8 Common Faux Finish Mistakes and How You Can Avoid Them

The elements of faux painting aren’t difficult but there’s always room for error here and there. Keep these important tips in mind and you’re half way there.

1. Your end result is only going to be as good as your materials. That applies to paint and brush quality but above all to your surface. Think of it as your canvas. You’re about as likely to achieve your aims on a surface coated with flat paint as you would be painting on tissue paper.

Eggshell or satin base paint is the best undercoat. Faux finishes don’t work as well on flat paint surfaces. Paint also needs to dry slowly and flat finishes tend to dry quickly and the scope for fixing mistakes is limited. Finally, underlying flat paint just seems to dull finishes.

2. Forget fancy equipment. You don’t need it and you can find economical substitutes for specialist equipment. Buy quality paint and paintbrushes instead of splurging on gimmicks. As a paint palette try using ice cube trays. They have the added advantage of storing more paint. Almost any soft sponge will serve as an applicator and you don’t need to buy one from an art supply shop.

You can save yourself heaps by using common sense. Dishwashing liquid cuts grease and will even clean some oil-based paints (such as cream stencils), not only water-based paints. Leftover paint can be frozen rather than being left to dry out and hence wasted.

3. Your results depend on the surface you start with. You must fill cracks and cavities before you start, but it doesn’t end there. You then need to sand it and seal it with a water-based sealant. To ensure sure that the patch job blends in with the surroundings you need to make sure it is the same colour. Use the original paint if you have it or, alternatively, you can tint the sealant using some acrylic paint of the appropriate color. Don’t cut corners on surface preparation - flaws will show through.

4. Remember the old adage: oil and water don’t go together. It’s easy to skip reading the labels on the tin in your eagerness to get going but it can be a costly error. Know which of your paints are water-based and which are oil paints. Remember that latex paints contain water.

5. Not only is it true that mess is stress, but lack of cleanliness will foul up your finish. You need to clean brushes really well if you don’t want previously used colors contaminating your handiwork. Running water and finger massage won’t clean properly. That doesn’t mean you need expensive professional cleaning pads. Check the kids’ department: you can find cleaning pads there at a fraction of the price.

You need to maintain a clean working environment, especially when working for others. Small splashes on carpets can be handled without chemicals. Try nail scissors. Wait until the paint is dry. Adding water just spreads it. Then snip the soiled ends, strand by strand. This won’t work on larger patches, so make sure you use drop cloths as a preventative measure. For disasters that can’t be trimmed out, try product called Goof Off.

6. When using glazes, wet is the watchword! You need to finish in one seamless session. That means no bathroom breaks (so go before you start!) or refreshment interludes. Wet and dry edges won’t mix, the dry glaze won’t spread and it will show. Work fast, especially in hot dry climates.

8. It’s not only great artists who have their own style of painting. Your own rhythm and movement when applying paint is distinctive and if two people with different styles work on adjacent areas of wall, the difference can be obvious. Even your own style can alter over a day’s work: when you start flagging, for example. If it’s a team effort, work on different walls (or alternate layers). Your work will be more consistent if each area is completed in a defined session.