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Sampler Of Faux Finish Techniques
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.
By:
Jay Dorman
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
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