DIY How to Faux Finish Wall Tiles to Look Like Limestone

Examine your tile. Most tiles have glaze on them, which makes the surface shiny and slick.

Scarify your tiles by sanding the surface. If your tiles are unglazed, use a palm sander with a fine-grain sandpaper and just give them a light sanding. If they are glazed, use a coarse-grain sandpaper first to remove the top shiny surface. Go over it with a medium grain to smooth the surface more and finish up with a fine-grain sandpaper.

Clean the tiles with a damp rag and spray cleaner. Wipe away all dust and debris.

Prime the tiles with an epoxy primer according to the manufacturer's instructions. Epoxy primer offers superior adhesion for tough painting surfaces like tile.

Paint the wall a warm, light tan or beige base color. Use a satin-finish latex paint. Paint the edges and corners with a brush and the rest of the wall with a roller.

Mix a darker color, such as taupe or umber, with an equal amount of water to thin it and create a color wash. In a second container, mix one part yellow paint with one part water. Use a third container to mix half white paint and half water. Stir the color washes well.

Dip a damp sponge into the yellow color wash and blot it. Rub the color on the wall in random spots in circular motions, and pat it on in other spots to create a more textured look. Don't completely cover the wall. Leave some areas blank. It should make the wall look discolored.

Dip a 2-inch brush into the taupe color wash, then pat and dab the brush on a rag until it's almost dry. Scrub the color onto the wall by rubbing the bristles in random spots in a scribbling motion. You do not want clean, even coverage -- you want to dry brush sporadic uneven pops of a darker color. Some of that color can go over the yellowed areas, and some over the areas you left blank.

Dip a damp rag into the white color wash and smear some on at random, sometimes over the other two colors and sometimes on blank spots. Give the color washes time to dry. Paint over the grout lines with a fine craft brush and a bit of taupe paint. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

Let the paint job cure for 30 days. It is necessary for a paint to cure before sealing it or you’ll trap moisture inside that can lead to blistering or peeling.

Brush on two to three coats of clear acrylic waterproof sealer to protect the surface. Allow drying time between each coat.