There are 2 brands I have available to me in Canada:
- Rustoleum Accents Stone Spray
- Krylon Make It Stone!
Note: Names and pictures on the can of these products vary based on country
I purchased mine at Home Depot, but I've seen it at many other hardware stores and even arts and crafts stores, such as Michaels, Desseres, etc. Its also readily available online.
Having now taken the time to look at the cans, it was Rustoleum I used on my laminate counter top and my work station counter, not Krylon. Maybe this was why I was annoyed with Krylon.
Different Paints and Textures
 |
| Rustoleum Light Beige Stone - Over primed white laminate - Photographed with flash |
 |
| Rustoleum Light Beige Stone - Over primed white laminate - Photographed without flash |
 |
| Rustoleum Black Granite Stone - Over primed grey pine - Photographed with flash |
 | |
|
 |
| Krylon Make It Stone! Spray - Over primed white pine - Photographed without flash |
Texture And Application
The paint itself is fibrous. Each grain of texture it spits out is a different colour. It's hard to describe, so do a test spot and touch it. It's weird! Krylon has larger fibres then Rustoleum.
With any stone spray you should base coat your surface with a similar colour to your stone spray. The spray itself is fibrous, meaning, it will build up in one spray and could look like a wool coat on any mini surface. Light coats, maximum 2 coats should be your aim. If you linger in one spot when spraying, you will likely get a glob of goo (build up) so beware.
Having used the medium tone stone on the half scale porch, a black granite on my work station counter, and a light sand colour on my counter top, I have to say the lighter the colour the more realistic the stone effect.
Tape off or cover any surface that you don't want covered, and remove the cover quickly after you finish. When I pulled away the paper I used to shield the house from the painted porch, I removed some porch paint. Oops. Don't do touch ups then! You will mess up the fibers and it will look like a bigger mistake. Come back after its dry and re spray.
If it looks bad when you finish, just wipe it off when it's still wet. It comes off easily at that point.
I sealed mine for safety sake, but the finish is a satin to semi gloss straight out of the can.
Take Away Points
- It's a challenging paint to use in small scale, but the lighter the colour of stone you choose, the better it looks in 1:12 scale
- Do a practice run with the paint!!!
- Spray thin coats
- Don't touch it when wet or it will look like mush
- Prime the surface with a close colour to the stone before you spray
- If you're really good with painting stone by hand with acrylics, it will save you time and heartache (but that's just me)
