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A 4th generation house painter & consultant,
specializing in
old-world painting techniques.

Faux Painting 101

SwooshWhat every painter and
do-it-yourselfer should know about faux painting.

There's a lot of mystique about faux painting, and even professional painters are often lost when it comes to creating the textured, marbled, or mult-colored "faux" look that their customers might want.

I want to take some of the mystery out of the faux painting process for you, and also offer you some tools and videos to help you learn exactly how it's done.

You'll find lots of tips and tools here on my website, but first, let's talk about some of the basics that everyone considering a faux look should know...

What Is Faux Painting

Decorative Painting:

The word "faux" is a French word that means false. The term "faux painting" is used to describe a wide range of decorative painting techniques, where the end results simulate the look of something other than paint on a wall—looks such as brick, wood, marble, plaster, metal, and so on.

Limitless Variations:

The type of faux finish you can achieve is virtually limitless, depending on the techniques, products, tools, and colors that you use.

Think Texture, Glaze & Paint

The choice of which technique or combination of techniques you use depends entirely on the final look you're trying to achieve. If you can get a clear idea of what you're looking for, and learn the basic techniques, you can ultimately begin to mix and match to get just about any type of look you want.

Texture:

One way to think about faux projects is in terms of whether they require the application of both an underlying texture and a surface finish, or whether they only require the application of a surface finish.

Glaze:

Another way to think about faux finishing is in terms of glazes. Some faux projects require that glazes be mixed with paints, others only require the use of paints.

Paint:

A third way to think about faux projects is in terms of paints. Sometimes you will be able to achieve the effect you're looking for by painting a solid color over a richly textured surface. Other times you will want to work with two or more paints to create random patterns on your wall. Sometimes you might want to mix your paint with a glaze to achieve the effect you're looking for, other times not.

Three Common Faux Finishes

Here are the three most common types of faux finishes. You can achieve an infinite range of results with these technique, depending on the colors you choose, the amount of product you apply, and the tools you use to apply the product.

1. Old World Glazing:

Old world glazes, sometimes called "Tuscan" glazes, give you a burnished look that take you back in time. They work best on surfaces that have deep crevices, so you'll want to be sure to apply a relatively thick texture to your walls before applying this kind of glaze.

I recommend that you use my Wall and Ceiling Texture Toolkit to do this. It gives step-by-step directions and provides the essential tools you'll need to create beautifully textured walls.

Use it with the Tuscan Glazing kit also available through This Old Painter to finish your wall with a beautiful burnished look.

2. European Glazing:

European glazes give you more of a marbled type of look, and work on just about any type of lightly textured wall.

Because you only want a lightly textured wall, in this case I recommend that you use my Soft Texture Toolkit for this preliminary step.

Keep in mind that with European Glazing, you don't have to do any type of texturing underneath, especially if you want to achieve the look of marble, other smooth rock finishes, metal, or something else of your own imagination.

I also suggest you see my "European Style Glaze" video so you can see exactly how to mix and apply a European glaze.

3. Color Washes:

Color wash finishes are very easy to do, and work on any type of wall. Color washes are just a blending of paints, and don’t require the use of any glazes.

If you want to create an end result that has some movement to it, a color wash would be a great choice.

Click here to learn more about the process of color washing.

 

Faux Painting Kits

Master Faux Painting ToolkitTuscan and European Glaze Kits

Essential Faux Painting Kits

The European and Tuscan Faux Painting kits shown here come with the essential tools and instructions you'll need to create beautiful faux finishes of your own.

Click for details:
European and Tuscan Faux Painting

Decide on a Mood

Keep in mind that different faux finishes create different moods and feelings. The products you buy and the techniques you will use will depend on what you're trying to achieve.  For instance:

Relaxed:

If you want a very relaxed or subtle look you might want to try a lightly textured wall with an old world glaze on top.

Warm & Cozy:

If you want an especially warm and cozy room with richly textured walls, you would use the same old world glaze process as above, but you would put a thicker texture on your wall, and you would likely use more of an amber color in your glaze.

Light & Airy:

If you want a light, airy look with a lot of movement, you might want to try a color wash using shades of blue.

Marblized:

If you want a marble finish, you're probably going to want to use a European style glaze.

About Faux Color

Use Two or More Colors:

Usually there will be more than one color involved … at least 2 blended together, and sometimes a third accent color. If you’re using two colors, one should be a light color, the other a midrange.

Subtle Look:

Using complementary colors (colors from the same color chart) will give you a more subtle look.

Vibrant Look:

Using contrasting colors (colors from separate color charts) will make a major statement.

Fireplace with Copper-Bronze Metallic Glaze

Faux Painting Tips

Light Color Base:

Always use one of the lighter colors as your base coat prior to doing the faux painting. It will help the background blend in with your faux painting better.

No Squares!

When applying your faux painting, never apply in a square or rectangular shape. Always apply in irregular shapes.