0

Good day to everyone. I've bought a new apartment - which is completely naked (only civil work done) I wanted to do something unique for my bedroom and found this idea. Would you please suggest me some ways I can do this? I found few methods online - 1)Using foam sheets + cement paint 2)Using expandable foam 3)Using concrete and cement

Since I need to do this to a 8ft*17ft wall, please suggest what method will work on this scale. Thankyou!

Stone wall

user149209
  • 9
  • 1
  • My $0.02...Because of the weight involved, I don't think cement/concrete is practical. Spray foam sounds promising, but it might take some practice to make it look realistic. Foam sheets seem difficult to achieve the look. – gnicko Mar 03 '22 at 04:25
  • Thankyou @gnicko for replying! I have a solid wall, is it not possible to mount the concrete and cement on the wall? Will weight still be an issue? (I'm a complete noob so will be asking stupid questions). – user149209 Mar 03 '22 at 04:51
  • 1
    Foam that has a rigid layer of concrete is quite light, you could also build up paper mache to get the topological structure and coat with cement or a drywall mud and paint, the drywall mud is not as rigid as cement but it would be easier to work with and easier to clean up. I have made fake rocks outside using concrete and sand mix and would not want to do that inside. – Ed Beal Mar 03 '22 at 05:23
  • Haha thankyou @EdBeal That's a good idea :D. Since I'm making a wall from this, will foam coated in cement stand the test of time? – user149209 Mar 03 '22 at 10:52
  • The foam stuff @EdBeal mentions is often used a a substrate for tiles, and the surface is pretty hard. It should be good for this (even the foam is far harder than styrofoam). But I go into more detail in my answer – Chris H Mar 03 '22 at 12:44
  • Look up how they build faux mountains, giant redwoods, and rock faces in theme parks. Search "artificial rock", "faux rocks" etc on youtube ... you'll find tutorials galore. Or, here is [a company](http://www.themeparkbuild.com/past-projects-photo-s) that does nothing but. Hire them. – jay613 Mar 03 '22 at 12:58

2 Answers2

2

Many years ago I helped with something along these lines. We were aiming for a flatter rock effect and used Artex (the plaster-based material used for textured ceilings) on an already-plastered wall. If you wanted the rock to stick out more, the foam-cored, cement-faced tile backer boards that are available in a range of thicknesses would be a stable, lightweight way to build up some thickness under the Artex. You'd need to sculpt features before putting them on the wall.

How you paint the finish is crucial to the effect. My recollection is a little hazy (25 years does that) but I recall:

  • a base coat made by poorly mixing 2 or 3 similar shades (you don;t want it perfectly even) applied with
  • a roller meant for rough surfaces
  • and a coarse brush as used for fences
  • We might have mixed some fine sand into the base coat, used sand-loaded masonry paint, or I might be thinking of a different project.

In addition, we used rag-rolling and maybe dabbing paint on with sponges*, using both lighter and darker shades in the same palette.

Some cautions and further tips:

  • I suggest you ensure nothing pretends to be a handhold, or you will get people trying to climb it and ripping the finish off the walls.

  • This won't be easy to remove afterwards, so make sure it's something you want for the long term. Quirky stuff like this is also unlikely to help your resale value.

  • Store the leftover paint in case of damage needing touching up. Things like corners of furniture can damage the surface, but it's quite repairable. It's not like you need a perfect colour match on repairs, but you do need to blend in the pattern.

  • Think of specific rocks that you like the look of, and aim to imitate those. Some rocks have bands of colour that you could add if you're artistic enough.

  • Lighting arranged near the walls can produce shadows that make 3D features look much deeper than they are. This is done in the photo in the question, where the recessed lighting also provides protection for the rock effect wall.

  • Faux stone wall products exist. The ones I can find online are meant to look like rough-cut stone walls, but I'm sure I've seen bare-rock-effect in the past

* I've since produced a flat moon-rock effect by stenciling a white crescent background and sponging on silver paint, so it works but I can't remember whether we did it back then.

Chris H
  • 5,038
  • 15
  • 25
  • If I recall any more, I'll add it. I was thinking about this room earlier today, but not about how we did it. – Chris H Mar 03 '22 at 12:43
  • THANKYOU for this wonderful answer! Especially the further tips. Didn't think of points about people trying to climb or resale value. Definitely something I'll keep in mind. Could you tell me whether your wall stood the test of time? (Not paint chilling but structural strength and shape) – user149209 Mar 03 '22 at 20:34
  • I last saw it a few years later, and it was still good, but the room was repurposed and redecorated after that. If it doesn't get knocked, it will hold up fine - these materials are meant for uses so similar as to be equivalents, and because rock is rough, minor knocks won't show except for the change in colour – Chris H Mar 03 '22 at 20:57
1

How about wall paper, it looks good in the picture!

https://www.amazon.com/wall26-Background-Removable-Self-Adhesive-Wallpaper/dp/B07VJLBTXP/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=Faux%2BRock%2BPanels&qid=1646285828&sr=8-13&th=1

enter image description here

Steve Wellens
  • 5,760
  • 1
  • 23
  • 36