Faux Painting Techniques for Walls

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Faux painting techniques help create an interesting looking textured look on the walls. Scroll down to acquaint yourself with some easy DIY faux painting techniques that you can try out.

There are many ways to create a faux painting. Basically, the faux painting techniques are divided into two categories. One is positive and the other is negative. Both can be used to create some interesting faux-textured walls.

In the positive technique, paint is added on to the walls to create a faux painting, while in the negative one, the opposite is done, i.e., removing the paint to create textures.

Faux Painting Techniques Enlisted

Sponging

This is the simplest of all techniques. Just dip a sponge in the paint and keep pressing it in random directions to create prints. Cover the entire wall without overlapping. Then, let this coat dry before applying a new one.

Ragging

For this faux finishing, one needs to paint a tinted glaze over the base-painted walls. Apply a good wadded up dry rag or twist the rag in a cylindrical form and then use it. Keep dabbing the rag in different directions to remove the glaze.

Color Washing

This technique involves the application of a tinted glaze mixture over the base paint coat in a circular motion, as if you were washing the surface of a car.

To create these circular patterns, you can use a rag for a soft velvety look or use a natural sea sponge for a more well-defined textured wall look.

Strié

To create an aged texture on the wall, use this technique. With a roller, apply a tinted glaze over the base paint coat. Then, use a wallpaper brush to create fine lines from top to bottom. In this technique, the glaze should be darker than the base coat so that it allows the lighter base to be seen through the fine lines.

Combing

To learn faux finishing technique, apply a glaze using a roller. Then, with a quick hand, run a comb through it to create vertical or horizontal stripes. Else, you can even create a crisscross pattern by working fast. Also, with a little wavy motion, you can create a wavy pattern.

Crackling

To try out these faux painting ideas, first apply the paint with a roller. Then, let it dry for 4 hours. Thereafter, apply a second coat by using the roller in the same direction, without overlapping the earlier strokes. Immediately, you will see that the tip coat will have a crack-like pattern.

Marbling

Here are some marble faux painting techniques and tips. Clean the wall and then paint it with an eggshell paint and leave it to dry overnight. Next day morning, apply a thin layer of linseed oil.

Next, black oil paint is mixed with a bit of eggshell to create a gray shade, which is then added a bit here and there over the linseed oil layer. Then, dab a rag on the wall to break up the color and get rid of the excess paint.

Thereafter, soften the surface further. Next, with an artist's brush, add some veining pattern of medium gray shade. Make sure that it is in a diagonal pattern and not even. Finally, with a feather dipped in white spirit, apply it backwards to separate the bits and create a fine veining texture.

So, do bear in mind the given tips for faux painting and create extremely interesting looking wall textures. If this is your first time creating these textures, then first try out the technique on a large piece of cardboard and then proceed to work on the walls.