How to Antique Plaster Walls

Smooth the plaster wall with 180-grit sandpaper, but do not get rid of areas with texture.

Dust the plaster walls with a tack cloth.

Prepare the room for painting. Apply painter’s tape to the edges of the ceiling, baseboard, trim, doorframe and any windows. Remove plate covers from switches and outlets, and lay drop cloths on the floor and over furniture.

Mix a 5:2 ratio of Raw Sienna paint tinter to Raw Umber paint tinter in a bucket with one-eighth cup of water and a quart of glazing liquid or latex paint conditioner. For every 10 drops of Raw Sienna tinter you use, add 2 drops of Raw Sienna tinter.

Test the color you mixed on the wall using a sponge, and then wipe off the paint with a rag. The color that remains is how the rest of the wall looks using the same mix. Adding more water lightens the color; adding more paint tinters darken it.

Fill the second bucket with water. Use this water to wet the walls with a sponge. The amount of water you add to the bucket does not matter.

Wet the walls with a sponge and clean water.

Glaze the walls. Moisten a sponge in the paint mixture you made. Spread the paint on the sponge over the wet plaster wall using circular motions. Vary the amount of pressure you place on the sponge to lighten or darken the color. Add water over the glaze on the wall, using a sponge to lighten the color. Use a rag to lightly remove the excess paint on the wall. Allow the glaze to dry.