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Faux finishes are a popular new trend for interior painting. Commonly used on accent walls and commercial or public locations, they can really add an eye-catching and impressive statement to any home or office.

What are Faux Finishes?

According to Wikipedia, faux finishes are “...decorative paint finishes that replicate the appearance of materials such as marble, wood or stone.” The word Faux is French for false. So faux finishes or faux painting is painting using techniques to make the surface appear as if it something other than the usual kind of surface. So, for example, instead of making your wall look like it’s drywall painted off-white, it will look like it’s made of marble. There are many different techniques for faux finishing that can make your walls look like unpainted wood, stones, tile, cloth, metal, or almost anything else.

Historically, faux painting was used as far back as cave paintings and in tombs of ancient Egypt. It became popular in classical times when artists would have to apprentice to a master for as long as 10 years before they were allowed to work on their own. Actually tricking people into thinking a faux painted wall actually was the real thing was rewarded with accolades.

Over the years faux finishing resigned in popularity periodically with the changing trends but peaked during the neoclassical revival of the 19th century and the Art Deco period in the 1920s. 

More recently, faux finishes became popular in the late 1980s and 1990s when the wallpapering trend of the previous period fell out of favor.

Today faux finishes are most commonly used in commercial or public spaces.

Faux painting can also be used on furniture. We’ve all seen this done on wooden furniture that’s brand new but painted up to give it that “shabby chic” or “distressed” look.

What Does Faux Finishing Cost?

The cost of faux finishing can be much higher than the cost of painting with experts getting paid in the neighborhood of {price_symbol}80/hour.

Some faux finishing techniques can be quite simple requiring only a colored glaze and using natural sea sponges to apply it to the wall, while other techniques may take years to master. There are many online resources for learning how to achieve the simplest faux finishes.

How do You Get Faux Finishes?

You can try to do it yourself. This will require you to purchase all the materials and tools, learn how to use them, and prepare for getting paint all over yourself. You will need to clean the wall you want to paint, prime it, paint it a solid color, and then start your faux finish process. It might be as simple as applying a colored glaze with a sponge or it might require adding plaster to the wall to create a specific kind of texture that will then get painted. Oh, and don’t forget your drop cloths, turpentine, and moving all the furniture out of the way. It’s kind of a big deal and takes a fair amount of time. This might be no problem if you are sequestered at home during a pandemic with nothing better to do all day. If you are working full time, this might be more work than you have time to handle. If that’s the case, then you should spend a little time carefully deciding exactly what you want your wall(s) to look like and then hiring a professional who knows exactly how to create that finish. 

Contact Excellent Painters

Excellent Painters in Colorado can help you with that. Give them a call and let them know what you want them to do. They will provide you with a free no-obligation estimate and then take care of all the dirty work for you.