After the One Room Challenge (ORC) front patio glow up, I decided it was time to refresh our entry at home because it felt extra blah. This house has a completely different vibe than our lake house. I like to think of this house as elevated glam so I didn't really want to use a stencil. Ever since I saw Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's black and white marble entry on Rock the Block, I've been obsessed. But marble tile isn't in the budget right now so I set out to recreate the look.
Before:
It was time for a glow up! This was my inspo.
I watched a ton of YouTube videos of people painting their countertops and figured what the heck, I'll try it. I tried a few different techniques but I found that this worked out the best.
What You Will Need:
-
Lots of Frog Tape (I went through at least 5 rolls)
-
Two colors of flat exterior paint (I used true black and white)
-
Water-based Polyurethane
-
1 Paint Roller
-
3 Roller Covers
-
3 Paint Trays
-
Old Rags
-
Small detail brush (I grabbed a cheap one from Michaels)
-
3" flat brush
-
1/2" flat brush
Step 1: Pressure Wash Your Entire Area.
Do not skip this step like I did. I know better but I was lazy and wanted to start painting. If you skip this step your paint will not adhere to the concrete. If you don't have access to a pressure washer you can rent one at Home Depot or you can use a hose and a concrete etcher like I did here.
Step 2: Trace Your Pattern.
I went to Home Depot and bought a cheap 12x12 tile and traced around the edges to make the pattern.
Step 3: Paint Your Base Color.
Make sure the paint is completely dry before moving onto the next step.
Step 4: Tape.
This is the most time consuming part because you are going to have to tape four times. You can only paint every other square at a time so my suggestion is to tape and finish that entire section before moving on. I've found that frog tape works the best so I highly suggest you use that. Frog tape will give you crisp clean lines with very minimal bleed.
Step 5: Paint Your Second Color.
Ensure your paint is fully dry before moving on.
Step 6: Time to Marble.
The technique I used for each color was slightly different. I have a video tutorial on my Instagram highlights which can help you too.
Black Marble: I mixed two whites to create this look. For the first one I mixed equal parts of glaze, white paint, and water. I used a red solo cup for my colors but anything will work. The second one I mixed mostly water with a little bit of white paint and a little bit of glaze.
Start with your mostly water mix and use your 3" brush and coat the entire square. Dampen your rag and blot off. Depending on your mixture you may want to do this a few times. I found it was best to work in sections so do this for a few squares. Then go back and do your veining.
Using your small detail brush create your veins. Then switch to your medium brush and brush out the veins. Then blot with your damp rag. Do this a few times until your happy with the look. It's going to look ugly but just keep going, I promise the less thinking the better. This is not something you want to overthink because it will all come together at the end and it really does look terrible in the beginning. I think it looks better when its organic and a little random anyways.
White Marble: I used three colors to complete the white tiles. I made on light gray with a little bit of paint and glaze and mostly water (I mixed the white and black paint to make the gray). Then I did another medium gray with a little less water. And a dark gray with equal parts paint, glaze, and water. Similar to the black tiles, I followed the same steps with my mostly water mixture and coated the entire tile and dabbed with my rag. After that I used my small brush and did the veining and feathering. The only difference here is I would add my medium gray on top and repeat until I liked the final result.
Repeat steps 4-6 until you've completed your entire area.
Step 7
After your paint has dried completely its time to seal. Use your roller and coat the polyurethane in sections. After you've coated a section you are going to want to go back over your area with your 3" brush and brush in one direction. Your goal is to get all of the bubbles out. If you skip this, your tiles will look cloudy and have a yellow tint to them so this is a very important step. Let the sealer dry for two hours and then recoat. Repeat this until you've completed three coats. That's it!
After:
Overall, I am happy with how the entry turned out. Does it look like real marble, no, but it's a lot better than the before. Now it's time to tackle to door, add some lights, and style!
