How to Faux Paint a Wall

Faux painting involves applying different glazes to a wall in order to give it the look of a weathered, textured surface. Common faux paints include marble, brick, and wood. A common alternative to paint, faux paint allows one to vary the consistency of a wall’s color and texture while giving the illusion of having a much more expensive material. There are three common techniques for faux painting. Color wash includes a glaze applied in overlapping brush strokes to produce a worn appearance. Sponging involves using a sponge to apply glaze for a more textured look. Ragging includes the use of a rag or towel to give the wall a milder, more variable style. The preparation for all of these methods is the same.

Choosing a Faux Painting Technique

Decide whether you want a smoother or a more worn look.

Ragging generally gives the smoothest texture. Color wash gives the most worn look, while sponging gives a very textured appearance.

Decide how many coats of paint you want.

The more paint you add to your surface, the more textured the surface will appear. A single coat leaves brush or rag marks on the wall, while a second coat will mostly cover these and provide a more even appearance.

Choosing Faux Paint and Materials

Pick a color for your faux paint.

Look at paint samples in a store to see how paint will appear when applied. You can tweak the brightness of the paint by adding a light or darker base coat, and you can also mix two colors to create different tones.

Purchase your faux paint and painting materials.

Buy the paint, base coat, and other materials–a brush, rag, or sponge, as well spackling paste for filling irregularities in the wall–at a paint or home supply store. Consult sales staff to make sure you are buying the right colors for your faux paint and base coat.

Faux Finishes You Can Do Yourself

Faux Malachite

You mean we’re NOT looking at a table made from crystallized minerals? To make this stunning faux finish, paint a base layer in a bright green mint or teal color. Then, with different shades of darker teal (each in a mixture of one part paint to three parts glaze), use brushes of varying size to create rock-like swirls, layering them slightly over each other.

Faux Marble

I know what you’re thinking—you can’t tell the difference between the real marble and the imitation! With nothing but a feather and three different shades of gray craft paint, the blogger at In My Own Style made her countertop look like actual marble.

Faux Bois

Want to pretend your laminate shelf is actually wood? Well, the Little Green Notebook has got you covered. Once you paint your base color, mix the color of your grain using one part oil-based paint to one part thinner or Penetrol. Paint your surface in sections, then use a wood-grain rocker to form the grain. Make sure to vary your technique to imitate the variations found in a real wood surface.

Faux Exposed Brick

Want some brick where you’ve got none? Well, if you’re up for a bigger undertaking, you—like the intrepid weekend warrior at Do-It-YourselfDesign—can DIY it! Measure and tape the outline for your “bricks” on your wall, then cover with interior stucco. When the stucco is dry to the touch but still soft, remove the tape. Once the wall is completely dry, paint it white and your room will look like it belongs in a NYC brownstone!

Graining.

With faux bois being a recent hot trend in interiors, graining might be the way to go in faux finishes. Purchase a graining tool (specially designed for creating a wood-grain finish), then drag it gently down or across a wet glazed or painted surface. Be sure to rock the graining tool as you go in random, varied spots, to mimic the natural course of wood grain.

Sponging.

The use of a sponge in faux painting has been around for years; it’s a staple in the faux finishing world. Lightly dip a dry sponge into the paint and gently push it onto the surface you’re working with. The key to sponging is to do multiple layers, each very light, to build up to the color density you’re after. You want the sponged colors to be as even as possible across the entire surface. Consider using slightly different shades of the same color for a subtle depth in your finished faux surface.

Stripes:

Stripes are a classic design element that can add interest to any room. Adding stripes to your walls with paint is a technique that gives you the freedom to create original, personalized vertical or horizontal patterns that reflect your taste and lets you customize the colors to match your décor.

Plan out your design — do you want vertical or horizontal stripes? Do you want to paint them on an accent wall or throughout the whole room, or something else outside the box? Choose a color scheme. It’s common to choose two shades of the same color, but you don’t have to limit yourself. For a bolder effect, try contrasting colors that complement one another. For a more subtle striping effect, use the same color for the basecoat and the stripes, but in different finishes. You can be more contemporary by using stripes in varying widths.

