No matter what look you desire for your home, faux painting can help you achieve it. From luxury marbling to a sunny Mediterranean look, paint can realize the illusion. Faux painting specializes in color and texture effects that can transform a dull wall and reinvent a room. A range of techniques are used but the basic principle is the use of a thin paint layer, known as a glaze. Multiple layers of almost transparent coats of glaze are used to create a variety of striking and stylish effects.
Color Washing: The color wash technique is a popular way of creating a textured wall finish. Using a brush or rag, different paints are applied in a free form or random fashion, to create an atmospheric cloud of colors. Different applicators and color combinations create soft and subtle or bolder and more striking finishes.
Working from lighter to darker colors, layers of glaze are washed over the surface. For a swirling, moody look, light colors can be used. Earth pigments can recreate the atmosphere of a Tuscan villa. For a more dramatic look an extended palette of brighter and bolder colors can be effective.
Textured Finishes: Color washing is but one way of adding texture and visual interest to a surface. Texturing is useful for disguising rough surfaces. Depending on the colors and contrast it can be bold or subtle if a neutral or understated color palette is chosen.
A finish produced by dragging a comb through fresh glaze to reveal the base coat color is one way of achieving this look. A comb or (in the French technique known as strie) fine brushwork can create the illusion of woven fabric. As well as dragging, rolling is another way of producing a textured look.
The art of illusion reaches a peak in trompe loeil painting, in which faux features are reproduced on a flat plane. Faux low relief sculpture and carvings and the illusion of peeling plaster can all be reproduced in this way using paint.
Stenciling: A fantastic variety of stencils are available today, for use either in creating a patterned effect across a complete surface or for use as border or trim. Many are reusable and you can get them in custom sizes.
Gone are the bridges of paper that marked the old cut-out stencils and designs of much greater complexity are now available. Some contemporary stencils are closer to transfers. Subtle differences can be achieved by using different applicators: brush or roller, sponge, rag or even aerosol. Stencils can also replicate a particular finish, such as brickwork laid in a herringbone design.
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