Marbleized Wall Painting Technique

Apply painter's tape to the edges of window trim, door trim and baseboards. Tape off the ceiling corner for the wall you're going to marbleize. Run your finger over the tape edges a couple of times, to maintain a tight seal and prevent paint from leaking underneath.

Cover the floor in front of the wall with a drop cloth. Remove furniture from the work area if necessary, and remove outlet covers and switch plates.

Choose a satin base coat color of paint and brush around all of the trim, baseboard and ceiling corners with a quality 2-inch latex paintbrush. Brush the paint at least 1 inch out from the edges of the trim and corners. Do not leave heavy paint on the wall. Smooth out any paint buildup with the paintbrush.

Roll on the satin base coat with a fine stipple 3/8-inch paint roller. Start from one side of the wall and work to the other. Keep a wet paint edge and apply the paint uniformly. Always roll the paint in one direction to avoid roller marks appearing in the paint finish.

Read the instructions on the paint can before applying the second coat. You may need to wait up to six hours before applying the second coat of paint.

Choose two paint colors to use for the second coat over your base coat. Choose two colors from the same paint card that have a similar color tone, so they blend together nicely when mixed. Select a satin paint finish for both colors. Consider your base coat color when choosing the two colors.

Mix each satin color and faux finish glaze together in two separate buckets or paint trays. Do not combine the paints together in one container. Mix up the two separate paint set-ups using one part faux finish glaze, one part water and one part satin paint. Stir the paint thoroughly.

Apply the first paint color to the wall by making a vertical line of paint with a 2-inch paintbrush. With a separate 2-inch paintbrush, apply another vertical line of the second color a few inches away from the first one. Continue the same pattern and apply four to five lines of paint on the wall. Do not allow the paint to dry.

Return to the first line of paint and use a rag to rub and combine the first two paint colors together in a circular motion. Move on to the next one and repeat the same process to achieve a well-blended, seamless effect. Continue all the way across to complete the whole wall.

Carefully add the marble veins to the wall, using a high quality artist brush with a white or gray paint color. Select a satin finish for the vein color. Make sure the paint has dried before applying the veins. Paint a very random pattern for the veins and avoid painting straight lines. Create a bolder looking vein by applying more pressure to the brush.

Lightly brush back and forth over the top of the surface with a badger brush. Make sure the veins have dried enough and do not apply any pressure to the surface. The badger brush blends the vein color into the surrounding colors for a soft appearance.

After all of the paint has dried, apply a protective polyurethane coating over the marbleized wall using a foam roller. Do not use a regular paint roller with a heavy stipple.