How to Add Play Sand to Paint

You can add play sand to paint to replicate a historic house-painting technique. Many 19th century painters wanted wrought iron or wood trim on stone houses to appear to be made of matching stone, so they added sand to the paint, creating a rough, durable stone-like texture. The simplest method is to stir the sand into the paint before spreading it, but you can also paint the surface first, then blow the sand onto the wet paint.

You can purchase play sand in bags of 5 to 50 lbs. at home and garden stores. Its grayish tan color is useful for imitating the color of most stone.

Oil-based house paint
Play sand
Tray
Hair-dryer

Instructions

Mixing Sand into Paint
- 1
  Prepare the area you plan to paint by scraping off any old loose paint.
- 2
  Pour 1 quart of oil-based house paint into a tray or bucket and stir in a small amount of sand, to judge how you like the texture and color. Begin with 1/4 lb. and test the paint by brushing some on a scrap board. Gradually add more sand, keeping track of how much you add, until you find a texture you like. Multiply the amount of sand that you added by four to find how much sand to add to each gallon of paint.
- 3
  Mix the sand into the paint and apply the first coat of paint to the house. Stir the paint regularly while you're working to keep the sand mixed. Allow the first coat to dry.
- 4
  Apply a second coat of paint and sand. After you're done, reserve the brush or roller for use only with sand paint or plan to discard it, since you may not be able to get all the sand particles out and they'll create unsightly lumps in normal paint.
Blowing or Tossing Sand onto Paint
- 5
  Prepare the surface for painting and add a coat of primer suitable for oil paint.
- 6
  Practice first on a scrap board, since you'll need to work quickly and you may find one technique easier than another. Paint the board normally with oil-based house paint. While it's still wet, either toss sand onto it from a tray or use a hair-dryer to blow sand onto the paint. One 1808 account describes the sand "thrown on with a common tin dust pan" with "a long trough... placed under the work" which "caught what did not adhere, so as to be thrown up again and prevent waste. The despatch with which this operation can be performed, exceeded expectation, both as to facility and economy." You can also use a hair-dryer like a bellows to blow the sand from a tray or you can attach a tube and funnel to a hair-dryer to feed the sand into the hair-dryer's airstream (see Resources). Work quickly, coating the paint thoroughly with sand while it's still wet. Allow the paint to dry.
- 7
  Repeat the same procedure for the second coat.

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How to Add Play Sand to Paint

Instructions

Mixing Sand into Paint

Blowing or Tossing Sand onto Paint