Pixie what ??? 

Pixie Texture is a salt based powder that is used to add to everyday latex paints to give the paint thickness, texture, and dimension.  Back in the 1990's Venetian plaster walls were all the rage.  The idea of taking plaster and creating designs dominated the interior design world for nearly 2 decades.  However, many found the products hard to use, expensive, and over time the looks became dated. 

Fast forward to a decade and half into the new millennium where the business of home decor is always being reinvented and we found ourselves asking...how do we take a product of yesterday and make it functional for today? How do we make this product safe to use? and most of all how do we make it fun and affordable to use?  One problem with the products of the previous decades was the materials used to make them, most of which are classified as "highly toxic". Highly toxic is not something that fits with our Pixie Dust Paint Company beliefs in creating products that are safe, natural, non-toxic and maintaining affordability. 

When sitting down with our Creative Director (Maria Revollo) this past summer her instructions for us were to figure out how to make a product that was durable for her infamous kitchen and bedroom makeovers so she could create amazing designs that are unique and again affordable, but first and foremost SAFE!

Our first go around of Pixie Texture was good, it wasn't great but it was good.  One problem we encountered overtime is that our "prototype" didn't dry hard enough, especially for a kitchen/bathroom cabinet application.  So back to the drawing board we came and with adding a little salt additive, Pixie Texture was born and our product is now "Rock Solid", no pun intended!  Pixie Texture contains NO PLASTER OF PARIS, No GROUT, or any other harmful products.  It is also compliant with California Prop 65. 

How do you use Pixie Texture? (Roller Method)

For the most part the mixture is 1 part powder to 1 part paint.  The mixture should have the consistency of brownie batter.  It should not be smooth, and it should have some small lumps and bumps in it, but not too many!

Step One:

Select your project (cabinets, doors, tables, headboards, the options are endless) and pick your paint color (that's the fun part).  You can use any paint you want from a flat to a high gloss, to chalk paints.  Make sure you take note of how thick your paint is to start with.  Mineral based paints, high gloss paints, and those with primer additives tend to be thick to start with.  DO NOT THIN YOUR PAINT WITH WATER. 

Step Two:

Mix your paint and texture powder (Only mix what you need and mix as your go, you will not be able to save your paint mixture as it will dry within a few hours to a hard clumpy mess of paint).  We suggest mixing 1 cup of paint to 1 cup of powder and then working from there.

Step Three:

When you feel that you have the right thickness, apply the brownie batter like paint to your project.  YES paint it on...(Trust me).  For our tutorial I'm just using a plain pine board for the Roller method. 

Step Four:

For this demo I'm using a textured paint roller that can be found all over the internet.  Just google "Texture Paint Roller".  They come in various designs, etc.  Make sure your roller is clean, free of lint, and if your roller gets sticky (sometimes the new ones don't roll right until they are broken in) spray the roller with Pam baking spray to get it moving correctly. Pay attention to the detail on your roller.  Once your project has texture paint on it, roll your design on.  If you mess up, smooth it out with the paint brush and do it again. Texture paint will dry fast in about 20-30 minutes.  

Look how amazing that it?!?!?!?!? Almost life changing!

Step 5:

After your textured design dries you will need to finish it.  You can take some paint (NO TEXTURE) and give it another coat, you could do some blending, or you can add some metallic paint like I did below! The options are endless. 

Step 6:

Do I need to seal the piece?  Yes and no! That all depends on the type of paint you are using.  The higher gloss of paint the less likely you will have to seal.  If you are a wax user, we recommend that you try a polycrylic (water base sealant) to protect your piece. Due to the oil in waxes, the texture is not an ideal application for wax finishes. 

VIDEO:  Here is a step by step video of the entire process! 

 VIDEO: Here is a video of highlighting raised stencil with gilding powder

(courtesy M&B Furniture Decor)