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Faux painting is a way to achieve extraordinary decorating effects, yet it isn't expensive and you don't need to splash out on piles of gadgets and specialist equipment. Save your money for quality paints. You might want a few extras, such as stencils for some finishes, but you may already have most or all of the equipment you need.
If you're a beginner – or to make sure you're properly prepared – this checklist will help you take stock before you embark on your faux painting project.
Before You Start
What to Wear: Paint can be messy, so wear old clothes that permit stretching. Some kind of hat will keep your hair paint-free and make sure your shoes are non-slip – you don't want to fall off your ladder.
Flooring Protectors: If your room is carpeted, make sure the floors are covered well against splashes and spills. Newspaper and plastic are a less desirable option. Plastic is slippery and sheets of paper shift about and stick infuriatingly to the soles of your shoes. Fabric coverings absorb paint and though old sheets might do, your best bet is a closely woven canvas drop cloth designed for the purpose. They are reusable and well worth the investment.
Filler/ Putty/ Spackling Compound: Before you apply any paint you'll need to fill holes and cracks in your surface, using a palette or putty knife. Quick-drying fillers are your best option. Wait till properly dry before sanding to a smooth finish.
Masking Tape: You'll probably need sticky paper tape to mask areas that you want to keep clean, such as door and window frames. Tape also helps you achieve straight lines with clean edges and is essential if your design consists of stripes.
Tools and Equipment
Ladder: Unless you're painting floors and furniture, you'll probably need a ladder. Aluminium ladders are light and manoeuvrable. It helps if your ladder has a shelf for your paint container, or use a ‘painter's assistant' to secure your tin to the ladder. Especially with a light ladder, make sure your paint tin is not too heavy or it might topple the ladder.
Paint Stirrers: These might be supplied with your paint. If not, make sure whatever you use for stirring is clean. Twigs may shed bits of bark in your paint and spoil your finish.
Bucket: If you have to mix paints, a bucket can be useful. Alternatively, it's a useful container for bits and pieces, instead of having your workspace strewn with items you might trip over.
Paints: The right type and quality of paint is fundamental to the success of your faux painting finish. This is one area where you can't afford to cut corners.
Brushes and Applicators: A good general purpose paintbrush is one with the bristles angled at 6mm (2"). Cheap brushes aren't worth the saving, since the bristles come out and ruin your handiwork. Rollers are essential for large surfaces. The texture they create will depend on the nap, so make sure you choose carefully. Rollers are often sold with a paint tray. To avoid having to scrub it out, roller linings (or ‘skins') can be used and then discarded. Different techniques require different applicators. The sponges sold for washing cars are a great choice for color washing.
Miscellaneous Accessories:
You may need to unscrew light switch and plug plates so have a screwdriver handy. It will also help you lever open paint tins. Knives are necessary for applying filler and a utility knife or razor blade can be used to scrape paint splashes of window glass when your work is done.
Cleaning Up
Rags: Scraps of colorfast fabric are useful for mopping up accidental spills and splashes and are necessary for cleaning your brushes. You can buy special brush-cleaning products but dishwashing liquid will be adequate for most tasks, and will even clean brushes used for some oil-based paints, such as cream stencils.
You may have one or two additional requirements, such as stencils, depending on the particulars of your project, but you do not need fancy equipment to achieve your aims. Resist the gadgets and gimmicks and keep it simple.
Faux finishes are the hottest thing in wall covering since pre-mixed paint in a can. Instead of flat painted linen white, choices can include a soft-sponge cloudy texture in sage greens, or crisp wide stripes in neutral tones, or a scholarly stippling finish in leather browns. The choices are endless and the results can be beautiful when done right. Here are some of the key choices you'll need to make to ensure a great result.
Color: Before choosing the main color, consider: any color other than off-whites that you see on a color chip at the paint store will intensify significantly when painted over an entire wall. For instance, a color chip of light aqua green might appear to be screaming turquoise when applied to a wall. With that in mind, try picking a slightly lighter or more subdued version. For the base color you will need the tint that is 2-3 shades lighter on the color chart.
