How to create authentic concrete-look walls with paint

Concrete is a coveted material in many contemporary homes and buildings, but it’s also one that comes at a cost. When concrete isn’t feasible for any reason, creating a strikingly realistic concrete finish with paint can be a viable option.

Here’s four ways to achieve a concrete-look feature in the home. 

This is a one-product application suitable for DIYers that is applied by block brush with random shoulder-width strokes, moving from left to right across sections of the wall. “Porter’s Interno Lime Wash is a unique lime-based coating which is designed for interior use, and replicates the soft weathered patina of a traditional lime wash,” Porter’s Paints Anoushka Haskell says.

“Its unique formulation allows the lime to gently ‘bloom’ through the paint, creating soft tone variations which add depth, texture and that Mediterranean look without the necessity of exposure to the elements.”

Use: Throughout the home, except in wet areas.

Designed to create the look of delicate broken colour in a marble-like finish, this is applied in two coats. The first which is painted over with one of around 14 French wash colours, each of which are very translucent and only visible once applied to the base coat.

“This elegant, timeless ragged effect can be created by both the painter and the DIY home decorator, with the French wash ragged, rag rolled, dragged or sponged to create a variety of concrete-look effects,” Anoushka says.

Use: Ideal for feature walls, bedrooms and living areas.

This hard-wearing finish is designed to replicate the cool lustre of the trowelled plaster walls of ancient European buildings. “Its rich lustre reflects light like fine marble, however this is one of the specialty finishes that requires a certain level of expertise to apply,” Anoushka says.

Fresco is applied with a trowel, from which marks add to the texture of the finish. “When sanded and polished with Stucco Wax - in either clear or blackened colours - the wax catches the light on the trowel ridges creating an unmistakably unique yet beautiful finish.”

Use: A particularly robust interior-only finish, this is used a lot in commercial and hospitality fitouts, and can be used anywhere including wet areas (aside from areas with a direct flow of water on the surface). Do not use behind hot kitchen surfaces.

A newly released product (December 2019), Smooth Impasto has an almost velvet finish to it that creates a softness and textural element to the wall. “Its depth of matt colour creates a lovely sophisticated finish that is a softer, velvet-like take on concrete that is not so industrial. Easy to apply with the first coat rolled on, it creates a clear layering of pigment with visible brush marks that are harmonious as a whole.”

Use: Throughout the home, except in wet areas.

These specialty finishes are all available from Porter’s Paints, and can be viewed on large-format walls at the company’s Kingsland showroom. Find out more about concrete-look paint finishes.