Faux Painting

Faux finishing examples featuring faux stone, limestone, aging, antiquing, fluting and faux tiles and concrete.

Faux stone is a common finish for columns and fireplaces. The application method used depends on the type of stone being represented. For most finishes the first coat is applied by ragging followed by other colors applied with a combination of rags, brushes and/or sponges. Sponges used sparingly are ideal for adding the texture of more porous rocks, while flicking the bristles of a toothbrush partially loaded with paint can give the speckled appearance of embedded minerals. Cracks and veining can be added with a small artists brush, swordliner (a special kind of brush developed for marbling) or elephant ear sponges. Some textures are better achieved by merging the colors as they are applied and are still wet rather than waiting for each layer to dry. This requires a fast application and can be tricky when working around columns.

Faux tiles depend on the proportion between tile size and grouting width, and a consistent shadow to create the illusion of being real. They also need to be the right size to suit the space they're for. The easiest way I've found to paint tiles is to paint the grout color first. Wait for it to dry then mark up and mask the grout lines. Once these are masked, paint the tiles themselves. When you've finished, remove the masking and add any shadows and highlights as necessary. This way you only have to lay one line of tape for each grout line, you get a consistent line width, and it's a lot easier to put the shadows and highlights in when there's a clean edge to work to.

Reproducing Concrete is as much about surface as it is about coloring. Most concrete is pretty smooth, especially when its been polished, so the first stage may well need to be to smooth out the surface you're going to be working on. For a real smooth, cool, stone-like feel you could use Venetian Plaster, but a regular, finishing plaster will work too. When choosing the paint, you can either go for a flat finish and apply a satin sealer over the top, or use eggshell or satin sheen paints (depending on the manufacturer).

Click on the faux finishing images to the right for larger pictures and more detail about each project. Some of these are big files so they may take some time to show up.

Faux Painting - Color Washing, Woodgraining, Sponging
Faux Painting - Ragging, Antiquing, Metallics, Venetian Plaster

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