Textured Wall Backgrounds: Stone, Plaster and Concrete

What is in this collection

Stone walls include stacked slate ledgestone in charcoal, blue-grey and rust, rounded fieldstone set in pale lime mortar and a honey-coloured Cotswold dry stone wall. Plaster finishes cover warm white, powder blue and sage limewash, taupe and charcoal Venetian plaster, pearl white metallic plaster, blush hand-troweled plaster and rough clay plaster with straw flecks. Sunnier surfaces include Mediterranean white rough stucco, aged Tuscan sand stucco, layered rammed earth, faded terracotta fresco paint and a warm stone plaster-paint texture. For modern and urban looks there is raw concrete with formwork lines, pale grey polished microcement, weathered grunge concrete and an ochre and rust grunge finish. A few one-offs complete the set: a dusty pink chalkboard paint wall, a champagne wall with glitter in the paint, antique silver pressed tin panels and galvanised corrugated metal.

Choosing between stone, plaster and concrete

These are the quiet walls of the library. A plaster wall background, such as the warm white limewash or the taupe Venetian plaster, adds texture without competing with faces, which makes it a natural fit for wedding templates, christenings and minimalist portraits. The sage, powder blue and blush walls bring a soft colour for showers and spring events.

The concrete texture backgrounds are cooler and more architectural: raw concrete and microcement suit corporate headshots and product launches, while the weathered concrete and ochre and rust finish give a grunge background for band photos, streetwear and urban templates. The stone walls are the most rustic: slate for cabin parties and modern rustic layouts, fieldstone and Cotswold stone for barn weddings and countryside portraits. For brick, see brick wall backgrounds; for painted studio canvas looks, see painted canvas backdrops.

Tips for using these backgrounds

• Match the light on rough surfaces. The two stucco walls are lit by side sun and show crisp little shadows, from the right on the white stucco and from the left on the Tuscan one, so light your subject from the same side. Limewash, microcement and Venetian plaster have soft, even light and forgive almost any setup.
• Give text a calm surface. Limewash, plaster and microcement take names and dates anywhere on the frame. Stone, grunge concrete and pressed tin are busier, so set text on a solid panel or soften the background slightly before adding it.
• Use smooth walls for any group size. Plaster and concrete have no obvious scale, so they work behind a single headshot or a big cut-out group. Stone does show scale: keep the fieldstones and Cotswold stones roughly fist- to head-sized next to your subjects.

For brick and timber, see brick wall backgrounds and wood backgrounds.