Creating Faux Finishes With Paint
People with marble and wood desires but paint can budgets can create the look of nearly any material imaginable with the proper paint products and tools. Read on for some faux-finish painting ideas.
Marble
Marble is the epitome of luxury, and its price tag reflects that. To get the look of marble on walls or the floor, first choose the colors. A base of black with a middle tone of grey and green with veins of white is pretty. Choose a dark color for the base, two complementary colors for the mid-tones and a light color for the veins. Paint the surface with the base color, and let it dry. Then put the mid-tone colors in a spiral pattern on a paper plate, dip a sponge in the paint, and dab the paint all over the base color. When that dries, dip a feather into the lightest color and use it to paint uneven veins all over the surface.
Seagrass Wallpaper
People who love the look of seagrass wallpaper but don't want to deal with the hassle of hanging wallpaper can get the same look with paint. After a wall is covered with wet paint or glaze, a long-bristled dragging brush can be pulled through the paint horizontally or vertically to create a textured surface with deep lines in it. Consider a checkerboard pattern of horizontal lines and vertical lines to create more interest in the room.
Wood Grain
Recreating the look of wood grain is a popular faux painting technique and all that's needed is a little paint and a special graining tool, which should be available at a store that sells paint products. Choose a base color and a lighter color. Remember that this should be a fun project, and there's no need to choose natural wood colors. First put down a layer of the base coat. When that dries, put down a layer of the lighter color mixed with glaze. First drag the wood graining tool's teeth through the lighter color and then go back and gently rock and drag the tool across the surface to create the look of wood grain.
Brick
To create an exposed brick wall, simply cut some synthetic sponges into brick shapes. Glue them to plywood in a classic off-set brick pattern, and paint them in various shades of red or brown. Once the brick wall is dry, hang the plywood up to create an instant exposed brick wall.
With these techniques and the right paint products, you can create the precise look you want.