apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone know of a way to achieve this effect with paint? This is the look I've been going for with one of the walls in my studio/loft.

It's not an easy effect to achieve for an amateur. I would look for a decorative painter who is good at faux marble/stone finishes.

i'm actually an artist, not an amateur by any means but not an expert either. I was interested in the type of paint that would be used to achieve this effect on a wall as I'm unfamiliar with wall paints or if there is any kind of kit. If someone can point me in the right direction that would be fantastic.

Somehow replicating the look of rammed earth with paint misses the wonderful point(s) Regina has made. I think the walls, interior and exterior, are gorgeous, the virtues of the material amazing, and the sense of it all quite refreshing. I'm so glad this was posted today - it gives one hope.

this is just so beautiful. i love that it's natural and at such a grand scale.

I have a friend who made a rammed earth home with the help of friends, very simple and beautiful, and it stays cool in the Arizona summer thanks to its thick walls. Like adobe, it's both economical and lovely.

i am super impressed. that's beautiful!

"But would you believe you can also use the material in bathrooms? "

No, You can't.

The bathrooms (and other rooms on the site) are the interiors of the homes that are made with walls of rammed earth, which is not just a material, but an entire system of building. These walls are often 12" or more thick, massively dense and are created in place. The finishes you see are the wall itself - not something that you have delivered and stick on your house like sheetrock, tilework or brick on a wood-framed house. The abalone shells, "Fossils" and color variations are created when the wall is made - not afterthoughts applied like paint or wallpaper.

To answer writous' question, there are companies that specialize in paints that use clay for their colors - www.greenplanetpaints.com is one of them - perhaps that's what you're looking for?

I love the look of this but it seems like you would have to build a house from rammed earth in order to get the full benefit and affect. I like that it then make each room and house unique.

I don't know of a kit to replicate this but HGTV probably has something comparable for a how to, or you could check your hardware store in the paint section they would have any/all specialty kits.

N.

I'm not saying this stuff isn't "green," but it is made with 10% cement.

... how is cement not "green?" It's rocks/minerals. It's about as natural as you get.

Anywho. The pics are lovely, but that second one with the fish looks a bit dungeony. Not sure I would be able to face that twice a day while brushing my teeth!

The cement industry is one of the most environmentally un-friendly industries there is. The mixture needs to be heated to be made and the easiest way to heat it is by using mass amounts of coal.