I could probably help you more with a pic or something. Are you saying that this cardboard is like regular cardboard but with one layer peeled off? Show me something & I can tell you how to get there with paint.

Feel free to email me.

Good Luck!

Not to be a "discourager" here, but...

* Depending on how deep the "grooves" are, this may be a hard surface to clean.
* What space would this be used in??
* Steve would have a better answer, but would troweling something on with the correct groove-profile be an option??
* Keeping it straight would be interesting though!
* Plaster MAY be an option...?

(my speculating here...)

Faron

It's possible to get the linear effect with color but it may not be as distinct as using the cardboard. The technique is "combing" the paint with a rubber comb or squeeguee that has had teeth cut into it. For finer lines with the look of coarse fabric, you would use a wall weaver brush. (Coarse bristled brush used by wallpaperers might work.) Due to the pigment strength it might be best to use cream as your base and then apply a red glaze. Your paint store should have a glaze that you can mix with paint to make a mixture that is slightly transparent and doesn't dry very quickly since you need time to comb it. The product we used when we did a room is no longer made. If the heat is on, the bottom on your wall is going to dry pretty quickly so you have to work fast or work with a glaze that has a slow drying time. The glaze I used was also a thicker viscosity that paint so it doesn't collapse/run after you comb it. It will give some texture to the walls which might be a problem but not nearly as much texture as you would have with plaster or cardboard. The Benjamin Moore website calls this strie and they use the wallpaper paste brush I suggested earlier. A rubber comb or squeegee tool used by faux finishers would give you thicker lines ... the width of the lines determined by the spacing of the teeth.
Maybe this would work for you.

Home Depot sells texture paint which can be bought in smooth or sanded finish. All you have to do is roll it on the wall with a special roller(can be bought there to) and be creative. Use a comb, brush, etch to make the texture.

You could float a thin layer of spackle and use a tool (brush, spackle knife or brush) to create a texture. Let it dry for a day and paint. You can create the texture that you want, by picking the right tool.

Christy

Here is a link that might be useful: Christy's Thrifty Decorating