Copy Cat Carrera

 

 

Before we venture any further into this post, I want to say although I would LOVE to claim this idea, I cannot.  I was scrolling through Pinterest (as usual) looking for the coffee table idea to replace that lovely but easily sullied ottoman (yes, I realize I just posted a project on it – but it’s already worse for wear – thanks for nothing, everyday living).  I came across The Hunted Interior blog which showed the thing I blatantly stole and am posting here.  I am thrilled about the outcome, and you can easily have the look for yourself.  I promise!

Start with the very inexpensive Ikea Vittsjo nesting tables. 

I put the tables together before spray painting the metal bits with this:

I still love this product over all the other gold sprays out there. I got mine at the Home Depot.

Putting the tables together after spray painting could scratch the finish.

  

Once the 3 coats of gold were dry, I sealed it with clear matte spray paint of which I can’t find right now to show you but it’s a Rust-Oleum product. (Geeze I really need to buy shares). I sprayed the brown shelf high gloss white like marble would be with left over product I had.

 How blue paint drips get on a white lid, I’ll never know. I digress.

After painting the shelf white, I delved into the faux marble part.

Okay, I know you well enough by now to know you have shut down the brain because you think you couldn’t possible get this part right.  I’m here to tell you that you can so!  It’s really just a matter of simple technique.  Marble comes in all sorts of looks – heavily veined, hardly veined, dark grey, light grey, mixed, almost all white.   I say that however your way turns out, it’s probably out there somewhere.  So, chillax as them there young people say.  Go forth with confidence.

 

These are the supplies I used.  Just notice the black and white blobs of paint, ok?  I recycle paint pans a LOT.  Fact: you can peel dried latex paint off most anything if it’s thick enough. I just didn’t bother.  I’m trying to show how much black I used in comparison to the white. Or maybe that isn’t even clear by this pic, but it’s lots of white to very very little black.  You can make all kinds of greys from this.  I used very little paint total.

I had three different paintbrush sizes.  Some people also use a feather for the veins or even jagged pieces of cardboard.  It just goes to show that there are many ways to do this faux finish.  I actually googled images of Carrera marble to give myself ideas.

But wait! If after all my encouragement you still can’t pull out the confidence, there is many a contact paper out there with a Carrera marble look.  Slap some of that on and you can quit sweating in fear.  You could wrap it in funky paper or fabric or just keep it high gloss white if you want- or any colour for that matter. But I still think you should try this first.  If I didn’t say that, I couldn’t call myself Found This Painted That now could I?

 I started by brushing paint on here and there.  No water.  Dry brush immediately after to blur the edges and give it a soft quality.  Always with the big brush, and always right after so that it doesn’t dry as a hard line. Now just layer and layer until you like how it looks. Or at the very least, tolerate how it looks.

 Next comes the veining. my way is to push my small paintbrush straight up away from me starting from the bottom moving to the top.  Dry brush until you’ve blurred the edges on the veining.  Add paint and brush, paint over and brush, vein and brush, over and over and over until you are either happy with it or just exhausted.  Whichever comes first. I’ve been told people sip wine while doing this part because it loosens them up.  Frankly, the last thing I need is more loosening.

  When you are satisfied or like I said, too tired to go on, give it a coat of latex polyurethane (oil base yellows over time) or use the lovely Rust-Oleum clear gloss spray as I did.  Make sure everything is very dry before you put the shelf and the glass tops on to the frame to avoid re-spraying the gold yet again. Yes, as a matter of fact, I AM speaking from experience.

Here is the awesomest part.  If you still think you did a shabby job when all is said and done, you can be secure in the knowledge that you can cover most or all of it with magazines, books and trinkets.  So take heart cowardly lions, no one will be the wiser and you will have accomplished your first foray into the world of Trompe L’oeil. Tres Bon!

 

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