By Katherine Salant
Fifteenth century Flemish portrait painters pioneered the use of glazes to create depth from a flat surface. The glazing technique, accomplished by layering many very thin coats of paint, also radically increased the painters' ability to vary color tones from the ethereally light to a rich, velvety dark.In 1991, American Kim Gordon developed a method for coloring interior floors that uses the easel painters' glazing technique. It's perfectly suited for creating a "gently worn European interior," typical of French and Italian country houses in which floors invariably show water damage here and there, as well as the color variation that comes with age.
Even if you just want to create a different look in one room such as a master bathroom, or put some pizzazz in your foyer, Gordon's flooring technique is worth considering.
Besides the Old World European look, Gordon has developed other interior "looks" that mimic more recent developments in easel painting as well current popular tastes. She can add depth and richness to a flat surface as the Flemish painters did, but she can also create a flat design in bold color more reminiscent of Matisse, or for those fans with undying loyalty to the home team or their alma mater, an insignia.
Working out of her studio in Venice, Calif., Gordon has neither franchised her technique to other artisans, nor offered it as an off the shelf package. But she is willing to give a detailed explanation of how to do it yourself. And, as proof that anyone can do this, Gordon herself has no artistic background - all of her family members are scientists, she said.
Another reason to trust your skills is that "imperfections will make a floor look real. In a box of slate floor tiles, all the slates are a little different, a little bit messed up," Gordon said. It also helps to have an adventurous mindset because "you won't know precisely what it will look like until it's finished," she added.
If you still lack confidence or time, Gordon suggests hiring a faux finisher to do the work, as experimentation is the essence of their craft. Achieving a certain look that often exists only in the mind of the client requires patience and a willingness to experiment with many different materials, surfaces and techniques, explained Gordon, a faux finisher herself.
The best floor surface to work on is concrete, but only after it has cured for at least 28 days, Gordon said. Her technique can also be applied over a tile floor, as, for example, your builder's standard 4 by 4-inch ceramic bathroom floor tiles that you had to get because you exhausted your upgrade budget on your new house.
Step by Step Floor Glazing
Start by mixing up Ardex Feather Finish leveling compound (available from home centers). For a 10 by 10-foot room, you'll need about three bags of the Ardex material. Then trowel it onto your floor to a depth of about 1/4-inch. The Feather Finish comes in two colors: white and gray. Though more expensive, the white is a better ground for adding the glazes, Gordon said.
Since the texture that you create with the trowel will be the final surface of your floor, experimenting first is advisable, Gordon said. She suggested creating a trial surface using a 3 by 5-foot sheet of hardibacker board, the cementitious material installed under tile walls in bathrooms. Because ambient light can drastically affect the appearance of the floor, Gordon recommends working on your trial piece in the same room where you plan to put the new floor. If you find you're getting a surface that is too textured or amateur looking, try smoothing it down with 100 grit sandpaper, but be careful to vacuum up the dust afterwards, she cautioned.
Once you are satisfied with your troweling technique, apply the Ardex to your floor and let it dry. This usually takes about 6 hours.
To make your floor appear tiled, you can add grout lines. For beginners, Gordon recommends laying a larger 18 by 18-inch tile grid with carpenter's chalk lines. Then, always to the right or the left of the line, apply 1/4-inch drafting tape, pressing hard to get good adhesion. Trowel lightly over the tape, leaving a small tail at the end of each strip, so you can locate the tape and remove it after the second coat has partially dried (about 30 minutes to an hour). The pseudo grout lines will be slightly jagged, but this adds to the overall, natural imperfection you're trying to achieve, she said.
When all the Ardex is thoroughly dried, the color will be uniform. Then you're ready to begin applying the glazes.
First, mix up a gallon of solution that is 70 percent water and 30 percent water-based varnish (Gordon suggests Breakthrough, made by the Vanex Corporation in Mt. Vernon, Ill., (800) 851-7390). To this, add only 3 to 6 drops of universal tinting color in the color of your choice. You can get this tinting solution at a commercial paint store. Brush on the solution quickly, using as large a brush as you can find (Gordon uses a Chinese bristle brush that is six inches wide). Manipulate the glaze with a large sea sponge, which has no straight edges. When the glaze is dry to the touch, usually in about 1 or 2 hours, add the next coat.
To create a more varied color surface, Gordon suggests painting your "tiles" in random order. To get a deeper, richer look may take as many as eight coats of glaze. To create a surface that appears to be "aging gracefully," Gordon would add 2 or 3 drops of raw umber to the glazing solution for the last 2 to 3 coats.
After you have finished applying the glazes, apply two coats full strength of the same water-based varnish used for the glazing solution, using a 1/4-inch nap roller. Wear a respirator mask and make sure that the room is properly ventilated while you apply the sealer. If you are going to do a bathroom floor, Gordon recommends 3 to 4 coats of the Breakthrough sealer and as well as caulking compound for the edges of the tub.
If you want bold patterns or your own version of a Persian carpet, sand the dried Ardex surface. To get a good paint surface, apply one coat of the same 70-30 clear glazing solution. Then paint on your carpet, using any brand of water-based flat paint. After it's dry, add two final sealer coats, exactly as you would with the glazes.
Applying an insignia is identical in process to creating the pseudo carpet, but it requires more precision. Gordon suggests trying it only after you have successfully done the other two.
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