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Tips for Faux Paint
Finishes
Paint has always been used for two entirely different functions.
On the one hand, it is a covering used to bring solid color and
life to otherwise boring surfaces. Home exteriors and room
interiors are the typical examples of this treatment, though you
may also hear painted furniture and powder-coated vehicles
included as well. On the other hand, paint has traditionally
been used as the indispensable medium for art, creating the
illusions of depth, representation and abstraction on flat,
blank canvases. Somewhere in between the two lies the concept of
faux painting, an umbrella term that refers to any number of
innovative room-painting techniques. |
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Why “faux”? The term
makes reference to the fact that painting this way often implies
depth and texture where there is none. Some have even gone so far as
to say faux painting is the art of “drawing” something that doesn’t
exist – be it fabric, metal or a third dimension. Most experts
categorize fax paint finishes under a few main flags – sponging,
dragging, stamping, marbleizing and so on. Although a few require
exotic materials, most simply demand household items and
concentration. Thankfully you hardly need to be an artist to master
techniques such as these – for the most part, they require little
more than patience and repetition. The benefits can be spectacular –
dazzling forms and unexpected contours that lend every room a more
inviting and stylish sheen.
Of the major techniques, ragging may be the most common. In it, you
apply a base coat in your color of choice, wait for it to dry, and
then use a blotted rag to achieve secondary texture over the first.
Most experts advise practicing with your glaze before you hit the
actual locale, as details such as pressure, rotation and saturation
can make all the difference. Once you are comfortable with the look,
you simply need to repeat the same motion as needed, rotating when
necessary, to achieve a mottled appearance akin to fabric. You may
also want to experiment with cotton versus polyester, as the
material you use may affect the clarity of the print. Some advanced
painters have even been knows to affix chamois cloth to a
traditional roller to expedite the process!
Sponging works much like ragging, but with markedly different
results. Instead of crumpling to create a repeatable shape, sponging
makes use of the holes that naturally arise in a porous sea sponge.
That means the texture you get is far finer and subtler, closer to
pointillism than illustration. The steps are essentially the same –
apply a base coat, pick your glaze, practice, blot and apply. But
one of the nice things about sponging is that you need to look
closely at the wall to discover the technique – from afar, it simply
looks like a blended texture. A number of designers even recommend
sponging more than once with subtly different colors to build up
depth and complexity and reduce the uniformity you might otherwise
see from such a fine-grained technique.
Another popular choice, usually called combing or dragging, involves
precisely what you may expect – vertical or horizontal streaking
techniques to create a “grain” in the glaze itself. The difference
here is that you want to apply a full base coat and a full coat of
glaze before you begin the technique. Generally the glaze coat is
then “combed” using a stiff brush to apply subtle parallel lines
over the length of the room. Many painters apply blue tape or a
guide to ensure all the motions are parallel and perpendicular to
the lines of the room. Different brush types and bristle gauges can
offer finer or coarser grains depending on your preference, and the
amount of time you give the glaze to set may alter the appearance as
well. Experiment with a small section of wall or wood until you get
precisely the aesthetic you want.
Of course, faux painting can also include advanced techniques such
as crackle glazes, metallic finishes and more, so do not limit
yourself without speaking to a pro at your local home wars store
first. Anyone who has visited an art gallery can vouch for the fact
that nearly any material can be “faux’ed” with paint, so be sure and
let your imagination free before it’s time to commit. |
