Faux Finishes
A New Look in Home Decor
Faux finishes are all the rage now in home decor. There are so many different types and techniques. Each is beautiful in it's own way. When we repaint our home interior I plan on trying a different technique per room just for fun. As I research this for me I figured I might as well add it to the website. It's so popular right now that I can't be the only one who wants to learn more. Of course, with me you can never tell HA! HA!
Here's a few basic articles for starters. The first one tells about the different techniques and the second one gives some tips on basic supplies needed for painting.
I'll keep adding as I learn more so please check back!
Let me know if you have some ideas to share too!!
A Sampler Of Faux Finish Techniques
By Jay Dorman
While Grandma's quilts showed off a sample of her pretty bits of fabric and her skill with many different fancy needle stitches - imagine what she could have done with a pot of glaze and a sponge. That's right. As artistic and skilled as Grandma was she probably would be right at home with faux finish paints, too.
There are so many options available to today's homeowner when it comes to choosing alternatives to traditional flat paint. There's absolutely no reason to hang onto that boring tried-and-true white (or taupe, taupe, taupe) painted in every room throughout your home.
Explore the alternatives. Look in magazines for rooms that appeal to you. Architectural Digest, Southern Accents, Veranda and others all regularly feature homes that have faux finishes on everything from walls to furniture. Designers love to change the feel of a space with color and textures, painted faux finishes are an easy first step in that direction. You can do the same thing, too.
Faux finishes can be applied to almost any surface. From walls, ceilings, cabinetry in the kitchen and bath, floors, to all types of solid furniture as well. Styles of finishes can be extremely simple and subtle, to way, way over-the-top fantasy finishes, depending on your personal taste and pocketbook.
For your walls, here's something to think about -- a faux wall finish can provide a striking and seamless alternative to wallpaper. Seamless. No peeling or splitting. Just a beautiful hand-painted unique finish individually crafted for you alone.
A skilled faux finish artist can create a look just for you that the wallpaper manufacturers would love to copy and mass-market. Some of the more popular looks for walls include:
o Color washes - ragged, bushed, sponged single glazes over solid paint, the work-horse of faux finishes
o Multiple glazes - layered over solid paint, provides great depth
o Faux leather looks - terrific in a study
o Faux suede - stipple glaze over solid paint
o Stencil over-all patterns - antique damask or simple borders
o Venetian plasters - lustrous beautiful plasters
o Tuscan old-world plasters - troweled on plaster, chipped, cracked and aged to perfection
o Faux stone effects - limestone, fieldstone, slate, cut and fitted patterns
o Faux brick looks
o Faux wood - faux bois, antiqued, distressed, burled, bamboo
o Faux metal - brilliant metallic glazes, antique iron, verdigris
o Tissue paper - textured paper, paint and glaze
o Stripes - glazed or just painted, always classy
On columns, trim, doors, crown molding, fireplaces and art niches there are a number of cool faux finishes that can enhance the architecture of any room. Classic looks feature:
o Marble - from travertine to Rojo Viejo, the choices are wide open
o Granite - mimic your countertops
o Fantasy stones, such as lapis and malachite
o Gilding - any metal leafing, gold, silver, copper
o Strie - fine dragging of colored glaze over a solid paint
Antique or distressed faux finishes are wonderful choices on cabinetry and furniture. Adding a few worn edges and some crackled paint to those dated, tired kitchen cabinets can give them a fresh new “old” look. Think Provence.
It's easy to expand your options. Change your mind about what's acceptable for your sweet home space. Play a little with something fresh and new. Remember, changing the dynamics of your home is easy with the assistance of a skilled and experienced faux finish artist.
Always go to a pro who has a track record and samples and customers who love to tell you about the artist's work that was created just for them. Then let him create a special room just for you.
He can guide you to faux finishes and colors that will be appropriate to your style, your furnishings, and your pocketbook. Consult with a trained professional artist and get the best look for your home today.
Oh. And keep in mind, if you are tired of that old chest-of-drawers and thinking about tossing it out, maybe all it needs a good old-fashioned antiquing. A dab of glaze here, another dab there. Just right.
