how to do the signature Leanne Ford concrete wall finish

Hi guys! I’ve been working on this post for a week making sure I covered everything! I don’t say this lightly: i am a Leanne Ford textured wall expert now. If you saw the process on my insta stories (bath reno highlight) you know there was a lot of trial and error. It took weeks when it could have taken 2 days. I completely started over after I had already finished half of the bathroom. At the time it sucked but i’m glad it all happened because I feel like now I can help with many problems some of you might face. Read all of my tips and tricks and know that you can absolutely do this! I walked so you could fly.

supplies

IMG_6869.JPG

prepare the room



There is nothing you can do to prevent the mess this is going to make- but you can make the clean up easier on yourself. Cover the entire floor in a thick plastic sheet like this one and tape it down very well. Remove all outlet covers and switch plates (cover any exposed electrical with painters tape). Remove light fixtures, mirrors- anything you don’t want to get messy. Wrap faucets and toilets in plastic and tape. Like I said, no matter how hard you try this stuff is going to get everywhere. Once you get going you’ll be glad everything is covered and ready.

This was a mistake I made. I applied the concrete directly onto the red surface and ended up focusing more on getting the red covered, rather than the pretty texture. You can see here it’s too thick and clumpy.

This was a mistake I made. I applied the concrete directly onto the red surface and ended up focusing more on getting the red covered, rather than the pretty texture. You can see here it’s too thick and clumpy.



prepare yourself and the rest of your home




Wear rubber gloves and clothing that covers your entire body. The clothes are likely going to get ruined… sorry. The wall is worth it though. I spent weeks doing this and the best method I found to minimize the mess around the house is by wearing socks. The concrete is going to get all over your feet. You don’t want to ruin shoes, so wear socks that you’re ok throwing away. Put a large sheet of plastic outside of the room you’re doing to act as a “drop zone”. If you need to leave the room, take the socks off and keep them on the plastic sheet. Keep other things you might need (like water or your phone) on the plastic sheet as well. This all might sound a little dramatic but you’ll thank me when you don’t have dried up concrete sand everywhere.




prepare the surface




Make sure the surface you’re about to cover is clean and a similar color to the cement. I first applied my white cement over a red shower and it was a huge mistake. It was really difficult because I was putting the concrete on too thick to cover up the color. Once I started over and primed the surface white it was a breeze because I was just laying on a smooth, light texture without focusing on actually covering something up. I’ve seen this done over tile, but haven’t done it myself. I would recommend priming over the tile with Kilz primer to get the color similar and make the surface more tacky. I would plan on doing two full coats to cover tile, letting the first coat dry 24 hours before applying the second.




lets do this




Start by dumping half of the concrete mix and half of the white colored powder in the bucket. Add one quart of water and start mixing, adding in the rest of the concrete and color slowly. I used about 4 quarts at first, and added more a few hours later. The consistency should be like pancake batter.
Scoop up the mix with the large plastic drywall knife. I pulled directly from a bucket the whole time, but Leanne Ford recommends dumping some of the mixture into a rectangular paint tray and scooping from there. Start from the bottom of the wall and press hard while moving up and fanning out. Play around a little with pressure and see what looks best

Keep the drill and mixer with you. Every once in a while, mix for a minute. If the mixture starts to get difficult to apply- whether its getting too clumpy or sticking to itself, add more water and mix for 2 minutes. Keep in mind, adding more water will slightly slightlyyyy darken the mixture. Every once in a while do a couple swipes over a random section you’ve already done to get a cool color and texture variation. The more unique and organic looking, the better! Don’t worry about weird chunks, when it’s all dry you can just break them off with a drywall knife or flathead screwdriver.




trust me i’m an expert at this sh*t now


This is gonna sound unpleasant but trust me: the first pat you want to do is the top 8-12 inches of the entire room. Starting from the floor and going up is the best method, but once you hit ceiling you need to do some crazy sideways maneuvers and SOOO much of the concrete falls out and makes a huge mess all over the pretty walls you’ve just spent hours smoothing out.  After the top section is done, spread around any of the drippings that have fallen on the wall and do a few random 1x1 foot sized swatches around the room. This is going to be the whitest your cement is going to be so spread it around quickly before it dries. 

IMG_6852.JPG



after + cleaning




After 24 hours, seal the cement with Thompsons water sealer- apply it exactly like paint. One coat is enough. Make sure to use a roller with absolutely no fibers, like this latex roller.




As for how I clean the concrete walls: so far, I’ve cleaned the wall in the shower just by spraying it with water. Any kind of rag will get caught in this texture, but you can apply a little CLEAR dish soap on a dish brush or toothbrush and use that to scrub anything you see on the surface. 


If i can do it, you can do it! If you can get one or two helpers it will go much faster! Good luck! DM me with any questions!

Farah Pro