Here's how to put a faux stone or faux wood finish on a vertical surface.
Start out by masking and pro-tecting all the areas surrounding the space where you will be working, as well as your trail in and out or back and forth to the mix area.
Next, roll on your primer and cut in the corners. Good coverage is key.
Now you're ready to mix up your wall mix. After mixing to the proper consistency, carry in a small amount of material, one 5-gallon bucket at a time. Use a scoop of some type, and take enough material from the pail to fill the hawk comfortably. Shake the hawk slightly to settle the mud, as it will then stay on the hawk better.
The next step is to get some of the material from the hawk to the wall using the trowel (a trowel of 5 inches by 11 inches is recommended). For the beginner, actually getting mud on the wall takes some practice and no small amount of patience. The hawk and trowel work together, requiring coordination like the kind it takes to drive a stick shift. As you move to cut mud from the top of the hawk, you must turn the hawk almost 90 degrees to meet the trowel.
Using smooth, even strokes, lay the mud on thinly and evenly to form the base coat. This coat should set until the next day. Now put on the primer cut with water (1 to 1), then the decorative coat, using basically the same process with more material. Apply a thicker coat of about 1/2 inch to 3 inches, depending on the stamp being used.
Next you can stamp it using a large variety of stamps.
After you take a nice lunch break of an hour or so, it's ready to carve.
The next day it needs to be detailed and stained. After that, almost like magic, you have a stone or wood wall.
Wayne Sellon is national trainer and technical support provider for Flex-C-Ment. He recently handed off Tajmawall, a decorative concrete contracting firm based in Temecula, Calif., to his partner and son, Morgan Sellon.
