Faux Stone Rabbit DIY

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Last week I was at an Estate Sale and I found this ceramic rabbit

I thought he was kind of cute but his ear had been broken and glued back together

and he just wasn’t quite my style (even though he was white!)

so I decided to make him into a faux stone rabbit.

There are so many different products you can use

to create faux stone on ceramic:

there’s plaster of paris,

concrete or cement,

and paint mixed with baking soda,

just to name a few.

But I decided to use thin-set mortar which is used to glue down tile

because it contains cement (which is a type of adhesive) and fine sand,

and I figured it would stick really well to my rabbit.

Plus we already had some in gray

which would give me the look I was going for.

This rabbit had a high gloss ceramic finish so I etched it a little by sanding it with coarse sandpaper

I used 150 - 100 grit sandpaper to scuff up the shiny glazed finish.

Then I mixed the thin-set.

I poured a little bit of water into a disposable container. Then I added thin-set powder a little at a time until I had the consistency of soft brownie batter. (You can also buy pre-mixed thin-set)

It takes about a cup of mixed thin-set for each step.

I kept mixing until I got all the lumps out. To mix thin-set correctly, you mix everything up really well then you need to let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes and then mix it up again for everything to ‘activate’. (Always refer to your label directions.)

Then I used a chip brush to brush the thin-set onto the rabbit.

The first coat doesn’t cover completely but that’s okay. It serves as a ‘scratch coat’. (The next coat will cover completely)

I let this dry completely. (I got impatient so I put a fan on it to speed things up!)

Next I mixed up another batch of thin-set exactly the same as the batch before it.

And I painted on a pretty generous coat. This time it covered the rabbit completely.

As it started setting up, I rubbed it and smoothed it and smooshed it into the cracks and crevices.

Be sure to wear gloves for this step because it’ll really dry your hands out!

Let this coat dry completely - preferably over night. (If you try putting another coat on before it’s dry, it tends to pull all the thin-set off.)

For the third coat, I wanted a little thinner layer so I mixed it to the consistency of thick pancake batter.

Make sure to let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes and mix it again before you use it.

This time when I painted it on, it flowed on nice and smooth.

When it was completely covered and started to set up a little, I manipulated it and smoothed it out even more.

I paid special attention to the face, making sure all the features were still fairly prominent.

Then I let him dry over night.

The next morning, I watered down some Parchment-colored craft paint to wash on my rabbit to give it a little more variation in color.

I made it pretty thin because I just wanted a hint of color. I used an old sock and dipped it on the paint wash, then dabbed it off onto a paper towel, then dabbed it onto the rabbit