I think this article from last month pulled off a great look:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/colortherapy/adventures-in-color-washingcolortherapy-115977

Whoops, I see you don't want to do it with paint. You're on your own, kiddo ;D

Hi, I am the poster of this question. I think John's link might change my idea about painting the walls however I am a little afraid unknowing if I can really pull that off at that quality.

On the other hand, hunted's idea sounds very doable and I'll look into it. :)

I'll let you guys know if anything develops.

Check out American Clay. You can apply to drywall..or other substrate and hang on wall if you can't actually do anything to the wall....

http://www.americanclay.com/colors

how about screwing cement boards on the existing walls. Its readily available in Home Depot.

I agree with missmay on the cement boards. I just read an article (quite possibly here on AP) about an art institute/museum that used inexpensive cement boards throughout to create "the look".

Regarding faux painting - if you decide to go this route, the best way to figure out how to pull it off (and this is what the pros do) is buy several pieces of scrap drywall and paint and paint until you get the process right. I'd recommend your scraps be about 4x4 at least.

Cement Boards are definitely an option - a bit different in look than I think you are going for at they color is relatively even and there will be joints. If you go this way - work with the material and play up the joints and screws - see this image http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/architecture/cement-board-118591
Screwing them in will require anchors but that is typically considered normal wear and tear in a rental - just pull down the panels, wash the walls and mud up the holes before you move out.
Good luck and we can't wait to see the results!

Decipher, why not try painting on a small piece of wallboard or something similar to your walls as a trial. That way, you can not only practice your technique, but you can also make sure it is exactly what you want before making the commitment and painting a whole wall or two.

(I just saw that in-the-poche has suggested much the same thing.)

Also, never underestimate the usefulness of venetian plaster in making faux finishes. That stuff is amazing and with a matte finish on it, it can definitely look like concrete. So can mastic. The trick is to play around with it and keep it as smooth as possible but also as matte as possible when you finish it.

Good luck, this seems like a fun project regardless of how you do it.

I have tried the Ralph Lauren textured paints and the work fantastic. I think it could be done correctly with textured paint. I painted my living room with suede RL paint. It took a while to get down the correct application but it looks awesome.

cheers

Have a look at fibre cement boards (or is it called "fibrated concrete"?). Eternit makes them, and they are not as heavy as real cement. Friends of ours have one as a kitchen surface, and it lookes just like concrete.

You could also try venetian plaster in gray shades. I remember watching my mom do it first time in our hallway, and it turned out great. She went for the Tuscan effect (orange/yellow/muddy application), but picking industrial colors and going for smooth, wet concrete look should give great results.

I agree on practicing before, tho. I did a faux treatment of my bathroom walls and I'm really happy I practiced... behind the kitchen range first! ;)

A couple years ago I saw something that could probably do a good job imitating concrete: painted LDF panels. I thought it was some kind of rough-structured stone until I touched it. LDF is lighter than concrete panels, and could add a bit of thermal and accoustic insulation to your walls. OTOH, painting it yourself to produce good results may be difficult.

Consider fiber cement board. It's light, inexpensive, and in the interior design world we swap them out for real concrete all the time due to weight and structural issues. The Lowe's, Home Depot, etc... typically carry it. Regular cement board could be too heavy for the application, and is likely to damage the wall you are affixing it to.

Good luck!

Thanks guys. After very long considerations I think I am going to try both the boards for a panel-based look and painting on a piece of scrap.

I'll go with whatever feels and looks the best. And I'll make sure you get to see the result!

Thanks a lot for all the amazing tips and suggestions again.

I found an interesting way of going about this - although this would be a post too late for the original poster - may be of use to others - check out this link of a Norwegian Wallpaper manufacturing company http://concretewall.no/ I havent tried them yet but plan on doing so pretty soon

Most definitely you can get a finish like this with a rougher lime plaster, such as Intonachino. It is a specialty stucco-type decorative finish that can either we polished or left textured, in this case a combination of both in order to get this particular finish.

We have a top of similar inspirations on our Pinterest https://pinterest.com/modernplasters/modern-plaster-settings.

mix cement, bonding liquid till you get fine slush consistency, sift it and apply on your walls with block brush,once dry seall your walls with acrylic brick-seall
enjoy...