Faux Painting

The word "faux" is French for "false", and this is a concise description of this type of painting. Faux painting is used to create an illusion of depth and complexity to painted walls, doors and ceilings. Some of the more popular effects achieved by faux painting are stone, parchment, and antiquarian.

Let's look at the basics of faux painting as applied to a bare wall. Before you get out your sponge, make sure the wall itself is ready. It should be clean, of course, and you may want to give some thought to the background color. Lighter colors are ideal as backgrounds because they will show through the overlying paint to some degree and help create a sense of depth or roughness. Many experienced painters have recommended that the background should be painted with semi-gloss or satin paint. This is because most faux finishes will dry slower on a slightly slick backing surface and this tends to heighten the desired effect. Once your wall is ready, you can get out the sponges, rags, or whatever tools you'll be using to apply your faux finish.

Sponges are most often used to apply paint since their irregular, pockmarked surfaces both hold paint well and apply it with no real pattern. The many holes in a sponge ensure that the paint does not go on in a solid mass. Sponging can be done in layers, using a different shade of color each time to build up a complex textured faux finish. Only natural sea sponges should be used, however. Commercial sponges will leave streaks and patterns, something you want to avoid.

Other application tools will create different types of faux finishes. Rag Rolling is much like sponging. Simply ball up a rag in your hand, dip it into the paint or glaze, and wring out the excess into the pan. Then press the wet rag onto the wall to create a random pattern. In Stippling, paint small patches of the wall in a criss-cross pattern, then use the head of the brush to break up the brush marks and add texture. Dragging involves applying heavy layers of paint, then texturizing the wet paint by dragging a brick or even a hair comb through it.

Faux painting is surprisingly simple, as well as being fun to do. Many home hobbyists are pleasantly surprised by the interesting and attractive effects they can create with just some paint and a sponge. Try faux painting, and give your walls the brush off!