Decorating with Plaster Stenciling

Plain columns get a make over!

Taping the stencil

Plaster Stenciling Complete

Adding Brown to the Plaster Design

Blotting light brown marble background

Creating veining with fan brush

Blending Marble veins

In the master bedroom suite, I did two cast plaster columns and created a hand painted mural between them. During my trip there over Thanksgiving this year, I decided the columns were too plain and gave them a new "do"! They needed some plaster stenciled detail and some color.

The design I chose was our Raised Plaster Vertical Leaves Stencil. The design was a bit too wide for my columns so I covered the side acanthus leaves with tape to prevent them from being plastered, which made the design the perfect width.

I plastered the design directly under the cast plaster column top that I did from our Large Acanthus Column Top Mold. I gave the column top more detail by giving it a "wash" of a mixture of wall glaze and brown paint, wiping it off the ornate raised detail as I went and leaving the deepest color in the recesses of the design. Wow! What a difference!

I then began a marbling design (explained below) behind the design and added deep brown paint to the design to bring out it's detail.

To marble the columns, I blotted on a random pattern of light brown and blended it well.

I then added veining with a "fan brush" (available at your local craft store. This is a fun tool for creating veins since you can twist the brush to create varied lines that become separated, giving you a realistic vein. Blend them just slightly.

With the columns complete, I gave them a coat of clear polyurethane for protection. Using high gloss gave them the appearance of real polished marble.

The entire mural and columns design seemed to just come together and stand out much more beautifully than before. My color choice for the columns came from the woody section (brown) of the Willow Tree in the mural. This made them coordinate with the entire mural and framed the scene perfectly.

Designer's tip:

Give yourself something special by adding a mural to your walls. Surround them with cast plaster or plaster stenciling to frame them and show them off in a totally unique way. This is a gift you give yourself, but the comments you get from people who see it are an even lovelier boost to your confidence!