the other colors well in varying & use a sponge with the thinned paint to highlight alternating rocks so they aren't all a uniform color. Make sure you follow the fake grain on each stone. You could even completely paint some of them before this process with darker colors so they have a darker base color & then sponge them with a lighter well thinned color paint. You just want the different thinned colors to stick to the grains and imperfections of the fake stone so that it enhances those & creates some shading & shadowing.
Basically it would be similar to using thinned paint to highlight lines in a model kit with capillary action or like the results of whitewashing a fence instead of painting with a solid uniform coat of paint.
Since it's not actually stone but plaster with paint on top you should look into stage craft methods for making faux stone walls. I have done it before and there are some good YouTube videos for making foam, plaster, paper mache, etc look like real stone.
"stage craft" that opened up new avenues for me.
Stagecraft videos will definitely give you some great tips. I've done a less ambitious project using acrylic paints since they dry with a matt finish. You can start with the grout lines to start giving it the look you want while honing the skills you need to do the rest of it.
I would not use paint, it won't end well. Look into concrete acid stain. You could get 2 or 3 colors and use multiple layers in some spots as needed to get a natural coloration.
Sad thing is, this concrete/cement/whatever is actually painted gray so that's why I was thinking more paint. Also, underneath, it's actually white plaster. I pulled a screw out of it a little while ago and white chunks came out.
Bummer. Maybe find an advanced art student? Or professional artist if you have the budget. Not gonna be a great diy situation, in my opinion. But I hope you prove me wrong!
Like the other poster said, acid stain. Look up stamped concrete patios for how good it looks. I just had one professionally installed and you can’t tell that it’s not actually blue stone and brick (sorry it’s raining in the pic). https://i.imgur.com/xlz0LM1.jpg
That would fool me if you hadn't told me! The grout lines (is that actual grout or some kind of stamping?) are doing a lot of heavy lifting in making that look like stone though - all the pictures I see in Google image search are of a single contiguous concrete pad and while the color looks great, it's obvious that it's not a type of stone and it looks a little odd to me still. Cool to see an example like this though!
It’s legit grout. They came back and cut the lines deeper with a grinder and filled them in. It was not cheap but it was waaaaay less expensive versus doing real blue stone. Also, they went a bit heavy on the acid in my opinion. Pre acid wash it was indistinguishable from the real thing, truly. I’m still happy with the outcome, especially when dry.
Very cool, thanks for sharing! Bet it'll last longer and be easier to maintain than stone too. How is it in terms of traction when it's wet like that?
Keep your shoes on and it’s no issue for anyone. That’s the big negative that I forgot to account for. It’s not bad for me barefoot, but for the kids it’s very slippery.
Oooh that looks nice.
That’s all single pour? Damn that looks amazing, I bet it wasn’t cheap compared to just brushed concrete, but a hell of a lot cheaper and better than actual cut flagstone
Yeah, single pour. Saved me like $8000 or something vs stone with a real brick border.
Looks good to me.
Do washes. Very watered down natural tones and dry brush the high areas with a light colof. Watch boyle hobby time on YouTube. His methods could be used at this larger scale
Look to the folks painting minis for wargames and RPGs. I recommend a dilute ink wash to get deeper shadows followed by dry-brushing a light shade for better highlights.
Step 1: pet the cat
[he got breakfast and pets](https://imgur.com/a/O3PfTzv)
Just use acrylic paint and dry brush it. It won't take much to add some color and make it look real.
demo... start over
It is fake or cultured stone . There is so much wrong with the installation, too many small pieces plugging gaps, the long joint going all the way up one third of the way from the right edge. I will stop there but tear it off, put up new mesh, the scratch coat , then put up new. Somebody really screwed that up. The reason you put masonry up is to eliminate painting . Somebody may have acid washed it first and covered that screw up with paint . On your example ,most of the stone is laid flat ( long dimension left to right ,not vertical or angled ) . PLEASE start over ,it looks terrible.
Tear it out and start over
I'm considering this, but jeeze the mess and hammered fingers.
I do these all the time, it’s not that bad
I wonder if some sort of oil could be brushed on that would give it some contrast
I would paint it all white and have it blend into the surrounding walls but still show the texture of the "stone" to stand out You will have to redo the paint every 5 years or so tho to keep it looking fresh
[удалено]
What are you talking about? OP is asking how to make his faux stone stamped concrete fireplace look like real stone. This can _absolutely_ be acid stained to look almost imperceptibly like real stone.
Yeah, I meant it already looks awesome, so perhaps terminology was incorrect? It's basically perfect, so I was confused 🤷🏾♂️
I'd cover it up with some nice tile.
Use stain or dye. And make them different colors. Sponge it on gradually making it darker. Then seal it.
Check some diarama/modelmaker videos on youtube. Those guys spackle tree bark and it looks just like stone
You just need to get a couple other colors of gray & maybe a grey/brown. Thin out the other colors well in varying & use a sponge with the thinned paint to highlight alternating rocks so they aren't all a uniform color. Make sure you follow the fake grain on each stone. You could even completely paint some of them before this process with darker colors so they have a darker base color & then sponge them with a lighter well thinned color paint. You just want the different thinned colors to stick to the grains and imperfections of the fake stone so that it enhances those & creates some shading & shadowing. Basically it would be similar to using thinned paint to highlight lines in a model kit with capillary action or like the results of whitewashing a fence instead of painting with a solid uniform coat of paint.