colour stains

I thought that I'd develop the strand about colour stains and share what I have
recently done with an ugly wall which I have lots of plants in pots in front of,
and on, mainly in terracotta pots.

I needed to paint the wall and decided that a very pale terracotta would be
good.  However, on painting it it seemed blazingly bright for my cottage-garden
style of planting, and likely to detract rather than set off my pots and plants.
I'm sure it would do better under bright summer sun, but in wintertime it looks
too 'obvious'.

I'd already decided what to do, when my neighbour offered consolation: "it'll
look better in a few years when algae etc will have softened it" she said (it
already has moss on it as I very carefully painted around what was there (!))
Unfortunately, to get the colour I wanted I'd had to buy the best quality
paint...guaranteed 15 yrs...including against algae!

My neighbour was rather disconcerted when I told her of my plan......to paint on
algae to make it look weathered!

I bought 2 small paint testers in green (70p = $1 each), and dry brushed onto
the wall, tending to brush more into crevices, at ground  level and at wall
junctions, first the darker colour then the next. The paint used amounted to 3-4
teaspoons over a 5' high, 30' wall, ie very very dry brushing.  (Places where I
'overloaded' the brush were treated by brushing on water and rubbing off with a
dry rag...even better finish!).

Results: at least 2-years worth of ageing (of wall), a happier person (me), and
a husband who can't quite believe what I've done!!!

-Carrie-


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