Designer's Corner: Faux Painting Murals & Techniques

Using careful painting techniques to create an incredibly convincing appearance of distinctive materials or textures is not new, but the art has advanced rapidly over the last couple decades.  Faux painting or finishing—“faux” being the French word for fake—began many millennia ago.  From the ancient Egyptians’ cave paintings to the plaster and stucco finishes found in Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago, the decorative arts are nothing new.

Yet the techniques that became popular in the 1980s and 90s such as “sponging” or “ragging” are no longer “in.”  Both the methods and the materials have evolved.

These days, a faux painting or custom mural project usually begins with a unique spark of inspiration.  Inspiration can come from magazines, fabric swatches, photographs or anywhere that colors, shapes and textures are present. 

A professional faux finishing artist can also assist heavily in the planning process.  Professionals spend years apprenticing under master faux artisans or at least researching and developing careful techniques that produce high-quality results.  They also know how different walls or pieces of furniture react to their paints.  Before lifting a brush to the wall, faux painting artists usually create a 3D sample board so you can see the finished product.

Once the faux painters push up their sleeves and get to work, they can transform walls and furniture into hundreds of designs.

“I love woodgraining,” said Lisa Cameron, owner of L.A. Cameron Decorative Finish Designs.  “With the woodgraining technique, I can use paint to make a plain door or cabinets look like walnut, oak, cherry, mahogany, you name it!”  Dozens of homeowners have hired Cameron’s company to transform their garage doors into luxurious-looking woods.  Woodgraining can also be done to furniture such as vanities—restoring, enhancing, and transforming all at the same time. 

Or, for a twist, faux finishers can create a distressed look known as “old world.”  This gives walls and furniture an antique feel.  Venetian plaster is another favorite, creating the look of depth and texture where, in reality, there is none.  Metallics are popular, too.

Cameron, like most decorative finish artists, often gets the opportunity to create a finish that’s never been seen before.  One homeowner hired Cameron to transform her walls to the look of ice.  As you might imagine, there’s no handbook on creating an ice-like appearance.  But add in a little creativity, and the result is astounding.
 
Cameron combined a range of metallic paints, wax and even crystal jewels embedded within the layers, dubbing the texture “cracked ice.”  The customer not only gets to enjoy the look of shimmery, deep ice in her home—she can be absolutely sure that none of her neighbors have the same finish!

Sally Massey of Wall Works found a different niche.  “We find many of our clients are most impressed by the marble texture we create with paint,” Massey said.  “We’ve transformed columns and staircases to look like they were made of solid marble.  Our work with a Rufty Homes house owned by [NFL #1 draft pick] Mario Williams helped the house win gold in the 2006 Chatham County Parade of Homes.  People simply can’t tell the difference between the real material and the faux finish.  They’re flabbergasted when we tell them that’s our painting work.”

Another company, Kluttz Thompson Designs, found yet a different forte within painting.  While owners Earle Kluttz Thompson and Raines Thompson do some of the traditional faux finishes like woodgraining, marbleizing and colorwash, they’re most proud of something very unique—a series of murals painted at the University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

“We began working with the UNC Children’s Hospital back in 2001 before the new facility even opened,” said Raines Thompson.  “A former UNC basketball player and his wife came up with the idea of painting friendly scenes for the children staying there.  We started with eight themed treatment rooms and it grew from there.”

Some of the Kluttz Thompson Designs’ murals include a jungle, an ocean, outer space, a beach and a farm.  Monkeys, zebras, tigers and elephants line the hallways, along with a waiting room filled with a mural of lively musicians enjoying their music-making.  The response has been positive—from kids, to parents, to the doctors and nurses who work there.

And while rooms for children make great places for murals, artists find that nearly anything may be requested of them.  Thompson added, “One client asked us to recreate a portion of Michelangelo’s painting The Creation of Adam along a curved wall in their home.  That was new for us!”

Wall Works was also asked to do a mural.  “In a builder’s personal house, we were asked to do a six foot by six foot mural of four Pittsburgh Steelers football players known as the ‘Steel Curtain,’” said Massey. “He gave us a 3” x 4” picture to work from.  It turned out so great that he says when he moves, he plans to remove the mural and take it with him.”

While faux painting and murals are usually about creating a new and stunning look, the same techniques can be used for the task of repairing.  When homeowners accidentally tear part of their wallpaper or otherwise damage a wall, faux painting can often fix and hide the error completely.

When all is said and done, the mystery and the magic of faux painting is creating the appearance of something that isn’t really there.  Lisa Cameron experienced this thrill with her recent work at a home in the Linville subdivision of North Raleigh.  “The builder was supposed to put custom oak molding along the staircase, but somehow it was overlooked.  Plain white molding was installed.”  They called Cameron’s company to fix the problem more quickly and cost-effectively than it would have been to tear out the molding and make drywall repairs.

“After I painted, glazed and finessed the molding, it truly looked like oak.  But the best compliment came in the form of an upset trim carpenter.  He actually thought he had been replaced and that another carpenter had torn out the molding.  He said, “I literally couldn’t tell the difference.”  That is music to any faux finisher’s ears.

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Faux Distressed Housing Items

Your walls, doors and cabinets do not have to be the only items to carry the distressed look in your home. Fifty years ago a distressed piece of furniture meant that it was old and worn or had been used way too many times. Today the distressed look is “in” and can be applied to brand-new furniture, frames, mirrors, or just about any wooden decoration found in your home. Here’s what you can do to give life to a decoration that you have had for years or to a new item you would rather give a distinct look:

Materials:
• Item to be distressed
• Latex satin paint for the basecoat
• Latex satin paint or a wood stain for the topcoat
• Painting tools
• Candle
• Medium-grade steel wool
• Sandpaper
• Polyurethane to finish (Optional)

Lightly sand the object. If the items already have a finish such as paint or varnish, sand the surfaces very well.

Select a paint color or stain that will expose the distressed areas of the bare wood. If you decide, you can add stain to it afterwards, which will give age to the color you chose. You can also add polyurethane over the finished project or brighter color for the basecoat so it shows up through the topcoat.

If you chose bare-wood, sand off the areas that would look naturally distressed (after the basecoat is dry). If you want to show color rub candle wax on the areas you would like color to show through.

For a topcoat you can add an “aged look” with stain or a polyurethane stain which will protect the distressing.

If you use color, paint over the basecoat and wax. Then rub steel wool over the waxed areas. Dust off the item then use a water-based polyurethane for protection.

Photo Credit

Kitchen Photograph courtesy of L.A. Cameron Decorative Finished Designs

Wall Photography courtesy of L.A. Cameron Decorative Finished Designs

Cow/Farm Photo courtesy of Kluttz Thompson Design

Pittsburgh Steelers' "Steel Curtain" mural courtesy of Wall Works