Home Decorating with Faux Painting
Decorating with faux painting is a cheap alternative to expensive wall papers and common paint finishes. Faux painting has been in use for many years already and has been used as decorative arts as far back as Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Presently, faux can be seen in the form of faux marble, faux wood, and Trompe l’oeil murals. Faux painting has been used more commonly in public and commercial places but now it has found its way to our homes. Faux has been gaining popularity as a cheap alternative for remodeling or moving.
In the decorative arts’ probably the most popular faux finishes are faux bois and faux marble that is faux wood and faux marble. Both these techniques in faux painting were used when the real thing was too expensive or not practical in the construction field. Over the years faux finishers have developed many styles and techniques to duplicate the look of such finishes as aged plaster, marble, limestone, wood and distressed paint. What has taken years to accomplish naturally, a skilled faux finisher can recreate in days and sometimes even hours.
There are two types of faux finish techniques that are currently in use. These are the glaze technique and the plaster technique. Glaze technique involves using a translucent mixture of paint and glaze applied with a brush, roller, rag, or sponge, and often mimics textures. It is always smooth to the touch. Plaster work is typically done with tinted plasters and applied with a trowel or spatula. The result can be either flat to the touch or textured. You have to decide first what technique you would like to be used then after that, you can choose the finish. There are different types of finishes available to choose from. These are the Marbleizing which is also known as faux marble and are used to make walls and furniture appear to be made of real marble. Graining or faux wood is used to imitate exotic, hard-to-find or very expensive wood varieties. Trompe l’oeil or “trick of the eye” a finish with a realistic technique often used in murals and to create architectural details. Venetian plaster is the most popular and traditional plaster faux finish. This finish is smooth and often shiny and appears textured but is smooth to the touch. Color wash is a free-form finish that creates subtle variations of color utilizing multiple hues of glaze blended with a paint brush. Another type of finish is the strie finish and it creates soft thin streaks of color using a paint brush. This technique is popular for simulating fabrics such as linen and denim. Last but not the last is the rag finish which uses twisted or bunched up rags to create a textural pattern.
Using faux painting as a way to decorate your home uniquely and cheaply while bringing an old-world art technique to your space that adds a level of visual texture. It can be the focal point of your home and a conversational piece especially if you have chosen to use the Trompe l’oeil technique. It will amaze your guests.
