Faux Painting Techniques

There are two categories when it comes to faux finishing: broken color and imitation. Broken color is simply combining colors to get what you want, while imitation means trying to mimic the look of something, like stone, marble or wood, on your walls.

Prep Work

In older homes, to remove dirt, grime and grease from the walls simply use a bleach solution (bleach and a lot of water) and a sponge to wipe down the walls. Once the walls have dried, you are ready to add primer. Be sure to remove switchplate and outlet covers, move furniture out of the way and tape off windows, doors, baseboards and window trim. Put down dropcloths, especially if you have carpet.

Venetian Technique

You'll be using joint compound for this technique. Joint compound is thick. If you find it is too thick, just add a small amount of water to the compound as you go to get a thinner product. This will allow for a thin coat, which is key to the technique. You will also need drywall mud knives and a drywall mud tray.

Once you've finished adding compound and the wall is completely dry, it's time to add paint--in this case, burgundy flat latex wall paint. Use a roller to apply paint to larger areas, a brush for tighter areas. For a lightly-colored wall, use two coats of paint. Next, use an artist's brush to apply a mixture of black paint and glaze (a 50/50 mix) to the low areas in small strokes (figure B).

Immediately follow the black paint with a mixture of burgundy paint and mostly glaze applied with a large brush over the black paint areas (figure C). Wipe the glaze over the entire wall, blending the black paint as much as you desire. The final step is to repeat the same process with white paint, applying the white paint over raised areas, then blending. This will create another level of relief on the wall (figure D). Of course, the choice of colors is up to you.

Once your prep work is complete, paint a base coat, such as a bright white semi-gloss. Tape off all trim. Select your top-coat paint color and mix with glaze--it should be three parts glaze to one part paint (3:1). Select a different color to mix 50/50 with glaze. You can also add a polyacrylic to this mixture to give the paint a sheen and allow for easier cleaning.

Mix the 3:1 paint/glaze mixture. Then mix the other color 50/50 with glaze, adding the polyacrylic. Use a short nap roller to add the 3:1 mixture to the walls first. With a clean cotton rag, begin adding the 50/50 mixture with sweeping, swirling motions (figure E). Work in small sections, varying the size and direction of your swirls. Once the paint dries, you are finished (figure F).

Once your prep work is complete, apply a base coat, such as a powder-blue semi-gloss. Now the fun part--using a feather duster to apply the top coat (which is a slightly different color than the base coat). Dip the feather duster in the paint and apply it lightly to the wall (figure G). There is no right or wrong way to apply the paint. Keep the pattern varied, however, and apply as much or as little as you prefer. You can also incorporate a third or even fourth color. "Feather dust" the entire room. When the room is dry, you are finished (figure H).