Painting faux finish on your walls is extremely popular in today’s decorating. Even many of the wallpapers on the market are a representation of this technique. However, they are more expensive and not nearly as fun!

I have found that painting with glazes is so much fun and very forgiving. You can be the artist and have total control over the outcome. Let me share some of my experiences with faux painting.

Over the years, as artists developed faux painting techniques, they often would bring samples and portfolios to a designer’s studios in an attempt to sell their artistic labor. Many decorators were the first to use these techniques in customer and model homes. It started in Florida about ten years ago. Now it’s all the rage!  

Believe it or not, it does not take a professional artist to achieve many of the effects. As a decorator hired to complete a design project, we often will contract with an artist to custom paint for our clients. In these cases, I’m obviously not the one doing the faux painting finish. However, in my own home I have had great enjoyment and success doing it myself, and you can too!

The first project I attempted was my sun room/den combination. I wanted to use a midtone green, with purple accents on the walls to compliment my decorating and provide a backdrop for the art, accessories, furniture and window treatments. I purchased a home improvement store's brand of glaze along with a quart of two different colors of green, a quart of purple and a sea sponge. Experimenting on some white poster board (because my walls were white), I played with the colors and gained some confidence as I did so.

After taping the ceiling and baseboards, I began the process by mixing a very small amount of the paint pigment with a much larger amount of glaze. I found that it wasn’t critical to have a particular measurement of each, but was important that the mixture remain consistent throughout the project. Starting with the darker green mixture, I sponged a section of wall approximately 30 inches wide ceiling to floor, and then moved over to the next section of the wall carefully blending the joining area. 

About this time my husband looked at what I was doing and swiftly asked, "Are you sure you know what you’re doing?" I had to reassure him that it was going to be great, and that you can’t judge a painting before it’s done! He admitted that when my masterpiece was completed, it really looked good! He especially liked the fact I had spent so little to do it!

After I finished the first shade of green, I began working with the lighter shade of green filling in and softening the first color as I went along. I was really having fun now! The next step was to add the purple accents. I followed the same technique as the first two colors, but used the purple sparingly and with a soft touch. I started this project at about 3:00 PM, and we tore the tape down at midnight. I was done!! 

That’s all there is to it! You can’t make a mistake because it’s not meant to be a perfect finish. The beauty of working with paint glazes and using this technique is the ability it gives you to experiment. If you use too much or too little, or perhaps you do not like your first attempt, you can easily work with it until you are happy.

The most important thing to remember if your considering this process is that it is not meant to give a perfectly uniformed look. Each person’s touch and style is different, thus the character and personality you give it is truly original. I sincerely hope that sharing one of my faux painting experiences will help you gain confidence in your ability to give it a try. It is a great, inexpensive and fun way to add color, texture and personality to your walls.

There are numerous books, videos and publications available for reference on this subject. I would highly recommend you read one of these for further instruction and tips from real professionals in this field.

Be sure to visit Faux Painting on Best of the Web.  There are 12 links to websites related to Faux Painting.

Happy Decorating