Creative Faux Finish Ideas for your Bare Walls

Get inspired by your most loved fabrics and materials

Whether you love the rough appeal of burlap and seagrass or the ultra smoothness of leather and suede, there are many painting techniques to transform your wall. First find fabrics and textiles that evoke an emotion in you that you’d love to carry onto your walls. Depending on your design style, try out a small area first before painting the entire wall!

Using your ceiling to add gorgeous faux finishes

Your ceiling or 5th wall as it is referred to by designers is one of the best places to apply faux finish techniques. Your ceiling is often a missed opportunity to add color, texture and to transform a boring white painted ceiling into a whole other world! When choosing the technique that best fits your decor remember for do it yourself painting to use scaffolding or other safety equipment when applying paint.

Old world style to your modern home

Do you love the appeal of the Mediterranean to your interiors? Try faux finish techniques from distressing, graining, and layering or sponging on a variety of colors to add depth and to age your walls. This technique is perfect for interiors that want to bring a Tuscan or aged “patina” look to their interiors. This technique is common on ceilings in dining rooms and master bedrooms.

Using plaster to bring a rustic appearance to your room

In many European homes and even early Americana homes, plaster was the material of choice for interior walls as it was durable and could be given many different surfaces. Today, drywall is the finish of choice for most interiors, but if you love the rustic appeal of plaster try using a special primer paint and plaster faux finish sold at most paint stores. Perfect for light switch and electrical plates too!

Guide For Stucco Removal, Remediation, And Repair

What Stucco Remediation Means

Unlike a stucco repair, which involves simply sealing cracks and tears in stucco siding, stucco remediation involves replacing an entire defective stucco system. When stucco has been poorly installed, the only way to fix it is by remediating it. Thankfully, remediation is a permanent and one-time fix.

How to Know When to Remediate

Now that you know what stucco remediation is, how you will know when your stucco siding needs remediation? Here are three signs that stucco needs to be remediated:

1. You notice moisture or mold.
   If you see moisture developing in your ceilings or mold growth on your walls, your stucco may have cracks in it that is causing these issues.
2. Its age is impacting its durability.
   Just like everything in life, the older something gets, the weaker it becomes, and stucco is no exception. If your home’s stucco is getting up there in age, it is crucial to have it inspected every year, to either ensure it is structurally sound or needs to be remediated.
3. There’s an increase in absorption.
   Although stucco is more water resistant than wood or linoleum, when you notice resistance decreasing it is time for remediation. When this occurs, it is time to get a quote from a stucco remediation expert right away.

WHAT IS STUCCO REPAIR?

Stucco repair usually refers to re-sealing the stucco around windows, flashing and joints, or removing certain “chunks” of damaged stucco and installing new stucco in its place. Compared to a stucco remediation job, in which the all the stucco siding is removed and replaced, stucco repair is more of a quick fix.

Stucco repair may cost much less than remediation, but the danger in opting for a repair rather than a remediation is that you may not find all the damaged areas and since you’re not fixing the underlying issue—the improper stucco installation—you will most likely have more issues to solve (and more stucco repair costs to cover) a few short months or years down the road.

STUCCO REPAIR COST FACTORS

Price is often a homeowner’s first worry, but when you’re weighing different stucco repair costs and options, it’s important to see the full picture. The money you spend now could pay off in the long run. Here are the most common stucco repair cost factors you will need to consider:

INSPECTION COSTS – An inspection is a crucial first step in diagnosing the problem. Moisture meter readings involve inserting small probes in suspicious areas of your walls to determine the amount of moisture in the wall cavity. After the reading is complete, holes are caulked over and resealed.

Estimated cost: $500*

CONTRACTOR LABOR – Fixing stucco requires expertise to ensure a proper repair. Labor costs vary widely, and in our experience many inexperienced contractors sell second-rate services using unskilled labor. Buyer beware.

