Turning pedestrian plaster into believable marble takes time: Oil paints are slow to dry, and replicating even a semblance of marble's depth requires several layers. The effect can be fabulous, however, and the process is fun. This is definitely worth a try.
Instructions
1. Choose a color scheme (try gray and white with dark gray and black lines; pink with peach and terra-cotta; or eggshell with yellow-gray and green).
2. Coat the column with white or eggshell alkyd (oil-based) paint and allow to dry.
3. Re-coat two or three times with glazes of varying density, blotting irregularly and allowing to dry between each coat. (A glaze is simply paint thinned with mineral spirits; for an eggshell marble look you might want a pale yellow, a grayer eggshell, and a white glaze.)
4. Glaze again when you're ready to marble in earnest; this time blot so that the surface is damp but not runny.
5. Choose a color and a starting point and paint a very thin, continuous, yet wavering line (say, from one bottom corner diagonally up and around the column, over the top, and down the other side). Continue in the same color until you've got an irregular, gridlike network.
6. Use a toothpick wrapped in cotton or a cotton swab to wipe off excess, and a fan-shaped brush to push the paint around on the glazed surface.
7. Repeat the process with a second color.
8. Play around with the layers: Reglaze some parts; feather a denser glaze into the column's crevices; highlight some lines with a pale or white shadow.
9. Allow to dry fully and coat with satin (matte) polyurethane varnish.
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