Have you been intrigued by a Roman Clay finish? We’re sharing the details behind our custom range hood and how we DIY-ed Roman Clay for a stone look!
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Where Did You Get Your Range Hood?
Queue the number one question as we shared the renovation progress for our Red House kitchen! The range hood is one of those things that has the potential to be a star player in your renovation, or it could be more subdued and act as the supporting role. In our case, we wanted a blend of the two – something striking, yet refined. While we initially had thoughts of going much more bold with the finish color of our range hood, we’re thrilled with the subtle tone and look of stone that we landed on.
But to answer the question above, our range hood was custom, born from inspiration images and our desire for something that would also showcase the height of the ceilings. Keep reading for the details on how it was created, along with the step-by-step process of how I added a Roman Clay finish!
Follow along with this renovation from the beginning: Welcome to the Red House | First five steps at the Red House | How we’re raising the roof | All about the 14′ double sliding door | First look at the vaulted ceilings | Oak flooring installation | Red House at 1 year | Paneled ceiling reveal | Kitchen mood board | All about the tile backsplash | How much did our kitchen renovation cost? | Kitchen reveal!
Going Custom + Working with Our Contractor
After going through months of bad luck with contractors (years, if you go way back), we can finally say we hit the contractor jackpot with our Red House contractor, Jeremiah, the one we’ve been working closely with on most aspects of the renovation. Not only is he a skilled contractor on the construction side, but he’s also a highly detailed finish craftsman; otherwise known as a unicorn in the renovation world.
While we would have loved to DIY the construction of our range hood, other elements of our project took precedence, so we delegated the task of range hood construction to Jeremiah. I sent him several photos and explained the look I wanted: tall and slim, something to showcase the ceiling height, with thick, rounded corners. This kitchen was a huge inspiration for the shape!
Our contractor, Jeremiah, built the shape out of 3/4″ MDF and used these 3″ radius corners to get those rounded corners. It’s the exact width of our range, and it’s the slimmest depth possible based on our range hood insert.
This is how it looks from the back! You can see that he used pocket holes to attached the radius corners to the MDF. The back was left open to prevent the hood from becoming too heavy. To install, he mounted 2″ x 4″ lumber directly to the wall behind the range hood, and then screwed into the sides of the range hood and through the 2″ x 4″ lumber. This photo was taken before the bottom was constructed.
Below, you can see how the bottom was put together. Our range hood insert sits inside this opening. The photo on the right was primed and then installed on our wall. It was time for me to take over and add the Roman Clay for a beautiful, textured stone look!
How We Got the Roman Clay Finish
Gather Your Tools + Materials
- a pair of putty knives, approximately 3″ and 4″
- 220 grit sanding block
- large sponge (optional, see tutorial below)
- painter’s tape
- Portola Roman Clay in Thumper
- Portola Roman Clay Topcoat
Before We Begin, a Few Things to Note
If you’re new to Roman Clay, please don’t be intimidated! I found it to be a pretty simple process, one that went much more smoothly than I anticipated. That said, there are a few things to note before moving forward:
- Roman Clay is designed to show texture and movement on your walls. It is not intended for outdoor use. If that’s what you’re looking for, consider lime wash instead!
- The lighter the color, the less variation in color you will see. Alternatively, the darker the color, the more variation in color and appearance you will see.
- Whether you are using Roman Clay on an object or on your walls, you will want to prime first with a good stain blocking primer. Portola sells a primer, however, our contractor used Kilz, and that worked great!
- Sealing Roman Clay isn’t necessary, but you will see that we sealed ours due to being directly over a cooking range! Sealing was the easiest part of the process, and I’d recommend it for higher traffic areas or for items that need wipe-ability.
Ready? Let’s get some Roman Clay on this range hood!
1| Apply the First Coat of Roman Clay
I would describe the consistency of Roman Clay as a runny toothpaste. After taping off anything I didn’t want to get clay on, I used my smaller putty knife to scoop a small amount of Portola Roman Clay in the color Thumper from my container, then I smoothed it onto a larger putty knife and began adding thin, overlapping strokes of color to the range hood. Think of it as applying X‘s to the wall or item.
Because I was using a putty knife, I could carefully place the knife on the inside corner and sweep the color out, allowing for more precise application!
