Faux finish offers genuine design

Jun 17, 2011 |

"Ragging, crackling, dragging, sponging or applying several layers of paints and glazes to expansive areas of walls to achieve dramatic surfaces with lots of depth and color certainly isn't as popular right now as it was in the 1980s and '90s," says Vanessa, "and the return of wallcoverings is certainly one reason. But décor application trends are cyclical. Currently, my clients are interested in achieving custom looks for repurposed furniture, counter surfaces and things like fireplace surrounds, mantles, door frames, things like that. There will always be a market for faux finish techniques because people will always be fascinated by how paint techniques can transform an object."

As a decorative art and a way to achieve rich looks on a pauper's budget, faux finish artistry has been around since the ancients decorated their homes and temples. The pharaohs' artisans used faux finish techniques to replicate the look of exotic wood graining, and ruins of Pompeii show examples of clever faux finishes used in homes in that ancient Italian city. Faux marbling was and is a part of most church décor, and artisans used it inside the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art when that edifice underwent its remodel several years ago.

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