Faux Finishing

Want to tackle a new subject today - faux finishing. How much is it and what is it?

Faux finishing covers a wide variety of layered painted and glazed finishes as well as the many craft finishes. The local market has done a pretty good job in product selections for the do-it-yourselfers. But as with all new materials, practice makes perfect. To produce a believable, elegant faux finish, you must have a keen sense of visual balance and be able to assess a large area of work for consistency in stroke, hue, and general shading. It is very easy to start out with a certain randomness only to end up with a complete different finish in another end of the room. It may be too dark in certain areas, or too heavy. Being able to compensate and correct are key.

Let's look at the typical and the unusual faux finishes out there. First, there are the usual finishes which include water based glazes used for stipling, ragging, sponging and the like. They produce good results in a limited, but fairly good range, palette of colors. I recommend these for people who have limited practice, but want the satisfaction of doing it themselves.

For others, who want the artistic expression of rich color and detail, I highly recommend hiring a faux finisher. Faux finishers typically specialize in a certain type of finish though. While a true artist works in many mediums, faux finishers will typically master a handful of finishes and those are the ones they practice. It is important to match your desired finish with an experienced finisher.

Trompe' Loi
If you want a mural on a wall, you will want to hire someone who specializes in trompe' loi. Trompe' loi is the mural painting that fools the eye. It extends the visual field beyond the flat surface of the wall, fooling you into believing there really is a garden beyond the area you stand, or a piazza, grotto or any other vast scenery.

Murals
Muralists do not necessarily paint to fool you into believing there is something beyond, but more to paint framelessly onto a flat wall. This can be vinework, a mountain scene, an ocean view, architectural or portrait topics, and many more, but again, it isn't there to make you believe you are in an aquarium with a whale, just that you have a great picture of one on your wall.

Wood Graining
Wood graining almost falls within the trompe' loi category because a bad wood graining attempt can devastate an interior, but beautiful and realistic wood graining finish can make a room stately and grand.

Glazed Finishes
Glazing is a process of mixing water or oil based paint with water or oil based glze (matching the base) and applying and layering complementary glazes to give an interior a rich formal or informal feel. Striation, pattern, hue, and of course the wall finish itself all lend to the finish appeal. Glazed finishes are preferable in many higher end interiors as their overall finish is much richer than simple painted finishes. One must be careful however, not to glaze every room in a house as the flow of finishes from room to room can chop up the interior easily.

Painted Finishes
The categories of painted finishes include colorwashing, paint layering, aging, crackle finish, stenciling, stippling, ragging, and many others. Paints and glazes are two of the most versatile mediums for creating unique tonal and textural faux finishes.

Gold & Silver Leafing
Underlaying gold leafing through painted stencil and glazed finishes lends a defining character to formal interiors. One of the most expensive finishes on the market, it is combined with other higher end finish techniques. Gold leafing or silver leafing is one faux finish that will withstand trends that come and go as long as the companion finish is also timeless.

Surface Preparation
Surface preparation varies for each of these finishes. Some require flat wall finish, others can hide the typical applied textures builders put into homes to create a finer wall finish. In the local area, I have seen so many walls completely destroyed with thick gobs of drywall mud, when a finer rustic finish would have been much better. If I have to go in to a home and remove that garbage, I charge an extra $7.00 per square foot as it is the hardest mess to get off of a wall I have ever come across. You literally have to use the equivalent of a cheese grater (called a rasp) and remove those thick layers, wet it down, scrape it, sand the wall flat and then apply a new texture before you can even begin to faux finish. Unless you live in an adobe house, I do not recommend the stucco mud finish. There are lighter, smoother finishes which are not as thick, but give you the textural quality you seek for rustic, stucco and italian looks.

Contact us at ALGStudio@aol.com if you have further questions or comments about faux finishing.

Product Introduction - Copper/Stainless Hoods & Sinks

As a member of the Trade Only Design Library, I get introduced to some really interesting specialty items. Just wanted to pass this one along for those of you looking for a fresh idea in the rustic or outdoor kitchen areas.

This company is in Austin and they have some pretty unique pieces, but be prepared to pay a pretty price for them too!

http://www.handcraftedmetal.com

The Do-It-Yourself Kitchen Planner

Not everyone wants a designer to help them plan a space. Many people depend on their contractor to plan a kitchen layout. It's been done for years, and some contractor's have become very good at it. Mostly though, what ends up happening is a push to get the client going, after all, time is money, and I repeatedly hear comments about how they wished this or that, was different. Kitchen planning analyzes the space based on function, traffic flow, clearances for door openings, space needs for particular appliances, lighting and aesthetics. I have seen many "napkin plans" that entire kitchens were built around. It's a matter of value and priority.

In interviewing cabinetmakers always review project examples of their work and make a critical review of certain elements:

Craftsmanship
A broad term, but here are some pointers:
First, check the cabinet doors to make sure that they hang straight across the top and bottom of the cabinet. If doors are not level across the tops and bottoms, this indicates a lack of experience. Also check the distance between the doors and the frames if the doors are inset. Acceptable tolerances are no more than 1/8". I've seen doors with as much as 1/2" between them. This is a big red flag!

Next, check the joinery. Understand that joinery directly relates to budget. Someone spending $200-400 per linear foot isn't likely to have dovetail joined drawers. You will probably be looking at nailed end drawers and doors. Which brings up a good point - review kitchens in the budget you want to spend.

You'll also want to look at the mouldings and trimwork - do the mouldings show signs of lazy installation - splits around nails, cracks and crevices at intersecting mouldings? Do the kitchen cabinets have a large number of filler pieces in between cabinet joints? This indicates improper fitting.

And finally, look at the finish. Finishing cabinets is as much an art as building them. Is the finish smooth, even and free from brush hairs or bubbles in the coating?

Work Ethic
Next, you'll want to match your contract to the work ethic you expect. Be upfront with your contractor and let him or her know what you expect. If working late or weekends doesn't fit in with your family life, let them know. Realize though, that not all work goes on in your home. Most cabinetmakers will build and finish cabinets offsite and bring them for installation. Therefore, it is frustrating for some home owners to not see the work that is occurring as they feel nothing is happening with their project. That is typically not the case.

Client Relations
Every jobsite problem begins with poor client relations. The number one reason for this includes dispute over changes. When a client adds a cabinet space, changes a cabinet design, adds pullouts, trays, drawers, adds or switches appliances in the midst of construction, this constitutes a change in the scope of work and you should expect an additional bill for the added work. That is why careful planning upfront is so important.

Have a written agreement with your contractor and agree on certain conditions:

• Design solution
• Price
• Timeline
• Problem Resolution
• Job Conditions (daily clean-up, project area isolation, worker access to other areas in the home, etc.)
• Process for Change Orders

Realize there is no perfect project... let me say that again ... no perfect project. All construction projects are going to have challenges and problems. It is how they are resolved that is important. Many cabinetmakers are cabinetmakers because they like the craft, not because of the people. I have heard countless stories of cabinetmakers yelling at their clients, walking off jobs, refusing to finish projects, etc. due to a dispute.

If these are issues and items you don't want to be involved with, it may be best to hire a general contractor or project manager to handle the day-to-day process and manage the schedule of the project. As a designer and project manager, I employ these guidelines on every job. Essentially, when I use a sub on a project, I have put my backing into him or her because the person commits to the level of quality I want to back with the qualities that I look for in a subcontractor. Those qualities include a matched level of craftsmanship with the project budget, committed work ethic, honesty and integrity, and the ability to work with my clients on a professional level.