Faux Cement and Moss Painted Garden Gnomes

Do you have any yard ornaments or garden objects that need an update?

We’ve had these two garden gnomes for years.  And while they’re cute and whimsy with their bright colors, they were just out of place in the new yard. I recently saw a video on garden object transformation using Plaid FolkArt Dimensions Moss Effect.

I rushed to the store to buy some that weekend!

It’s a new faux paint product, and as a big fan of faux, I was very excited to try it. These paints can be used for both indoor and outdoor projects, and they work on most hard surfaces. They also have a faux cement paint and several other finishes.

For this project, I used a different faux cement technique with chalk paint.

Faux cement and moss painted garden gnomes

First, I cleaned and scrubbed the gnomes to get the best adhesion.  One of them was cement, the other was resin, by the way.

Make garden objects look like cement.

I applied 2 coats of a cement colored chalk paint, allowing for dry time in between coats.  I used Waverly brand in color Mineral.

I sprayed the painted gnomes with several light coats of clear sealer. I used Rustoleum 2X Clear Coat in matte finish, which is durable enough for outdoor use.

Fake moss paint in 2 steps

The Dimensions Moss Effect paint comes in a light and dark shade.  The directions recommend using both as a 2 stage process.

The faux mossing started with the light shade.

Then I added the darker shade, and too much of it. I was initially going for that full moss coverage look.  You make have seen that look out there in webland… anyway, I decided that I wanted more contrast.

So, I let it all dry, then I want back and dabbed on a bunch more of the lighter shade.

Close-up you can see the dimension or texture effect from the paint.

Less is more. Unless…

These gnomes look a little more mossy in the pictures than they actually look in person. Nevertheless, you can use as much or as little of the paint effect as you want.

Be conservative with the paint at first.  You can always add more unless you are going for a full moss coverage look.

Now these gnomes look more cohesive with the look I am going for.  I love that this paint can be used both indoors and outdoors.  It’s a great product for giving an aged or weathered look to garden objects, yard ornaments, rustic outdoor furniture and more.

~ Amy