How to Faux Paint Broken Plaster Walls

Lightly sketch the outline of the broken area with a pencil.

Apply painter's tape to the wall around the border of the broken area, following the pencil lines, to protect that portion of the wall from being painted.

Apply a base coat of latex primer to the exposed wall with a paint roller and allow it to dry. If the wall is already white, skip this step.

Apply a coat of latex paint in the desired mortar color to the exposed wall. Allow this and all following coats of paint to dry before moving on to the next step.

Apply paint a shade or two darker than the mortar color with a sea sponge, blotting it randomly in place. This sponged texture gives the mortar more depth.

Tear the cut ends off strips of painter's tape, creating strips approximately 1/2-inch thick with torn edges on both sides. These edges will simulate the slightly irregular shapes of the bricks.

Gently apply these strips to the exposed wall in a mortar pattern, they protect the mortar paint that you have already laid down as you add additional colors for the "bricks."

Brush latex paint in a brick color onto the exposed wall over the tape.

Sponge a darker brick tone lightly over the exposed wall to give the bricks more variation. Apply the darker tone more heavily to a few bricks to make the wall look more realistic. Allow the paint to dry.

Gently remove the mortar tape, while leaving the border tape around the edges intact.

Lightly apply a medium gray color in the mortar under each brick to simulate shadows. Do the same over the entire area beneath the topmost border tape.

Remove the border tape.

Paint the border line with black paint and a fine brush. If desired, paint a few random cracks extending from the broken area.