How to Apply a Faux Finish to Mini Blinds

A common faux finish gives mini blinds the look of a silk texture.

A faux finish refers to "a decorative painting that imitates the look of a natural material such as marble, wood or yak hide," as stated in the craft glossary at the Vintage Image Craft website. It's possible to transfer a faux finish to any item, even mini blinds. A faux finish can easily transform the utilitarian look of most mini blinds and give them a sense of texture or camouflaging them.

Things You'll Need

• Old sheet or newspaper
• All-purpose spray cleaner
• Paper towels
• Latex gloves
• Protective eyewear
• Latex primer spray can
• Latex base coat spray can
• Latex paint
• Small pan
• Appropriate glaze
• Faux finish tools: stippling brush, wallpaper brush, paint roller, sponge

Instructions

1. Lay an old sheet or several layers of newspaper on the floor. Place the mini blinds on top of the sheet or newspapers. Wipe them down using an all-purpose spray cleaner and paper towels. Allow them to dry. Put on your latex gloves and protective eyewear.

2. Spray the blinds with a single coat of latex primer. Create uniform strokes with your can of primer until you cover all the panels very well. Allow the panels to dry.

3. Spray on a single coat of latex spray paint in your base color. Make even, back-and-forth movements with your can of paint until you've colored all the slats on your mini blind.

4. Pour your second color of paint into a small pan. For example, if you're trying to get the look of leather or marble, use glaze. If you're trying to get the look of silk, mix an untinted glaze evenly with a metallic glaze. To create the look of brick, use a tinted red or brown glaze.

5. Dip your tool into the glaze or paint and run it across the blinds so that you cover them completely. For example, for a leather faux finish, dip a stippling brush into the glaze and run it across the blinds evenly. For a silk finish, apply the mixed glaze with a paint roller and then run a wallpaper brush through it before it has a chance to dry. For a brick finish, sponge the tinted glaze on with rectangular sponges.

References

• Vintage Image Craft: Craft Glossary
• Super Painters: Types of Paint Faux Finish
• Homewise Guides: Types Of Faux Painting Finishes