Home Decorating Ideas - What you should know about Faux Finishes

The word ?faux? actually means false, and refers to the technique of making one material look like another.
For example: A concrete column can be made to look like it was made out of Marble or Granite. Or old kitchen cabinets can be changed into new oak cabinets without buying any wooden panels at all ? the correct applied Faux Finish makes it possible.
With BLEND and GLAZE, a semi-translucent glazing and blending medium, faux finishes and decorative painting techniques can be created easily. This can be done with different techniques like sponging, rag rolling, or dragging.

General Tips
Always prepare the surface properly before you do any faux finsihes!

Surface Preparation

? A completely sealed surface is important for successful faux finishes.
? Fill all cracks or holes with a spackling Compound Prime and seal with a Primer Sealer or another primer of your choice. Apply a base coat of any interior latex paint (flat, satin or semi-gloss) in a color of your choice and let it dry overnight.
? Once the base coat is dried, mask off any areas which won?t be glazed by using a blue painter's tape. Remove the tape immediately after the last glazing step.

? Do first some samples to see how your used technique will look.
? Work in small sections, start in an upper corner and complete one wall or section, stopping in a corner or natural break.
? Work quickly and complete each section before the glaze becomes tacky, (in about 10 -15 minutes). When doing negative applications, leave a thick wet edge of unworked glaze at the end of each section to allow blending of the next section.
? Wear gloves when glazing; your hands will get really dirty.
? Always use lint-free rags.

Choosing the right color

?The easiest way to choose colors is by using the take home color strips available at your local paint store.
?Select colors that compliment your furniture, window treatments, carpet or wallpaper to coordinate the look of your room.
?Since finishing with BLEND & GLAZE is a process that consists of layering different translucent colors over a base coat, you should choose colors that are in the same color family to achieve the best results.
?The final color will be most predominant. Start with the color you want to see least and end with the color you want to see most.

Color strips are usually arranged in shades from light to dark. It is better to choose a light color for the base coat. The glazeing color(s) should be two or three shades deeper than the base coat. For a softer, frosted effect, you can reverse this by selecting a dark base coat and the glaze color(s) two to three shades lighter.
Should a color get too dark you won't be able to lighten it up. Ins uch a case thr whole section has to be redone! Always start with light colors!

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Article Source: What you should know about Faux Finishes - Tips and Tricks