Grandma would approve, no doubt.
About the Author: Jay Dorman is the owner of Greystone Artisans, a decorative painting and faux finishing company. This Houston-based company has been in business for eight years and has worked in many of the finest homes locally and in other cities in Texas. This team of talented artists is available for travel to locations outside of Texas, too! Consultations are available upon request and are at no cost. Hundreds of samples including cabinetry finishes and wall finishes of all types can be seen at our showroom. The showroom, which houses our workroom as well, is open by appointment. Please visit us on the web at: http://www.greystoneartisans.com
Source: www.isnare.com
Faux Painting Tips and Ideas!
by jamiem
Faux painting tips
Faux painting is a very convenient form of painting the interiors of the house which not only is do it yourselfer type of work but also adds an exceptional look to the entire room. It’s a great way of creating a soothing and pleasant atmosphere around the room. Faux painting can be done with many techniques such as sponging, rag rolling, dragging etc depending upon the type of the surface. Each technique has its own individual specialty and needs that extra tools and materials. Faux painting can be easily learned over the internet from the all the online faux painting schools and one can also have a professional degree by doing a course on faux painting. These schools help the student learn faux painting in the easiest possible way so as to help them do all the future painting in and around the home by themselves.
General materials and tools needed
In order to have a basic project of faux painting one need the normal tools which are required for almost all the techniques. The following is the list of all the materials needed for undergoing a basic faux painting project:
* Paint tray
* Lint free rags
* Rubber gloves
* Painters tape
* Zinsser products such as Blend and glaze etc.
General tips on faux painting
The following is a in general list of tips which would be very helpful in performing a faux painting project in a most simple but sweet way:
* The surface should and must be prepared very properly before starting to decorate it.
* The experimentation should be done first on a sample board rather then directly approaching the wall.
* The work should be divided into small sections. One wall or section should be completed stopping at the corner or the natural break.
* The work should be done very quickly well in time before the glaxe becoming tacky may be around 10 to 15 min. In case of performing negative applications a thick wet edge of unworked glaze should be left at the end of each section to help allow the blending of the next one.
* The use of protective gloves is often recommended while glazing for easy clean up.
* The use of lint free rags such as funnels, diapers, cheesecloth or sheets would be advisable.
In this way following the above tips very sincerely one can get outstanding results from a simple faux painting project.
Faux painting ideas
Faux is a French word for the word ‘false’ or ‘fake’. So we can say that this painting is all about false illusion. It creates an illusion of depth and complexities to the painted walls, doors, and ceilings. Till now we have come across popular effects achieved by faux painting in a stone, parchment, and in an antiquarian. Faux finishing provides a variety of interesting techniques that gives depth and personality to walls and other objects. In other words, we can say that it provides life to the non living things also. Faux painting can be both simple and a complex one. It provides a purpose to everything whether it is wood, marble or leather. It is less expensive alternative for using natural materials. It is a unique style whether it is done by any individual or a professional. Through layering of paints and glazes done by hand it provides the surface appear to be something it is not. It is the easiest and creative outlet for people who are interested in arts and is a wonderful medium for experimentation.
Implementation
Though faux is applied to any kind of surface but it generally involves wall preparation and repair, one or two base layers of paint, one or more coatings of a complementary glaze and paint mix, and a topcoat that acts as sealer and protectant. But it is not so that it is only limited to walls, it is also useful for revitalizing furniture or cabinets and adds appeal to walkways or other concrete structures. Faux paintings are applied for bare walls. Before one get out the sponge the wall should be ready and clean so that one can give a background color to it. Light colors are always ideal as a background as they show through the overlying paint to some degree and help in creating a sense of depth or roughness. Experienced painters recommend the background to be painted with semi-gloss or satin paint as most of the faux paints dry slowly on slightly slick backing surface which tends to heighten the desired effect.
Suitability
Faux paining is also suitable for children. Even small children can do this faux painting. This can be done by anyone as it is very easy to do. It can be done by anyone like the housewives, children and the old people.
Jamie is the author of other Faux
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Article Source: Artsymmetry - Free Online Art Articles Directory
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