MAKE A FAUX YOUR FRIEND
Tips and Suggestions on Creating Beautiful Decorative Finishes
What is Faux? The art of Faux Finishing is the process of layering colored transparent glazes over a different colored "base coat" of paint. The reasons for considering the faux techniques are to create:
- More perceptual depth to a wall.
- More interest than achieved with just one color.
- An accent wall for variety.
- Minimize wall damage or imperfections.
- An old world wall that has been around many years.
Our display of various faux finishes in our Littleton Store has been created to help stimulate your imagination to show you various techniques and to present you with some ideas of how colors may be combined. Our samples range from very simple to the more complex and bold. If you have the aptitude to do your own laundry, you can learn to do great faux.
GLAZE--A glaze is simply a transparent paint that must contain some color. Some glazes come pre-tinted, otherwise, if you buy it clear, either paint or colorant must be added to the clear glaze. Adding more or less of the clear glaze will vary the degree of transparency of the colored glaze. This variable is in your control. Glazes may be either water or oil based. Be sure you don't try to mix oil based glaze with latex paint. To help you determine the degree of transparency you want, start by mixing a small amount of the paint and the glaze in a one-to-one ratio. Test the mixture over your basecoat, keeping track of the final ratio you need to mix for the future. You may go up to 5 parts glaze or more, to one part of your paint to achieve the look you want.
FAUX TOOLS--Another variable in creating a faux finish is the tool you use to apply or work the glaze over the base coat. The most frequently used tools are:
- Cheesecloth
- Rags (lint free cotton T-shirt)
- Plastic bags or plastic sheeting
- Natural sponges
- Brushes
- Feather dusters
- Crumpled paper
- Small fluffy animals (just kidding)
APPLICATION TECHNIQUES--The base coat (satin is perfect is applied, as any other coat of paint would be (usually rolled on), to achieve a uniform color. Glaze techniques are considered "POSITIVE" if you apply the glaze directly to the wall with your too to give you the appearance you want. "NEGATIVE" techniques are achieved by first applying the glaze to the wall, followed by removing excess glaze with your tool. Negative techniques are more successful when using oil based glazes, due to slower the dry time of oil. With either technique, your attitude should be positive.
The way you use your tool will create variations in the final appearance. Generally, you should not see the impression of the tool used. Patting or repeatedly daubing with the tool over the glaze will help soften the appearance and make the final work more attractive. You may use your tool to make swirling patterns, or "wash" the wall with your glaze to create a very thin, cloud-like look. Rolling a rag or plastic bag over the wet glaze will produce a crystalline pattern. Faux is art and therefore there are no hard rules. When you finish the job and love how it looks, you have done everything exactly right.
EXPERIMENT--Since there are so many variables in creating a faux finish, we strongly recommend that you buy some small paint testers and a poster board, and create a faux design from start to finish, while seated comfortably at the kitchen table. Try various colors, tools and techniques, You will become more confident with the whole process and discover some effects you prefer and some that look really bad. This experimenting will also allow you to see if you have selected the right colors. Using a poster board also allows you to hold your work up in different areas of the room to see how the varying light will effect the appearance. One more advantage of the poster board sample of your work is that, if you having problems with your technique, you can bring your work in our store so we can see it and offer suggestions.
TIPS--Be careful of more than one person working in the same room. Each person has his/her own signature (style). If one person does one wall and another person does another wall, the finishes will look very different. Working side by side works better with two people on the same job.
Remember, this is only paint and can be easily painted over if your first attempt is not what you expected.
It is wise to start in the most inconspicuous part of the room and save the most conspicuous area for last. You will do your best work after you get the hang of it.
When applying glaze, wander your way across the wall, changing directions and elevations often. Avoid a grid-like, obviously man-made pattern. If you will need to be on a ladder for the higher parts of the wall, do not make an obvious stopping point as high as you can reach or it will be apparent you did the wall in two stages. Random looks good. It is okay if some areas have more glaze and some areas have less, as long as there is a gradual change from one to the other and a pattern does not develop. If you get too much glaze color in one area, you can always make a glaze using your base coat color and re-glaze over those areas. If two or more glaze colors are to be used, we recommend allowing each to dry before applying the next glaze.
A common mistake that beginners make is to "over work" the glaze. In other words, the beginner tends to apply too much glaze or continues for hours after he/she should have stopped. Keep stepping back and taking breaks, to return and objectively look at your work. Remember, you can always add more glaze later if some areas need more interest.
Some of us more methodical thinkers have trouble relaxing and letting the process develop naturally. If you are one of these, more left-brained people, have a little wind to help numb that very controlling part of the brain that cares too much and gets in the way of creativity. Relaxing, having fun and not caring too much seems to help produce the best looking faux finishes. You are going to save a lot of money if you do this job yourself, so go buy a new CD of your favorite music to keep you company during this fun project.
Mistakes are not worthless. At least you have learned something you did that you did not know before. Keep notes on what colors you have tried and what you liked or did not like about how they looked. Record what ratios of glaze to paint you used. Keep samples of the failures as well as the successes. Jot down ideas that you may want to try next time. Professional decorative finishers make many unsuccessful attempts before they come up with the perfect combination of colors and techniques.
Ask us for advice. We have helped many people through this process and would love to assist in making this an enjoyable, successful memory while helping you enhance the beauty of your home.
SUPPLIES YOU MAY NEED
- Poster board sheets
- Cheesecloth
- Lint-free Cotton Rags
- Natural Sponges
- Untinted Glaze
- Paint Tester Bottles
- Shallow Pails
- Gloves
- Wine (Fine Quality)
- CD-Music (New and one you love)
We have the complete system of the PROCEED PRODUCTS in our Denver store. This line of products includes the very best glaze I have ever seen. I like it because, although it is a water based acrylic product, it dries slowly, more like an oil. When it cures, about 30 days after applying, it does not easily wash off the wall like some glazes I have tried. Also, the sheen is more uniform when viewing the wall at a sharp angle. We also have DVDs you may purchase that show Andre Martinez very effective glazing technique, very helpful to actually watch an expert apply the products, rather than just reading about it.
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