Add at least 2 layers color for your faux finish. The first layer should be the main color chosen and applied consistently over the walls in the technique desired, making sure to get all the way to the edges of base board, moldings and trim. The second layer of faux finish should be slightly lighter than the first and made from opaque paint. Therefore it will soften the first layer and hide any blemishes. Always keep the differences in the colors suitable and avoid high contrast combinations like the plague (such as royal blue on top of a white base coat). After you've mastered a suitable approach to color choice, try experimenting with complimentary colors such as a golden yellow base coat and light terracotta textured layers on top. Or try a lavender blue base coat with chalk blue “washed” decorative paint finish on top.
Oil or Latex? Some faux finishers insist that oil paint is the only way to go, but I beg to differ. I am an experienced faux finisher with over 20 years of professional service under my belt and have never used oil paints. What's the secret? Dilute the paint, work in layers and apply small sections at a time. If you're still not convinced here are a few incentives for using latex paint.
1)Easy water clean up. No need for turpentine or thinners that give the painter headaches, are highly flammable (Thus making painters liability insurance higher) and are considered toxic waste.
2)Drying time allows second coats to be applied within 1 hour. Oil paint takes up to 24 hours to dry.
3)Latex paints are non-toxic and low odor. They are also kinder to the environment. Oil paint fumes remain in interior space for several weeks, especially during winter months.
Prep Makes Perfect: The walls should be prepared in the same way as they would be for a regular paint job. Unfortunately there are no short cuts with the prep, except for the fact that a faux finish does hide uneven color or surfaces on older walls very well. The trim, including base boards, door and window frames, and ceiling moldings should all be taped off unless they are to be painted after the walls. It is important that you use the right tape: blue masking tape, 2” from Anchor or 3-M. The wrong tape selection can mean an “un-clean” edge where the finish paint has seeped through the tape, or trim paint can be pulled off.
Which Faux Finish?: There are a million different faux finishes a painter could try, but the soft-sponge finish (also known as "add/subtract") is the reigning queen of finishes. It's relatively easy, works in lots of color scheme, is subtle, and everyone likes it.
Sponging Techniques: After all of the materials have been prepared, the walls are base coated and you're ready to go. Start by painting an area with rough haphazard strokes, covering an area of about 2'x2'. Put the brush down and take your damp sea sponge (do not use synthetic sponges in this technique) and dab the painted area in a consistent, even motion, until all the painted surface has been “sponged off”. Essentially you are adding paint with the brush and subtracting paint with the sponge. Continue sponging off beyond the painted area into an approximate margin of 6” surrounding the area to make the edges soft. Rinse and squeeze out excess water from sponge between every new area/shape.
Move on to the neighboring area. Leave approximately 3” un-painted border between other sponged areas and repeat steps described above. To blend the sections' edges, tap sponge back and forth over the 3” border and the previously painted areas until everything looks fairly consistent. Continue on until all surfaces are done. Step back to check your work, paying special attention to the edges near the tape. If you see bare spots along the taped edges, use a small paintbrush and paint and sponge off those areas. Do not be too particular as there will be another layer.
After all the walls are complete with the first layer, prepare for the second add/subtract layer. Follow the same technique as the first sponged layer while covering what you don't like and leaving unpainted what you do like. Blend over painted brush strokes with the same tapping method using the sponge. Also, do not follow the same shapes from the first sponged layer. Make new loosely painted odd shapes. Paint solidly along taped edges of trim and ceiling and sponge off in the same technique. Stand back and admire your work!
Stand back and admire your work! Faux finishes are a great choice for interior spaces. They're also rewarding projects for do-it-yourselfers with a flare for color and interior decorating. Have fun and try something in a small powder room and move onto the master bedroom once you've mastered a few tricks. If the faux finish is not what you had in mind, don't worry, it's just paint and can be covered easily. You can always try again. Either way, faux finishing will add a beautiful new dimension to your home.