Estimated cost: $400 – $1,000*

MATERIAL AND TOOL COSTS – Stucco mix, application tools, paint, paint brush, new weather barriers and flashing, ladder, gloves, eye protection, etc.

Estimated cost for stucco application materials: $300 – $1,000*

EXTENT OF DAMAGE FACTOR – Larger homes and extensive stucco damage will demand higher costs.

Estimated cost: Depends on your situation.

BEST SOLUTION FOR STUCCO HOMEOWNERS

Are you a stucco homeowner? If so, follow these steps to make sure your home is safe.

1. Conduct a visual self-inspection – If you think there may be hidden water damage behind your home’s stucco walls, do a quick sweep of worrisome areas to assess the damage. One of the most common stucco failure symptoms is black streaking in vulnerable areas of the home, such as window corners and chimneys. These tips can educate you on what to look for.
2. Schedule a professional stucco inspection – A professional stucco inspector can tell you with certainty whether or not your stucco needs professional help. They may recommend simple stucco repairs—but beware: these repairs may leave your home at risk.
3. Request a consultation from a stucco remediation company – When a stucco inspection has confirmed your fears of extensive moisture damage behind your walls, it’s important to find and destroy the root cause of the problem. If your stucco issues are not repaired correctly, you put yourself at risk of dealing with more damage, higher expenses, and even health problems in the future. Find a stucco remediation company you can trust to do the job right.

What Are The Warning Signs of Stucco Failure?

As you can see, failing to address stucco related issues can have many undesirable outcomes. Fortunately, there are a number of warning signs which you can use to determine whether you should call a professional. The most obvious warning signs are exterior cracks and damages to your stucco. Have you noticed a staining (known as “stucco tears”) under windows, cracks, or missing pieces altogether? Be sure to also check the stucco around your fixtures. Dark spots, stains, and cracks that form around light fixtures often are signs of rotting wood.

Another sign of impending stucco failure is interior leaking. Assuming you can rule out damaged plumbing as the cause, leaking can indicate that moisture is trapped behind the siding. As a result, it seeps through a home’s walls and ceilings creating unsightly spots and marks on your walls. If you notice leaking, especially on an exterior-facing interior wall or ceiling, it’s best to get it checked out ASAP.

One sign that may not be as obvious as others is the state of the caulk around your doors and windows. Caulk is a material used to seal joints or seams against leakage. When a home succumbs to stucco failure, it lets air and moisture in, which can cause the caulking to dry, shrink, or lose its adhesiveness.

If you notice any of the above warning signs, you should contact a professional immediately as they can be indicative of stucco failure. At best, the cosmetic, outer layer of your stucco is damaged. At worst, your house could be rotting from the inside out.

Paint and Stucco: Not a Good Combination

While you would resort to paint to protect many kinds of materials, stucco is one material that is not well matched with paint. For starters, because it readily absorbs moisture, the stucco sucks up all the paint and you need to apply many coats to cover the surface. The problem is most severe in humid climates. A bigger problem occurs when the moisture that has been absorbed into the stucco gets trapped beneath the sealing layer of paint: The result is unsightly blistering and peeling paint. As bad as this looks, what you can’t see is even worse; the trapped moisture can wick into the wood framing of your home causing the wood to rot. The end result is dangerous mold which can only be removed by tearing out and rebuilding the affected areas.

Once a stucco house is painted, it can be a nightmare to maintain. Because of the relentless peeling, the exterior will need to be scraped, cleaned, primed and repainted every few years.

So what’s the alternative?

Stucco is a durable material that can be left as is; if moisture in the air can pass freely through its porous surface, it will not become trapped inside the building. Stucco can be cleaned as needed with an approved cleaning solution and low water pressure. If cracks occur in the surface, they should be repaired.

Stucco comes in shades of white, neutrals and earth tones. If you are unhappy with the color of your stucco home it can coated with a Portland cement and water mixture that has been tinted with color pigment of your choosing.

