Take a look at your ceiling. Go ahead, it’s OK. It can’t be that bad, can it?

I have a client whose ceiling has had paint peeling on it for over a year (she says she’ll get to painting it when the schedule allows). I have another client who had a small leak in the roof, and a little water damage caused the plaster to crumble a little. She has yet to have time to have a professional take care of it.

So it’s OK, right? Take a  look and let’s really focus on the ceiling. (It’s pretty darn neglected in interior decorating projects). My guess is that you have a solid color ceiling color.

And here’s the idea: faux finishing can add texture, elegance, and depth to ceilings, and might be worth your consideration before you or your painter bring out the paintbrush.

Ceilings are often neglected, aren’t they? And ceilings are the perfect opportunity to really make a space pop.

Because most of America has solid colored ceilings, your faux finished ceiling will pop. There are countless other reasons – other than your neighbors ceiling envy – why a faux finished ceiling will look fantastic, but I think if we start looking at the total area of surfaces in our home and office, then a more true picture emerges as to why a room looks the way it does.

And because one of the priorities of a professional faux finisher such as myself is to bring to life your dream room or rooms, the ceiling, just like every other surface is in the mix in terms of what’s possible for decorating and revitalizing, with faux finishing techniques, of course!

2009 is a practical time.

With Spring upon us, it’s time for mature colors in the home.

Thinking about the new Spring season, I am convinced that it is a good time to rethink how our office space looks, as well. Renewal doesn’t just happen in the home or in the garden, right? Our work space – how it is designed and how it looks and feels – will impact how we work.

Revitalization means, “to give new life to,” or “to give new vitality or vigor to,” (dictionary.com).

Faux Finishing and its techniques are one example of how to bring about revitalization to your world. It’s very personal.

Different techniques bring about different changes in how we feel when we are in a room with our freshly painted/decorated walls or furniture. When guests enter a room that has been custom designed to your specifications, then again, the experience truly is revitalizing.

The smaller rendering is one of those things that I think really helps out with the flow of the total project, because it’s the first visual step we take toward the finished product.

Also, I think with faux finishing, the sample board acts as a major tool of communication for me and my clients, ensuring there are no surprises.

If you’re thinking about a faux finishing project for your own home, drop me a note and we can begin talking about all the other tools and resources I leverage on behalf of my clients.

–Rebecca Nabors

Faux Finishing Expert

The most fun project I have been a part of to date was this:

Painting a mural for a rib shack. It was a very unusual project – and opportunity – for me to paint on a very large scale.

I painted a 20ft x 6ft slab of ribs on the side of the building along with a big shack.

How often does anyone get asked to paint on that scale?

And the owner of the rib shack was a lot of fun, which put everyone in a good mood and made everything a lot of fun.

When I first meet with potential clients, I like to get the conversation going by asking them to pick a room.

An important part of what I do as a professional faux finishing expert is to really try and understand what the client envisions for him/herself. The initial conversation we have is really a guide, for me to better understand the bigger picture the client desires.

During that initial conversation with a potential client, I also think it is very important for me to explain that I will not be bringing into their home any oil based paints , no harmful chemicals, no fumes.

It really makes a difference in the final product when my clients do not have to suffer through any uncomfortable things such as bothersome fumes in their home!

To a professional Faux Finisher, there are 4 words I like to focus on. They are the best words. And they are like magic.

What are they?

“I love the finish!” (That’s when my work is on an entire wall in someone’s home).

It may have taken me hours. There may have been twists and turns during the process, but it’s finished and the client is happy.

OK, so is actually another phrase that is music to my faux finishing ears: “I want it to be shown to everyone!”

So, a little bit more than 4 best words, but, the sentiment is the same: tax season is past and it’s time to get back to business!

Faux finishing is an art, and, from the experience I’ve gained as a professional faux finisher over the years, there are 3 essentials to creating the most effective faux finishing effect.

Most Effective Faux Finishing Secret #1: Passion

Sounds simple, right? Sometimes we forget that the best things in life come from people who are passionate about what they are doing! No matter who is creating your faux finishing effects, be they a professional or yourself, passion for this type of work is just necessary!

Passion will carry the faux finisher when reactive paint effects don’t turn out exactly how we planned, and we need to correct or move on to plan B. And passion for faux finishing saves us the heartache and gives us strength whenever any other unexpected event occurs during a faux finishing project.
Most Effective Faux Finishing Secret #2: Time

Professional faux finishing experts know the value of investing time upfront, before the brushes and tools and paint come out. A lot of time can be wasted going in the wrong direction if the right questions aren’t asked upfront, too. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, then plan on investing some time and effort reading and learning and gaining the knowledge necessary for when the time comes to actually begin a single project.

Professional faux finishing experts will save you time.

Most Effective Faux Finishing Secret #3: Planning

Similar to time, up front planning up front is an essential secret to faux finishing. For the do-it-yourselfer, research and sketching out ideas on paper are great steps to save you time and money later on. And to really propel your project forward within a target budget and timeframe, your professional faux finisher will be fully equiped to transform your concepts to reality without your getting possibly overwhelmed.

There are many classes available for people to learn how to do faux finishing themselves. And for those who have the interest and the time to go through this process, I say, “more power to you!”

After all, there was a time when I was the new kid on the block.

Does Professional Faux Finishing in Your Space Make Sense?

For those who do not have the time, (there are probably some pretty busy people out there who find it difficult sometimes just reading a blog post or two!) it’s time to call in the professionals.

I don’t think many people are aware that as a professional designer in faux finishing, I create a sample board – or a miniature version of the target finish – for my clients.

It’s pretty neat process, actually, and the sample board is one step that professional faux finishers <i>just do</i> because it maps out the finished work properly right from the start.

And there are other things professeional faux finishers do to prepare for the big event – your finished product, the sample board is just one example.

Chemistry Anyone?

Well, there is a lot of chemistry that goes on when I work with glazes and other paints that need to be mixed and reacted before application.

There is even a series of paints specific for faux finishing professionals – called the Gold Level Reactant Series – and the company won’t sell to do-it-yourselfers.

So, I am all about empowering individuals to spend the time and money and energy on faux finishing classes for the do-it-yourselfer.

And then there are people like me who know a few insider’s tips – and have a few secret tools like “Gold Level Reactant Series” Paints, that create some pretty neat effects.