Several techniques to fake look of leather

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/06/2002 (8569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Debbie: We have a bright northern exposed living room with all glass and no window coverings. The room is off-white and I’d like a warmer tone. Gold, yellow or beige would work well with our furniture coverings. I recently saw a type of faux-painting that looks like leather with lines and crinkles in different shades. Can you offer some ideas on how to get this effect?

— Georgia, Vancouver

Dear Georgia: There are several paint techniques that replicate the look of leather. It’s important to ensure that your final results are subtle. The easiest method is to first apply a base coat that is several tones lighter than your finish coat. Use paint with a satin sheen for both layers. Mix the finishing colour with glazing liquid, 2 parts paint to 1 part glazing liquid. Apply the coloured glaze with a sponge roller from the top of the wall to the bottom in a width about the size of a length of wallpaper. Take a strip of crumpled craft paper and lay it over the wet glaze. Remove immediately and the crinkles will be impressed into the paint. The trick now is to repeat this action each time overlapping the wet edge of the previous strip so that you don’t get lap lines.

For an incredibly authentic faux leather effect I like to use decorative plaster. Apply the plaster the same way as the coloured glaze but press in lengths of cheesecloth. The creases will be finer. Once the plaster is dry, prime it and paint your leather colour over the surface. This produces both the illusion and the silky smooth touch of fine leather.

Dear Debbie: I have this horrible glossy white ceramic tile backsplash in my kitchen and I just can’t stand it any more. I saw a show you did that changed ceramic tile to look just like slate. It was used in a bathroom. Can you tell me the product I need and how to proceed?

—Christine, Vancouver

Dear Christine: The Painted House episode you are referring to is called Verry French. We actually transformed the ceramic tile using the warm natural tones found in limestone. Slate has a dark gray green colour. But whichever type of stone you wish to replicate, the technique is the same. The tile is first washed down very thoroughly to remove any grease and dirt. It’s then primed with a high adhesive primer, which will be the tooth or grip between the shiny tile and the plaster. Prime the tile and the grout. Good quality paint and hardware stores sell a specialty plaster that is designed just for this purpose. It can be pre-tinted to the best colour to represent the stone you want. Tinted plaster looks 50 per cent darker when applied. It lightens up as it dries, so take this into consideration. Apply the plaster over the primed tiles with a trowel. If you want the shape of large pieces of stone, just pull an object like a pencil end through the wet plaster. Leave to dry for several days and then apply several coats of sealer for protection.

The Painted House column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Send letters to Ask Debbie, c/o The Painted House, PO Box 425, Station Westmount, Westmount, Que. H3Z 2T5, or e-mail Debbie at askdebbie@painted-house.com. We regret that only letters chosen for publication can be answered personally. Check Debbie’s Web site www.painted-house.com. and watch Debbie Travis’ Painted House aired daily on WTN. For more ideas look for Debbie’s newest book, Living and Dining Rooms.