How to Choose the Right Commercial Painter

Ensuring it is kept in immaculate condition and looking its best will always be a top concern to those managing the property, and painting is a huge factor to consider when investing in renovation or maintenance. Whether your property is customer facing or is an office space hosting important visitors, you want to create an environment you are proud of as it reflects your business. It is also important to consider your employees and how comfortable they will be in the right environment. Happy employees are more productive, and any business owner would want that for their company.

Make a Shortlist

There is a huge amount of choice available out there. Most people will probably start by looking on the internet for local companies who specialize in commercial painting jobs. Consider what specifications you require and look for providers who specialize in that area. If you have any family or friends who have used commercial painters in the past, it is always worth asking them if they have any recommendations. Being able to actually see the work a company can do is a terrific way to know if they are up to the job. Once you have a list of likely candidates, contact them individually to inquire about a consultation or quote.

Always Do Your Research

Once you have a shortlist, you need to make sure to do some research. Testimonials and references from past customers are crucial. Follow up to see if they are still happy with the work that was carried out and inquire about ongoing maintenance and aftercare. Do some internet searching to see if there are any negative reviews. A negative review doesn’t always mean the company is unusable but see how they responded to it and then make an informed decision. Check to make sure the company has all the relevant licenses and insurance, just in case something goes wrong. If an accident happens or any damage is done you need to make sure you are adequately covered. You can never have too much information, so try and learn as much as you can

Ask for a Detailed Quote and Get it Signed

Make sure that any quote you are provided with shows that the contractor understands the job fully and has included all the specific details you require within the pricing. This includes any prep work that is needed, finishes, the specifics of the surfaces involved and any other unusual requirements. Ask questions if you are unsure of anything and seek advice if necessary. If you are satisfied, sign the quote yourself and make sure the contractor also signs it. Any respectable contractor will not have an issue doing this, and it makes the quote a legally binding contract should anything go wrong.

Cost isn’t Everything

While you will want to keep costs down as much as possible, it is important to not just go for the cheapest quote. You want to make sure that you are getting the best value for money. Quality work isn’t always the cheapest, so if you have it in your budget, investing a little extra for a more professional finish and an excellent service is a very worthwhile thing to do.

How to Choose a Commercial Painting Contractor

Your business or commercial property is extremely important to you, and one of the biggest concerns that you have is keeping it in the best condition possible at all times. If you’re having any part of your property painted, you need to hire a commercial painting contractor who you know you can trust for quality work. Every painting company has a different set of skills, experience, and techniques, so it’s important that you select a contractor who will be able to provide you with all of the specific services that you need. Finding a commercial painting contractor can be difficult, and it’s also extremely important.

Start By Selecting Core Candidates

The first place that most people look for any kind of information is the internet, and any commercial painter’s website should be as helpful to you as it is to their company. You should be able to easily find qualified commercial painters in For Lauderdale online. However, you should also check in local directories, and you should get recommendations from people who have used painters in the past. Select a a few contractors and your core candidates, then call them to ask an estimate and an interview

Don’t Base Your Decision On Pricing Alone

As a business or commercial property owner, the cost of any work that you’re having performed is very important to you. One of the most important qualities of a commercial painting contractor is their ability to provide you with an honest and accurate estimate of the cost of the work. And while you do want to make sure that you’re overpaying for any services, you also don’t want to simply choose the company that offers the lowest estimate. Remember: differences in pricing are often a reflection of the differences in service and quality of work that you’ll receive.

Choose the Right Specialists

When you begin to interview commercial painting contractors, make sure that they have the proper skill set for the jobs that you need to have performed. You should also make sure that the painting company has all the skills and specializations that you’ll need for this job. Otherwise, you may end up needing to hire multiple different companies

Tips Of Choosing Your Commercial Painting Contractor

Commercial painting involves a lot of work and expertise. Therefore, whenever you are thinking of giving a building a facelift, it is essential that you think through about the contractor that will do the painting for you. This is specifically very important because it determines the quality of work that you will get. With all the commercial contractors in town, you are spoilt for choice on whom you can choose and therefore, you can never have any excuse as to why your building looks horrible. Below are some tips to follow when choosing your commercial painting contractor.

