Faux Finishing

Faux finishing is a painting technique used to create the illusion of texture on a wall.

It's developed into something of an art form, using simple tools like sponges and rags to produce effects that leave virtually no traces of the tools. But it is something that a do-it-yourselfer can tackle.

It's appropriate on drywall, plaster or wood, and it requires no more preparation than any other new paint job, just a clean, primed surface ready for finishing.

Paint Choices

With most faux finishing, you're applying one or more accent colors over a base coat of your main color.

The base coat is usually a regular latex wall paint with usually either a flat or an eggshell finish.

The accent colors can either be latex or alkyd-based paints with the finish (flat or eggshell) matching the base coat. Latex paint dries more quickly which means you can apply another color much sooner, and it also cleans up much more easily.

But the longer drying times of the alkyd-based paints gives you more time to fine-tune them on the wall, and that can be a factor in getting the finish to look just right.

Applying Base Coat

The first step in any faux finish is to apply the base coat, and usually that's just cutting in and rolling out a single colored paint as you would on a normal paint job.

Be sure it's thoroughly dry before moving on to the next steps.

Sample Boards

Before applying a faux finish over your base coat, it's a good idea to test your colors and techniques on a sample board.

The most realistic surface would be a piece of drywall, primed and then painted with your base coat. But cardboard or newspaper will suffice.

Whatever you use, practice the technique till you're comfortable with it and then move on to the wall. And if you're working with more than one accent color, working on a sample board will let you determine the best order for applying them and achieving the effect you want.

Sponge Finishes

The most common faux finishes are accomplished with natural sea sponges, applying one or more accent colors over the base coat.

If you're using a latex paint that can be thinned with water, experts recommended thinning it with one part water for eight parts paint for best results.

TIP: Don't use synthetic sponges because they produce straight, regular patterns that are noticeable on the wall. Natural sponges are much more irregular and produce tracks on the wall that are less obviously sponge applications, and buy enough sponges so you can use one color per sponge.

Sponging the First Layer

Use the flat bottom of the sponge to apply the paint, first soaking the bottom with paint, "offloading" the excess onto cardboard or newspaper and then applying it to the wall.

Daub the paint on lightly, making "sponge-prints" on the base coat and overlapping only as much as needed for continuity. Don't sponge over any prints yet, or it'll fill in too much paint. And twist the sponge to the right and to the left between prints so they look more random and exhibit no obviously repeating pattern.

Reload the sponge with paint as often as you need, but try to move quickly across the wall so you don't overwork any areas.

TIP: It's hard to work a full sponge into the corners, so a cut a sponge into narrows strips before you start and have those standing by to do the edges and the angles.

Sponging Subsequent Layers

When the first sponge layer is done, start the second layer, sponging on the new color in the same random fashion over the prints of the first layer but allowing the colors to show through the holes and openings in the second layer.

Occasionally step back from the wall to make sure there's no pattern developing and no obvious areas of lighter or darker paint. Finish covering the wall and repeat the process for the third layer, if there is one.

On the final layer, let your own preferences guide you on how much or how little to apply. The idea, though, is to end up with a random mixture of colors and shades that don't look like they were sponged on.

NOTE: If you don't like what you end up with, remember you can just paint over it if you want.

Rag Roll Finish

Rag-rolling is a faux finish similar in technique to the sponge finish, but you use rags instead.

Once the base coat is done, you dip the rag in the accent paint, wring it out and bunch it up into a loose ball, set it on the wall and then roll it across the wall, letting the loose edges of the cloth spread the paint in a random fashion.

As with the sponge finish, you should change direction of the rolling as you move across the wall to enhance the random nature.

This technique will produce a lot of paint in some areas and a lot less in others, so you may want to go over some areas a couple of times to balance them out a bit.

Parchment Glaze

A variation on the rag roll technique produces a finish that looks like old parchment. To achieve it, you mix one part oil-based glazing liquid (available at paint stores) with one part oil-based paint and one part mineral spirits or paint thinner. That gives you a much thinner mixture which leaves a more translucent finish over your base coat.

The application is a bit different from the rag roll in that you apply the glaze over the base coat with a paint roller but not corner to corner, though. Just roll out a few strokes of paint, not trying to spread it thoroughly.

Then use the rag to spread the glaze into the dry areas, rolling it as you go to produce variations in the finish. You should try to get some glaze over the entire wall for the true parchment texture, but don't overwork it or you'll lose those variations that create the texture.