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Reflective Checkerboard

DEBBIE HAYES

This finish was created for the powder room in an artist’s home. She works in brightly colored fused glass and pure silver. We designed the powder room walls to complement the brilliant hues of the paintings hanging just outside in the hallway. The highly reflective silver foil overlaid with a dark neutral brown, juxtaposed with the almost electric turquoise-colored ceiling, generates a graduated reflection that looks almost like a mirage. Whatever ceiling color you choose will be reflected in the silver foil squares.

MATERIALS

“Turquoise” flat latex paint (Sherwin-Williams), or a color of your choice for the ceiling

SetCoat: Dark Brown and Metallic Bronze

Satin Durasheen

Silver Metallic Foil

Wunda Size

Several wide foam brushes

2-inch (51mm) low-tack tape

Robert Rubber

Chalk box and chalk

Terrycloth towels

Level

Sharpie marker

Calculator and paper

Whizz Rollers

Polystyrene or stiff cardboard

PRO TIPS

1. SetCoat Mixture for Squares
Mix one part Dark Brown SetCoat to one part Metallic Bronze SetCoat for the brown squares. One total quart (.95 liter) will be enough for an average size room.

2. How Much Silver Foil is Needed?
The silver foil comes in roll sizes of 1 foot x 100 feet (30.5cm x 30.5m), 2 feet x 100 feet (61cm x 30.5m) and 2 feet x 200 feet (61cm x 61m). Using the 2-foot (61cm) wide rolls will make the work go faster. Measure the entire wall space to determine how many rolls you need.

3. This is a Distressed Finish
When filling in the template with the Setcoat mix, avoid perfection. If you tape the template in a couple of spots, just hold it tight with one hand and paint three or four strokes from top to bottom with the foam brush and move on. Don’t use a spray adhesive. Have a damp rag handy to repair a goof if needed.

4. Perfect Over Wallpaper
To prepare a wallpapered surface, peel off any loose pieces then prime with two coats of oil-based primer, tinted brown to get closer to the SetCoat color. Let dry overnight.

STEP 1: Tape off the ceiling and baseboards with low-tack painter’s tape. Completely cover the floor and any other objects in the room with plastic. Roll the ceiling with two coats or more of the Turquoise paint (or a color of your choice) to ensure solid coverage. Roll the walls with two coats of Dark Brown SetCoat. Let dry overnight.

Carefully read the application directions that come with the Wunda Size. Then roll on one coat of the size. Let it tack up according to the instructions, about 15 to 30 minutes. The size will stay tacky for 4 to 6 hours. While waiting for the size to set up, unroll the foil and cut into lengths a few inches longer than the height of the wall. Cut enough for the entire project. Loosely roll each piece with the shiny side out and secure with a piece of tape.

STEP 2: Once the size is set up, move your ladder into the corner where you want to begin. Making sure the shiny side of the foil is facing you, position the top edge of the foil against the top of the wall and into the corner and gently unroll a foot or so, smoothing it down with the palm of your hand. Continue unrolling and smoothing until you reach the bottom of the wall. Go back to the top and, with the Robert Rubber, scrub the foil hard so the clear backing pulls away. Pull the backing away, scrub some more, and roll down in sections until complete. Start again back at the top, overlapping just slightly. Continue until each roll is installed. Let dry completely. Roll one coat of Satin Durasheen over the entire surface of the walls to eliminate the tack as it will never totally dry. Let dry overnight.

STEP 3: Examine the scale of the room and decide what size squares you want to use for the checkerboard design. The ones in the photograph are 9 inches. Plan to go around the room and from ceiling to floor with no wrap-around at the corners or partial squares. (Some math and slight adjustments here and there are required!) Double-check your calculations to be sure you don’t have two of the same color squares next to each other. With an assistant, go around the room horizontally and vertically and mark your grid. Snap chalk lines. Use your level often to check that your lines are level and plumb.

STEP 4: Make two sets of template guides like those shown in the photo. Use polystyrene or cardboard. They need to be 90° angles, about an inch longer than the size square you want, and about two inches wide. Tape them together as shown, so the opening is the exact size of your square. You will take them apart and cut them shorter to use individually at the ceiling, baseboards and corners.

Beginning at the top of any wall, choose a square and tape the template directly over it. With one hand, hold the template tight to the wall. Dip your foam brush into the Setcoat mixture (see Pro Tip #1) and drag the color through the opening in a few strokes. Work quickly. Do not overwork or try to fill in perfectly. Some imperfection is desirable. Select every other square and continue until complete.

FINISH: If you like the distressed finish on the squares as shown at the beginning of this project in the powder bathroom, use a stiff brush or terrycloth to remove some of the foil to reveal the paint color underneath.