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A Touch of Class
Applying a stunning decorative finish in a dining room

Dining room completed.

Rik Lazenby recounts working on his TOP JOB project:

In mid-February of 2022, I received a call from a previous client asking if we could come to her home and make suggestions for upgrading her dining area. Jennifer and I remembered it as being very “Old World” and dark. We began planning for a total transformation with the goal of bringing new life and light to the room. We researched possibilities and searched for new materials to incorporate into the project, and we finally landed on a natural mica material that we had seen several years ago at an IDAL convention in San Diego, California.

When we met with our client, we already had a plan and sample boards for ceiling finishes, wall finishes, trim color, and the fireplace surround. Our mantra was light-light-light! Our vision was to change the dark, heavy, ornate ceiling to a champagne metallic. We proposed using sheets of natural pearl mica on the walls, but we could not show her examples of mica on wall areas; we couldn’t find any photos of it being used on walls anywhere in the United States! Finally we showed her some photos of it being used on ceilings and in domes and provided her with a 24" x 24" mica sample board to live with for a few days. We also proposed

Rik Lazenby working on the ceiling.

changing the gloss white trim to a softer decorator white trim with a satin sheen, and we suggested changing the dark fireplace surround to a distressed white.

The next week ,we received the goahead to begin the project. The first order of business was to contact Diane Corso, owner of Mica Revolution to order the pearl mica. Diane was so helpful in taking care of the order, handling the delivery and making suggestions for the installation.

Once the material arrived, we masked the areas needing protection, and we covered furniture and floor areas with plastic and tarps. We always practice leaving the job site clean and neat at the end of the day, along with removing any safety hazards. After the prep, we primed the wall and trim areas, then we began applying the sheets of mica to the walls using heavy-duty wallpaper paste. After the first day, Jennifer continued the mica installation, while I began work on the ceiling. We used Modern Masters Metallic Champagne as a first coat, then drybrushed highlights over it using Modern Masters Pearl White

After completing the walls and ceiling, we painted the trim with Benjamin Moore Advance tinted to Swiss Coffee. The fireplace surround received a Faux Effects crackle base to add texture, followed by two coats of Modern Masters

Metallic Pearl White. The project was completed in two weeks, and the owner was so pleased with the outcome — it certainly added a touch of class! APC

Key Products

• Natural Mica
• Modern Masters Metallic Paint
• Faux Effects
• Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3
• Benjamin Moore Advance