Get an Amazing Professional Looking - Faux Finishes For Walls

Crazy as it might seem, professional painters charging $50.00 and up per hour, will come into your home, and use plastic bags, cheesecloth and sponges, transforming your walls into works of art. You can use the same tools for much less money and also get beautiful custom painted walls. Word of warning... do not overlook the biggest reason for failing when doing specialty painting! When you are ready to throw caution to the wind, experiment a little, and have fun, you are ready for faux painting.

Most everything you need to create unique walls is typically in your home already. Check for masking tape, paint brushes, plastic bags, sponges, and a measuring tape. I always use blue painters tape; get use to using this type of tape. It is easy to take off, will not damage other painted walls, and you can keep it on a wall for extended periods of time.

I love chip brushes, they are very inexpensive and are great for this type of work, because they are thinner and work paint easily into the walls. You will also need at least a 3 inch or larger brush to help blend out the paint. Regular plastic bags from the grocery store are perfect for doing this type of work. You can also use clear plastic wrap. Sea sponges are irregular shaped and have larger holes to place color more randomly, on the walls. A tape measure or ruler is necessary when doing straight lines. I suggest working with a level, the longer the better.

People typically fail because they are not using the correct products. Always use a glazing liquid when doing any type of faux painting. This is the most critical step to guarantee the outcome you are looking for. When adding glazing liquid to water based latex paint, it extends the drying time and creates a transparent or translucent film of color.

It is typically applied over a water-based latex basecoat of paint, eggshell sheen is best...never use over flat finish. This medium will help your colors blend and flow together easier. Colors are very hard to blend and typically look like blobs of paint without this medium. Mix according to the manufactures directions.

A professional coming into your home will cost $50.00 and up per hour; but you can do it for a fraction of the cost and have fun learning something new. Do your homework; there are many wonderful books on faux painting. They give very detailed pictures and descriptions. Follow the directions and you can have a professional looking custom painted home.