Today, I’m going to tell you about my FAVORITE paint additive for texture, sea spray by Dixie Belle Paint.
I love how you can use it to achieve different looks with various levels of thickness.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been drawn to projects that are loaded with texture, but you have NO IDEA how to DIY this look! I’ve used this technique for years and would love to share a few tips with you that will help you make adding texture to your DIYs easier!
Love learning through video? See how to use Sea Spray to add texture here:
EXAMPLE: Adding Texture to Thrifted Lamps
My most recent texture paint project was a pair of lamps!
I found these beauties at Goodwill for $12 each. They’re cool…but not what my clients needed for their space.
Shape…yes! Orange glass? No!
I kept envisioning a pottery-style finish and KNEW I could achieve it WITHOUT the price tag of pottery-style lamps!
With a little paint additive, this is the texture I got:
Sea Spray as a Paint Additive
Sea Spray is a soft, power-like substance that you can add directly to your paint of choice (I used Dixie Belle chalk mineral paints for my lamp) to add thickness and texture to your project.
You don’t need any special tools, HOWEVER, you can use specific tools to achieve different looks.
3 Ways to Use Sea Spray
I usually begin with about 8 ounces of paint that I pour into a bowl.
It’s important to start with a small amount of Sea Spray additive and continue adding slowly until you achieve the desired thickness.
1) ONE SCOOP
Add one level scoop of Sea Spray and mix thoroughly. This can be brushed onto any project and it changes the paint very little. You can see the slight amount of texture here.
This is a great thickness to begin with for those that aren’t used to working with texture!
2) TWO SCOOPS
You can also add ANOTHER level scoop of Sea Spray to the bowl and, again, mix thoroughly. This can also be brushed onto any project.
(You can see the paint is much thicker here in comparison to the last example).
This is a very common thickness for layering.
If you allow this to sit for a minute or two, it becomes thick, like brownie batter, and it won’t even spill out of the bowl!
It can still be brushed, but the best technique to use for this is stippling! (This is when you apply the paint with a brush using an up-and-down stamping motion.)
This will allow little peaks to form, giving your surface a super interesting texture.
After it sets up just a bit, you can go back and drag your brush or spatula over it to knock those peaks back a little, and this gives it a stone or cement texture.
3) THREE SCOOPS
If you’d like to make your paint REALLY thick and be able to manipulate it so that it creates shapes and such, add a third scoop and mix well!
You can now apply this mixture with other tools!
If you want a stone-like look, you can scrape it onto your surface with a putty knife.
You can use a paint spatula to create different looks, depending on the size you use.
I LOVE using this large, rounded-end spatula to create angel wings, flower petals, and Christmas trees!
Create Texture with a Raised Stencil using Sea Spray
Have you tried raised stencils? They are SO MUCH FUN!
Here’s what you do:
Lay your stencil down (I used Dixie Belle's nailhead trim stencil) and with the thickest textured paint, use the putty knife to spread it across the surface of the stencil.
Then, just lift the stencil, and VOILA!
You can see the lifted texture making the appearance of a nailhead trim!
Want other examples of how to use this technique? You can see here how I used Sea Spray to create the raised stencil effect on two other panel boards:
It creates SO much texture and adds interest to your project, allowing you another surface to embellish and shade!
Using Sea Spray Texture to Cover Imperfections
I had some sea spray mixed, so I started thinking of how I could utilize the remainder.
I had a knife block that I purchased from Goodwill that I knew I could show you something cool on!
I left the price tag sticker on ON PURPOSE to show you how thick the sea spray can get, and to cover imperfections that might come up on your creations.
This is the perfect technique for projects that have damaged surfaces!
I used a spatula to apply the sea spray to the surface, a brush to use the stippling technique with, and then grabbed the spatula again so I could smooth out the peaks.
This created a stone-like finish on this knife block that can now be painted and shaded even more once this texture is dry!
All the textures you can get with sea spray:
Look at that texture on these lamps!
I created this finish in my exclusive membership group, Curiously Creative. We create weekly and have SO MUCH FUN trying new techniques with a multitude of products!
SEA SPRAY PROJECTS
So how’s that for simple? Now, all the examples I shared with you above were neutral in color, but these same looks are pretty amazing with bold color as well! I’ve got a few colorful textured projects coming your way soon!
If you don’t want to miss a thing, CLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter and get weekly emails sharing my weekly creations with you with techniques that will inspire you in your own creations!
OTHER SEA SPRAY PROJECTS YOU MIGHT LOVE:
Want more fancy furniture & design?
