Decorate a precast wall

Make a stylish feature of the vibracrete wall between you and your neighbour with a lick of paint and a template.

Here’s how...

1 Preparation is the key to success when painting a vibracrete wall. Clean the wall with a wire brush to remove any dirt, grime or loose residue. Alternatively, you can use a high-pressure hose but be sure to let the wall dry overnight.

2 Prime the wall with a coat of Dulux Trade Alkali Resistant Plaster Primer and allow it to dry for 18 hours.

3 Once the primer has dried, apply two coats of Wallguard Night Jewels 3, with four to six hours drying time between coats. 4 Print the leaf template on 160gsm card and cut it out with a craft knife; use the negative part of the template to trace your pattern as it’ll be easier to space the leaves and place them at the same angle this way.

5 Measure 35cm in from the pillars of the wall; this is the centre point of your stems. Now measure 2.5cm on either side of this mark. Use the spirit level and chalk to draw the stems on the marks.

6 Position the template so that the short edge is flush with the stem, secure it in place with masking tape and trace the leaf pattern with chalk.

7 Once you’ve traced the pattern over the entire wall, use the artist’s brushes to paint the lines with Wallguard Steel Grey 4. Randomly select leaves to paint solid; you’ll need two coats on the solid leaves but a single coat should be sufficient for the line drawings.