The word “faux” means false, and faux finishing means paint treatments that make any surface mimic the look of materials found in nature. The phrase faux finishing has expanded to include all types of decorative painting. It is a way to express creativity, and has roots in the Renaissance, when royal and wealthy patrons commissioned artists to decorate their palaces and homes with exquisite and often quite ornate paint finishes.

True Faux

True faux finishing involves techniques that reproduce the look of natural materials that are often prohibitively expensive, such as marble, stone, tortoiseshell, and precious stones like malachite and lapis lazuli. Often, these treatments are used on small areas like moldings, medallions, fireplace surrounds, just as their natural counterparts would be. Fibers such as raw silks and linens are also mimicked in faux finish applications.

Faux finishing also includes aged and antiqued finishes, which reproduce a look of antiquity and can make new walls, molding, furniture and even floors and hardware look like they have been used lovingly for decades or centuries.

For Example

One very popular wall finish is Venetian Plaster. A paste-like base, made up of finely crushed marble, lime and pigments, is applied with a trowel and burnished to leave a finish that reflects light beautifully, mimicking satin, polished marble or even rustic stucco, depending on the application style used.

Verdigris is a popular finish for hardware. It is possible with paint and glaze to replicate on any surface the impact weather has on exposed copper. Skillfully applied, these materials result in the mottled greenish grey (i.e., verdi-gris in French) found on weathered copper roofs and outdoor embellishments, imparting a garden feel to almost any room.

The “Faux” Family

Within the larger family of decorative painting are many techniques that can create an ambiance impossible to achieve with one paint color and a roller. Finishes like color washing, dragging, ragging, sponging, and stippling have common characteristics. They are by manipulating mixture of paint and glaze with tools to leave behind an effect or pattern. The resulting finishes, particularly when multiple shades or colors are skillfully combined, have depth and patina that cannot be created with ordinary paint.

Food Faux Thought

Virtually any pattern in a wallpaper book can be created with paint, glaze and tools, without limiting options to the three or four “colorways” that a wallpaper manufacturer offers. Decorative painting by a professional can be an affordable alternative to wallpaper, and is the best way to get exactly the finish desired.

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