Adding columns to your home decor can bring a touch of elegance or whimsy, depending on how you address them. If the columns you wish to add are not meant to be load bearing, you can make them yourself out of carpet rolls. Just cover the rolls in muslin, and paint them with a faux-marble look to complete the effect. With some architectural and artistic ability, you could turn these disposable cardboard tubes into beautiful design elements. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Building the Columns
1. Decide the height of your columns. Measure from the floor to the ceiling where you plan to put your columns. If you plan to use a capital (top) and base, subtract the height of these from your measurement to get the height of your actual column.
2. Cut your carpet rolls to length.
3. Fill any spiral seams in the carpet rolls with spackle. Use the putty knife to remove excess spackle so you won't need to sand.
4. Thin your white glue a little so it is the consistency of paint, and brush it onto the surface of your carpet roll.
5. Cover the carpet rolls in muslin, and wipe with a wet rag to draw the glue mixture through.
6. Fray about an inch of each long edge of the muslin running vertically up your column. Brush more white glue over this frayed seam, and wipe lightly with a wet rag.
Painting the Columns
7. Apply a base coat of paint in a light color.
8. Using three or more different colors, munge blobs of color up and down your column. Munging is a painting technique where you apply the paint by poking the surface with the brush instead of using a stroking method.
9. Using a dry brush, sweep across these blobs of color to blend them. You should be achieving a soft, cloudy effect.
10. Using a medium-dark color, add wide veins in and around the blobs of color.
11. Using a thin brush and a dark color, brush in thin veins in the centers of your thicker veins.
12. When you're satisfied with your marble effect, brush the entire column in a glossy water-based polyurethane.
13. Paint your capitals and bases to match.
Tags: blobs color, carpet rolls, carpet rolls, color Using, height your, rolls muslin