HOW TO APPLY ARTISAN RUST EFFECT
Create an industrial look with the Craig & Rose Artisan Rust Effect system. Perfect for feature walls, garden ornaments and home accessories.
Dec '19
The look is perfect for indoor or outdoor feature walls to make a statement but it can also be used on other surfaces such as garden ornaments and home accessories. This is a two-step system using the Rust Effect and the Rust Activator Solution and provides an achievable way to create a stylish industrial feel in any home. Our Rust effect is now conveniently available in a 2.5L tin as well as 125ml, 250ml, and 750ml.
Artisan Rust Effect
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Rust Effect
All Paint Colours
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Rust Activator Solution
All Paint Colours
HOW TO
PRODUCTS YOU WILL NEED
- Craig & Rose Artisan Rust Effect base paint
- Craig & Rose Artisan Rust Effect Activator
- Quality masking tape
- A paint stirrer
- A dust sheet
- Dust mask and goggles
- 2 paint brushes (1 wide, 1 normal)
PREPARATION
- It is advisable to read the entire paint label, prior to starting your project. Surface preparation advice is provided on the labels.
- The surface you are painting must be clean, dry and free from dust, oils, and grease.
- Mask off the area with painter’s tape – ensuring you protect the areas where you don’t want any paint.
- Practice your application technique on a spare piece of board.
- Stir the paint well with a paint stirrer using an up and down, scooping action. Scrape the bottom of the can to ensure the particles are evenly distributed.
- Pour the paint into a separate tub.
APPLICATION
- Brush around the edges of the wall.
- Apply the first two generous coats of Craig & Rose Artisan Rust Effect with a wide brush.
- Rust effect works best when applied in random brush strokes.
- Allow the first coat to dry and then apply a second coat of Rust Effect using the same method.
- Let the surface dry for 12 hours.
- The next step is to apply the Rust Activator Solution. Wear a mask and goggles for this stage.
- Pour the Rust Activator Solution into a separate tub.
- Using a brush, apply 2 coats of Craig & Rose Artisan Rust Activator over the dry Rust Effect.
- The effect will begin to develop immediately and will continue developing.
- If you wish, you can seal the surface to ensure no residue comes away from the wall by using Craig and Rose Furniture and Effect Wax.
HANDY TIPS
- Ensure that you apply two generous coats of the Rust Effect paint before you apply the Activator.
- Do not roll or spray, use a brush for this effect.
- On exterior surfaces, the rust effect will continue to develop over time.
- Please note that if you chose to use a wax to seal the wall after application, this will change the finished effect.
CLEANING UP AND CARING FOR YOUR EFFECT
- On exterior surfaces the rust effect will continue to develop over time.
- Rust residue may rub off when touched.
- Rust run-off may stain adjacent surfaces. To avoid rub-off and run-off, apply a clear sealer. Note that a clear coat will change the appearance of the rust effect.
- Clean brushes and equipment with warm soapy water.
WATCH THE 'HOW TO' VIDEO HERE How to create a DIY rust effect wall | Craig & Rose paint | Homebase
Artisan Rust Effect
Artisan Rust Activator Solution
There is a particular kind of joy in taking a room you see every day and making it feel entirely new. It is a feeling that sits at the heart of our Colour Forecast 2026, and one we wanted to explore through a real transformation.
For this bathroom project, we partnered with Matt Hatt, whose playful, hands-on approach captures the pleasure of decorating from first idea to final reveal. Known for his theatrical touch and his instinct for pairings that are daring yet considered, Matt brings real warmth and personality to everything he touches.
His brief was one many will recognise: to bring personality and cohesion to a main bathroom that, while structurally sound with its subway tiles, black grout and classic fittings, felt out of step with the rest of his Victorian home. The space called for a palette that could honour its period character while introducing something confident and true to himself.
From the four curated palettes within Colour Forecast 2026, Matt was drawn to Timeless, a collection that pairs the elegance of heritage tones with the boldness to reinvent a room, grounded throughout by warm, enveloping neutrals
A Lifelong Love of Transformation
Ever since I was young I've enjoyed transforming the environment around me. I was one of those kids that would go up to my room, and spend all day, on my own, listening to music trying out new combinations before inviting my mum in for a 'Changing Room' style reveal. Always had a flair for the dramatics.
That feeling of making something you see everyday feel completely new has stayed with me, through the many flats I've rented over the years, to my first home that I bought 3 years ago with my boyfriend. Playing with colour and pattern and leaning into the joy of decorating.
Expert Knowledge, Distilled
As a self-taught interior 'creator', I'm always looking for tricks or expert knowledge that I can use in my transformations. Craig and Rose's Colour Forecast is just that, the brand's expert knowledge distilled down into 4 feelings you want and need your room to be in 2026.
The Room That Needed Warmth
Our main bathroom had been on my to do list for a while, the core of it was good, subway style tiles with black grout, a giant fitted bathroom cupboard, a classic white sink, but it lacked warmth, felt out of kilter with the rest of the house.
Why Timeless Stood Out
The Timeless immediately stood out, as they felt to me like they combined the elegance of colours that would suit my Victorian home with the boldness to create a whole new look, and the warmth through the neutrals I was craving.
Knowing that Craig and Rose had done all the hard work for me, and that any combination of beautiful colours from the palette would work helped me to be so decisive when choosing my colours.
Making It My Own
It left me more time to add some creativity into application, and use of colour. Paint is a hugely powerful way to change a space entirely, and by using some decorating tape and following the steps of the useful guide on painting the perfect stripes I now have the bathroom my Victorian home deserves. (Painting Perfect Stripes: A Step-by-Step Guide by Craig & Rose) I have achieved a real stand out space that makes me smile everyday. I adore the warmth of Mallord on the walls and ceiling, Papyrus and Oriental Red on the bath and cabinets, and pops of the energising Smalt on skirtings.
Looking Back
I think 12-year old Matt would be quite chuffed with how far we've come in our transformation skills.
Matt Hatt
The Bathroom a Victorian Home Deserves
With the hard work of colour selection already done, Matt was free to focus on the details that make a space personal, using decorating tape and a steady hand to bring striking painted stripes to life. The result is a bathroom that feels warm, characterful and entirely his own, from the depth of Mallord on the walls and ceiling to the pops of energising Smalt along the skirtings. It is a fitting reminder that, with the right palette to guide the way, a considered transformation can be as enjoyable to create as it is to live with.
His brief was one many will recognise: to bring personality and cohesion to a main bathroom that, while structurally sound with its subway tiles, black grout and classic fittings, felt out of step with the rest of his Victorian home. The space called for a palette that could honour its period character while introducing something confident and true to himself.
From the four curated palettes within Colour Forecast 2026, Matt was drawn to Timeless, a collection that pairs the elegance of heritage tones with the boldness to reinvent a room, grounded throughout by warm, enveloping neutrals
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