Faux Finish Secrets
Faux finishes can be a great way to update tired furnishings or give your rooms a new look. Faux finishes include mock wood grain and stone effects, like marble and granite. You can use commonly available decorating and craft materials, and can also find kits containing all the materials you need to create the finish you want.
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Marbelizing
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By applying paint to mimic the veins and mottling of real marble, you can marbleize your woodwork, fittings and trim. Typically, the first step is to apply a base coat in a solid color. You then add additional coats in different shades, using a sponge or other textured material to give a mottled effect. Use a fine brush to add veins. Finish with a clear, glossy layer to simulate polished stone.
Glazing
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Glazing is a general term that means covering a surface with a translucent, glass-like finish. Glazing typically refers to applying a clear coating over paint, working the clear coat while it is wet to create different effects. Glazing changes the play of light on your walls, letting you create a decorative finishes with a limpid quality. Glazed surfaces are also durable and easy to clean, making glazing a good choice for walls in high-traffic areas like hallways.
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Faux Wood Grain
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Faux wood grain is not a difficult effect to achieve. The simplest way to create wood grain effects is by applying a base coat, allowing it to dry, and then applying a top coat in a different color and combing it to suggest the grain in a piece of timber. Advanced techniques include simulating knots and other natural variations. Use shading and highlighting to create the illusion of moldings or panels.
Distressing, Aging and Antiquing
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You can easily create an antique look on molded or textured surfaces by applying a darker pigment and rubbing it off raised areas so the surface resembles the patina of long use. Other forms of aging include artificially darkening or fading areas of a surface. Distressing means creating simulated wear by deliberately chipping or denting surfaces. You can chip away sections of a finish, or add cracks to a surface with black paint.
Faux Gilding
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Real gilding is achieved by meticulously applying gold leaf to a surface, often a decorative molding or a picture frame. You can use paint to create a similar effect. Using gold-colored acrylic, carefully paint the item you want to gild. You can give the piece an antique effect by choosing a darker gold paint.
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References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
