Rust-Oleum 7994830 Stone Creations Spray, 12 oz, Sienna Stone ~ $12.99
So perhaps an unusual application but I'm using this on the under side of an aquarium bottom. Bare bottom tank, nice sand look. Just in case I'm not explaining that clearly, tank empty and upside down I tape off and spray just the *outside* surface of the bottom glass. So when it's set back up I have the look of real sand on the bottom but easy to clean bare glass facing the water. I'm not spraying inside the tank where the water goes. And I haven't had it long so can't speak to longevity but after some longer than expected drying time it seems to adhere to the glass very well. From the glass side, looking from inside the tank, it has a bit finer, and obviously smoother, texture, but still conveys texture and 100% looks awesome and very much like real sand.
The only caveats, and not really problems per say as it's just a different kind of paint, is this stuff goes on a bit strange and has long drying times. So if you plan for that the results are worth the extra patience. The first oddity I noticed is the between coat times and consequences of doing the next coat too soon. I initially did 15 minutes till the 2nd coat, 30 minutes for the 3rd. Both way too soon. And this was outside in the sun on a 70 F day with around 50% humidity, not ideal but not horrible.
And the strangeness part is if the previous coat isn't tacky yet the next coat will actually push it around. I had a unique perspective applying to glass so I could take a peek from the back at the thin spots. After the 1st coat there were still mottled areas you could see through the glass. I figured no problem, it's a textured paint and should fill in on the following coats. But the 1st coat not being tacky enough the air movement from spraying the 2nd coat kind of pushed the textured bits around and ended up with the same amount of thin spots but thicker textured spots. And after noticing this I also tried moving my spray distance quite far... and I wasn't spraying too close to begin with, maybe 16 ~ 18". The wind of the spray pushed the paint and texture out of the bare spots you're hoping to fill in and the textured bits attracted together, maybe aided by the wateriness of the non-textured parts of paint which also seems a bit more translucent than standard paint, I guess so you can see the multiple colors better and give it some depth, maybe some kind of hydrogen bonding type effect of the textured bits.
And after 3 medium coats done in such a way It wasn't even slightly dry to the touch until late the next morning. Granted I started in the afternoon so not quite a full 24 hours. But that's for just starting to get dry to the touch, not even close to really dry or cured. And still looks absolutely beautiful already, just like the cap only with a bit more dense black and white bits which IMHO looks even nicer than the cap giving it a bit finer texture. If it wasn't on glass you could easily figure it was done by how good it looks. It just needs another good coat or two to fill in the translucency a bit, and I'd say even it out in overall thickness for strength. And God knows how long for final actual drying which is gonna drive me crazy as I'm super excited to get this tank set up but the result is worth it.
It looks absolutely beautiful though and I already achieved the desired effect of realistic sand on my aquarium bottom while keeping the low maintenance of bare glass.
TLDR:
So I guess lesson learned is if you want to get more effective coverage using probably much less paint, and probably get a physically smoother more even finish with the same textured look, wait longer between coats, I'd say at least a few hours, because if you don't the previous coat and the one you're applying will kind of gather thicker textured spots and not fill in the low spots. You need it at least getting tacky. And touching it while it's still watery will make a bald spot which will be a nuisance to fill in due to everything I explained above, so best to test for tackiness on a taped or unseen spot.
EDIT ~ ADDENDUM
Once you have a decent base coat down and dry, or at least significantly tacky, where it won't be pushed around by the air of spraying as noted above, you can lay it on thicker than normal paint and make more of you're waiting/drying times.
| Brand | Rust-Oleum |
|---|---|
| Color | Granite Stone |
| Finish Type | Matte |
| Size | 12 Ounce (Pack of 1) |
| Item Volume | 12 |
| Special Feature | Glow |
| Unit Count | 12.0 Ounce |
| Paint Type | Spray |
| Specific Uses For Product | Interior/Exterior |
| Surface Recommendation | Ceramic,Metal,Stone,Wood |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Outdoor, Indoor |
| Item Form | Liquid |
| Included Components | Rust-Oleum 238323 Stone Creations Spray, 12 oz, Granite Stone |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Model Name | Rust-Oleum 238323 Stone Creations Spray, 12 oz, Granite Stone |
| Package Information | Bottle |
| Color Code | 000000 |
| Coverage | see package |
| Manufacturer | Rust-Oleum |
| Part Number | 238323 |
| Item Weight | 12 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 5 x 3 x 5 inches |
| Item model number | 238323 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Finish | Matte |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Special Features | Glow |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