The trickiest part for our range hood was those rounded corners. Applying Roman Clay with a stiff putty knife over the corners was difficult, but I ultimately found a solution for that (more on that in a minute). But here’s how it looked after my first coat! You can see there are still thin spots and the corners certainly need more coverage.
2| Sand Lightly
Once dry, I gave the hood a light sand using a 220-grit sanding sponge. Be careful here, because it sands VERY easily! You want to use a light hand as to not take too much product off. The goal is to still allow the beautiful texture to shine through, but to knock down any rough areas.
After sanding my first coat, I was a little nervous. It appeared uneven, and I was hopeful that the second or third coat would help to even it all out (spoiler alert: it totally evened out!). Here’s how it looked after one round of Roman Clay and a light sanding:
3| Sponge Any Tricky Areas
While I was applying a second coat, I couldn’t help but think how Roman Clay reminded me a lot of grouting tile, and that gave me an idea for the rounded corners. What if I… sponged it on?
SPONGING WORKED. It worked! So I continued with my second coat using a putty knife on all the flat areas, and I used a big tiling sponge to get the rounded edges nice and filled in. Of course, this step is optional depending on what you’re applying Roman Clay to, but all this to say, don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Roman Clay is very pliable, and I even used my fingers to buff down any high areas as I worked.
4| Apply a Second Coat
I started on the top left with my second coat, working my way all along the top and then continuing down. I sponged the sides as I puttied, essentially working top to bottom. By the time I was done with my second coat, things were looking nice and even, but I went in with a third coat to get even more depth. Finally, I gave it one more quick, light sand.
5| Apply the Topcoat
I allowed the Roman Clay to dry overnight, and then it was time to apply the topcoat! I used Portola’s own Roman Clay Topcoat, which went on so nice and smooth. I wouldn’t say it added any sheen, rather, it dried down to a beautiful matte finish. I applied one thin coat in the same manner as the clay itself, using short overlapping strokes. Then I allowed it to dry, and the range hood was ready!
6| Enjoy!
Honestly, I’d go so far as to say that Roman Clay application is fool proof. It can be sanded and reapplied, and as you saw, I even used a sponge to get my desired results! The finished result looks like a high-end stone range hood – you’d never guess there was MDF hiding under those beautiful layers of clay!
So, what do you think? Would you try Roman Clay, or have you? Please feel free to share any of your own tips in the comments, or ask any questions you may have!
Looking for more how-tos? This is how to paint anything, how to gel stain furniture, how to case a door opening, and how to re-wire a light fixture.
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It’s gorgeous!!
This looks like a project I want to try. I love how it turned out on your range hood column!
Thanks Julie!
I’m madly in love with this space and the Roman Clay treatment so much so that I am trying to figure out places in my daughter’s house to use this. I remember when I first saw the ceiling and thought it was stunning, definitely the right thing to do. Then I saw the cabinets (this may not be in order of install but…) and I wondered if the grain would work as it didn’t “match” from top to bottom. (Apparently I have an issue there :-/). Then the backsplash tile, loved the color, also a vertical pattern. Is it going to be too much? All these stripes but … lo and behold I was WRONG … AGAIN! Don’t tell my children I said that but man, this is a beautiful space. The green marble dining table harkens the leaves and branches of the trees outside, the warm wood tones, just every dang detail you thought of. It’s on my bucket list to stay here one day. So beautiful – very very well done.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Cynthia!
A Roman clay finish brings a unique, timeless texture to range hoods, enhancing both function and kitchen design.
This is beautiful. We are building and I’m planning to do this same type hood. You made it seem easy with some patience:). Would you mind sharing what your tile bellow is? Its beautiful.
Thank you! It’s Home Kit Kat Milk Porcelain from Tile Shop.
Hi there! Looking to do this for our kitchen. Curious how this has held up over time as you’ve cooked more. Wondering if the topcoat has held up or if you had to refresh this from time to time.
Hey Keith! This home is a work-in-progress at the moment, so we haven’t used the cooktop more than a handful of times. That said, the hood still looks like the day we finished it. Hope this helps!
Hi! Have you had any regrets using the roman clay on the hood? I am strongly considering this direction, but don’t want any cooking/oil stains.
Absolutely no regrets! We haven’t cooked on it a ton since it’s not our primary residence, but the sealer that we used on top of the roman clay keeps everything really wipeable. It looks exactly as it did the day we finished. Hope this helps!