The LusterStone Finish

You will need:
— 1 gallon of AquaBond for every 300 square feet of wall space.
— 1 gallon of LusterStone for every 100 square feet of wall space.
Optional:
— 1 gallon of accent color LusterStone for every 250 square feet of wall space
— Painter’s tape
— Drop cloths
— Styrene or stainless steel trowels (various sizes for various surfaces and applications)
— 1⁄4" nap roller and paint pan

Preparation:
Make sure to use plastic or cloth tarps to cover anything and everything that you do not want the products to spatter on, and then tape, tape tape!

Tape off all crown and base moldings, chair rails, around doors and windows, etc., and then burnish the tape by using either a spoon or a small wooden stir stick. This will prevent the paint from seeping under the tape while applying and leave your finish with a very crisp edge.

Step 1:
Over a clean, dry, and sealed surface, ROLL on a smooth coat of LusterStone in random directions. Normal applications will produce a somewhat mottled effect with higher and lower areas of random coverage. For this application you may dilute the LusterStone with up to 30 percent ordinary tap water. Allow the LusterStone to dry for at least two hours.

Step 2:
Apply the next layer of LusterStone using a flexible plastic or metal application trowel. Place LusterStone, medium thickness, onto the surface of the trowel, then, using smooth, even, random motions, apply LusterStone to the surface. Create small to medium “half moon” arches in your application, leaving trowel lines for dimension. Just like icing a cake! Application may be stopped and started any time with no need to keep a wet edge. LusterStone may be thinned with up to 10 percent ordinary tap water for this application. Let dry.

Hint: Practice with the amount of product you use and be careful not to apply too heavily, or the LusterStone could crack.

Step 3:
Re-apply the LusterStone using your trowel, but while it’s wet, scrape the excess off using firm pressure on your trowel. This will begin the “luster.” Repeat this process one or two more times, depending on the amount of luster you desire. LusterStone may be thinned up to 25 percent with tap water for this process.

(Optional: use a lighter LusterStone accent color as a final layer to intensify visual interest.)

Bonus tips:
In general, fine sanding between coats and applying very thin wet coats of LusterStone will produce the highest shine and reflectivity.

Sand between additional coats using 220 grit or finer sandpaper.

Apply with trowel, very fine, very thin wet additional coats for the highest shine.
LusterStone, when applied correctly, requires no secondary polishing.

To repair:
Sand to smooth out damage and simply re-trowel more LusterStone.

To learn more about Faux Effects International, Inc. products and techniques, visit their Web site.