How to Faux Finish a Room

New faux finishing tools make it easier than ever to decorate painted walls. With a sculpted twin roller, you can apply a decorative pattern with two glaze colors at one time. In less than a day, you can transform plain-Jane walls with an easy-to-apply decorative finish that's sure to create a handcrafted look.

Many paint manufacturers offer faux systems with a palette of colors that are designed to work together. They typically include a latex base coat and a glazing liquid that you mix with latex paint. Although you can use regular paint for the decorative finish, glaze has a semitranslucent quality that creates a finish with striking depth.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?
A painting contractor will charge $400 to apply a decorative finish on the painted walls of a 10-by-12-foot room. (This price covers two shades of glazing liquid mixed with latex paint.) But you can do the job for $110 and pocket more than a 75 percent saving. The money you'll save is impressive, but we think you'll enjoy working with this simple system even more. Don't pay someone else to have all the fun.

Step by Step
1. Prepare and protect your room. For the best results, make sure the walls are clean and free of grease and stains before you apply the decorative finish. Then protect surfaces that you don't intend to paint. Remove furniture entirely, or move it away from the walls and cover it with plastic drop cloths. Cover the floor with canvas drop cloths, which are less slippery to walk on than plastic ones. Remove the cover plates from switches and receptacles, and mask them, the woodwork and the ceiling with painter's masking tape.

2. Mix the glaze. Mix the paint and glaze liquid and pour enough to fill the bottom of each side of the divided tray with your two colors. (We like to start with 2 parts glaze to 1 part latex paint.) Be sure to record the ratio used so you can match the finish if you need more.

3. Test your colors and technique. The best way to get the hang of this twin roller is to practice on full-size sheets of poster board (or cardboard) painted with the base color of your walls. Use subtly contrasting colors to produce the diffused, mottled look shown here. High contrast may be dramatic when you apply it, but most of us find that it gets old fast.

Tip From the Pros
To prevent the sculpted roller from making a pattern that's too uniform, deliberately change your rolling technique. Try overlapping a W and an S pattern so one pattern masks the other. Vary the amount of paint you put on the roller, the amount of pressure and how much you roll back over the wet paint.

4. Apply the glaze. Insert the plastic splatterproof grids in each section of the divided tray. Dip the twin roller into the glaze mixture and gently roll it back and forth to remove the excess. Apply the glaze finish on one 4-by-4-foot section of the wall at a time. The more you roll over the same section, the more you blend the colors and the less distinct the pattern. If the roller gets overloaded with paint and the pattern loses some of its sharpness, clean your roller with warm soapy water and wring it out. Then run the clean roller on scrap paper before you go back to the wall so that you can maintain a consistent pattern. When you stop for a break or at the end of a session, try to stop at a corner or some other logical breaking point. If you stop and start in the middle of the wall, you're likely to see a noticeable transition.

5. Paint around trim with the edging tool. Use the kit's edging tool an irregular stamp to paint alongside trim, doors and windows and against inside corners. Use light pressure and change the stamp's orientation to avoid a repetitious pattern.

6. Clean up with a brush and roller spinner. Clean roller covers and tools with warm soapy water. For the easiest and most effective cleaning at the end of the project, use a brush and roller spinner to spin out the moisture inside a 5-gallon bucket or deep laundry sink; then wash and spin again.

Hire a Pro
Professional faux painters may be a bit difficult to find. Interior decorators and designers and paint stores are good sources for referrals. There are two distinct types of professionals in the field. True faux painters are experts and can execute a wide variety of finishes. House painters turned faux painters typically have more limited expertise, and their work can range from excellent to amateurish. Your choice may depend on whether you know exactly what you want or are open to what they do well.

The painter should come to your home to see the space, evaluate the conditions and show you a portfolio and sample boards. Before you sign any agreement ask to have a sample made as a reference. Any charge for samples is usually credited against the final cost.

Ask for former client references, follow up with calls and, if possible, go see the painter's work. Naturally this is more convenient in public places, but if someone has agreed to be a reference, they usually enjoy the opportunity to show off the work. In the end, the best advice is to request that a custom sample board be made for your project.

Typically, the process starts with a phone call or meeting to determine if your needs and budget seem to match the painter's skill and rates. Then the painter will come to your home to see the space and evaluate the conditions, show you a portfolio and samples, and discuss what is to be done. Then, the painter may be able to give a "ballpark" estimate for a particular finish. The next step is to sign an agreement and have custom samples made. Any charge for samples is usually credited against the final cost.

The final agreement should include a detailed description of the work (with an attached custom sample), the total cost, start and completion dates, and a payment schedule. Anytime you have someone work in your home, you should insist on receiving by fax or mail a Certificate of Insurance showing liability and worker's compensation coverage.

Finally, be aware that painting rarely hides imperfections, and it often makes them more noticeable. If the surface needs a lot of repair work or a dark color requires two or more prime coats, you might be better off doing this part of the job yourself.

Design Tips
Choose colors that you like. Although you can achieve striking results with contrasting colors, the subtlety of decorative finishes is usually most appealing. Using complementary or similar colors is less risky for people with limited experience. The amount of contrast between colors on the wall will be greater than you might guess from looking at sample cards. Since multiple colors are involved, the results, both in hue and tint/shade, are an "average" of your choices. Red and white will be pink; a dark shade and light tint produces a medium shade. If possible, bring samples of upholstery, carpeting or draperies to the paint store, or bring sample cards home. For one of your colors, choose one that picks up a color in your furnishings, which will unify the room design.