I see waxed plaster walls in interior design magazines quite a lot, and
I've seen them at some very nice modern hotels as well. They look like
really smooth granite almost. I'm thinking of trying this in a guest
bathroom we're building at home, on walls that aren't in direct contact
with water.

If anyone's done this, I'd love to hear about the challenges and any
tips. And if there's a book that covers the subject, I'd appreciate
any pointers.

Thanks!

Its not wax it is paint, called different names by the technique used,
Marbelising, Faux finish, etc. You never wax walls, nobody does. It is a
time consuming art of making a wall look like marble with paint. Clear
coats are often used for protection. Again never wax, paint will never
stick to wax.

On 10 Mar 2005 18:26:59 -0800, "Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward"
wrote (with possible editing):

I see waxed plaster walls in interior design magazines quite a lot, and
I've seen them at some very nice modern hotels as well. They look like
really smooth granite almost. I'm thinking of trying this in a guest
bathroom we're building at home, on walls that aren't in direct contact
with water.

If anyone's done this, I'd love to hear about the challenges and any
tips. And if there's a book that covers the subject, I'd appreciate
any pointers.

Thanks!

If you mean encaustic paint try this: http://www.rfpaints.com/. If
you are referring to Dundean (a wax for Venetian plaster), then try:
http://www.dundean.com/Tips/wax.html. I would encourage you to try
these techniques on samples - they are very difficult to do properly.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

On Fri 11 Mar 2005 05:27:59a, m Ransley wrote in alt.home.repair:

Its not wax it is paint, called different names by the technique used,
Marbelising, Faux finish, etc. You never wax walls, nobody does. It is a
time consuming art of making a wall look like marble with paint. Clear
coats are often used for protection. Again never wax, paint will never
stick to wax.

You are wrong. Certainly there are a myriad of types of faux finishes, but
there are also finishes where the plaster (or even painted plaster) is rubbed
with either clear or tinted wax.

--
Wayne Boatwright
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

It is waxed plaster, at least what I have in mind is. It doesn't look
like faux anything, it's just a plain coloured wall where the wax gives
it a smoothness and texture. The idea is that the plaster is tinted in
the desired colour, applied to the wall very smoothly, and then the wax
applied to that.

This website mentions a stylish modern home where the technique was
used, but unfortunately doesn't show photos:
"https://www.baltimorestyle.com/so01issue/city-so01.html".

Thanks Larry, the Dundean reference is the one I meant. I have already
looked at that but it doesn't really give a step-by-step description of
the process. I have practical questions: how thick should the plaster
be, how do you do corners, how many layers of wax are needed, how long
do you wait between layers, how do you maintain the finished walls,
should a beginner even attempt to do this sort of thing... If
someone's done it before please let me know! Thanks!