Ask around

Whenever it is your first time painting the exterior or interior of your house or business, finding your commercial painting contractor can seem like a huge dark cloud over you. However, nothing could be further from the truth, all you need to first do is ask people around you on the best contractor that they know of. You can ask your friends, colleagues at work, or family members among others and you will surprised about what knowledge people hold. After doing this, you will get a list of the number of good commercial painting contractors in town, which then gives you the license to start finding your ideal commercial painting contractor.

Do research

After you have been given a list of the reputable commercial painting contractors around town, you cannot give them the job all of them. You will need to narrow down on the best contractor who is best suited to paint your building. You can only achieve this by carrying out thorough research on the list if the painter near me contractors that you have on your list. This will enable you find out more about the kin d of people that you will be dealing with. Therefore, ask whether they have licenses, whether they are insured, check their status in the business bureaus and ask the number of years that they have been in the business.

Get their estimates

After you have gotten adequate information about the kind of companies that they are, you can narrow down on your best three commercial painting contractors. These are the best contractors that you have sampled that matches your qualification. After doing this, then ask them to provide you with the estimates of the costs that they will charge to paint your house or business. Pay keen attention to the costs that they give, any low cost or very high costs should raise your red flag. Compare the prices that they charge and do an average of the costs. You can thereafter choose the contractor that charges reasonably affordable without curtailing the quality of the work that they do

Tips for Choosing a Commercial Painting Company

If you’re looking for some helpful hints and tips that will make your life simpler when it comes to hiring a commercial painting company, then this article is going to shed some light on the subject and ultimately ensure that you make the right hiring choice. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a closer look.

Compare your option

Perhaps one of the most important things to do whenever you’re planning to hire a painting contractor is to make sure you are aware of all of your options before you choose to hire any specific company.

Check their references

Once you have gathered information about the painting contractors in your local area, and perhaps even selected a few favorites, a smart idea to check their references in closer detail.

Check their licensing

If you’re living in a state that requires licensing to perform this kind of work, then it’s important to check whether your chosen painting company has the necessary licensing in place.

Conduct a brief interview

Finally, it’s often a good use of your time to perform a quick interview before you part with your cash, as this will give you the perfect opportunity to ask a few questions about the service that’s on offer, along with any technical questions you may have in regards to the supplies they’ll use, any preparation that will be required, and how long the project is likely to take

Tips for Choosing a Commercial Painter

Just like your home, your business or commercial property is important to you.  Painting can be a critical investment in keeping your property in the best possible condition and the decision of which commercial painting contractor to hire should not be taken lightly.  Below are a few things to consider when selecting your commercial painting contractor.

Don’t Make Your Decision on Pricing Alone

While the cost of any task that you are having performed is always going to be important to you and your business, one important quality to look for in a commercial painting contractor is their ability to provide an honest and accurate estimation of the cost of work.  While you don’t want to overpay for any services, you also don’t want to choose a company just because they offer the lowest estimate. Keep in mind that differences in pricing are a reflection of the differences in the quality and service of work you will receive.

Hire a Specialist

Since the physical appearance of your location is closely tied to people’s perception of your business, you need to make sure the company you trust with its appearance has experience working on commercial buildings.  Commercial properties are often large and built with a wide variety of building materials which can present unique challenges to painters. An experienced team of commercial painting contractors will know how to handle all of these challenges effectively.

Excellent Customer Service

In most cases, painting of your commercial property occurs during business hours.  By choosing a commercial painting contractor that is committed to excellent customer service, you will not only find yourself dealing with a company whom your people are comfortable interacting with, but also one which will be able to interact professionally should they come into contact with any of your customers