Debbie's Paint Projects > Projects > Faux denim

Tools and Materials Needed

Base coat

• pale blue latex paint
• satin roller
• brush
• paint tray

Painted Finish

• 1" low-tack masking tape
• denim blue latex paint
• water-based glazing liquid
• mixing container
• speckle and dragging tool or rough wallpaper brush

Optional stencil for stitching lines

• Mylar
• x-acto knife
• marking pen
• stencil adhesive spray
• stencil brush
• small amounts of terra-cotta and dark
• blue latex paint

Getting Started

Prepare your surface, use tape to protect the chair rail and baseboards

1. Apply 2 coats of the base coat and let dry for 4 hours. Prepare the glaze. Mask off panels or patches in whatever size you want. You'll be working in alternate panels, and the tape will prevent leaks and smudges. Apply the glaze over the base coat, covering 100% of the surface of one panel.
2. Hold the denim brush firmly against the top of the dado, then pull it vertically through the glaze to create a rough strie effect. Return to the top of the panel and repeat until the whole panel is covered with vertical lines.
3. Pull the denim brush through the wet glaze horizontally. Work all the way down one panel. This creates the faded weave of real denim. Skip a patch and repeat the process, continue to work on alternate panels. When dry, return to the beginning and fill in the missing patches.
4. If you wish, cut out a stencil of stitching lines from Mylar; with a marking pen, draw each line about 1/2" long. Use stencil adhesive spray to position the stencil. Fill in the stitches using a stencil brush and terra-cotta paint.
5. As an optional finishing touch, hand-paint a dark blue seam line between the panels.
Topics covered by this article include: Decorating, Design, Painting, Wallcovering...