Faux Paint Glossary by WallDreams

Faux Paint Glossary by WallDreams
Comprehensive alphabetical list of technical terms used in the faux painting field, whether in the business or learning a technique to try at home. I will add more definitions as time goes on or expand upon certain terms as need be.

Acrylic Paint – water-based paint available in bottles, tubes, and jars with excellent performance; dries quickly, durable color, resistant to sunlight, dries to a matte finish and is flexible. Works very well to paint murals, for tinting base coats and for faux paint finishes.

Antiquing – a paint technique to suggest age, worn edges, wear and tear by the use of distressing the surface and/or color treatment, and/or by using a medium

Bagging – a paint technique where plastic bags are crinkled up and manipulated through glaze over a base coat.

Base Coat – when preparing a surface, this first coat of paint covers the surface and hides any imperfections, and may or may not show in the final paint project.

Basket Weave – a crosshatched pattern of paint in two directions, dragging a combing tool through a base coat to form a pattern similar to a basket.

Bellagio Faux – a textured paint product by Behr Paints, applied with a specific brush and trowel resulting in a soft wash resembling an old world European finish.

Borders – any technique that goes around the edges of the room to add interest, design, and softness. A border can be stenciled, a repeated pattern, hand painted, taped off with lines of color, etc.

Boxing – when using more than one container of the exact same paint color, it is a good idea to blend them together back and forth into one bucket to blend them in case of a mismatch in color mixing.

Burnish – to polish a surface to make it glass-like smooth and shiny; for Venetian Plasters, to hand trowel the finish using a stainless steel spatula.

Clear Coating – usually the final coat of a paint project, it is transparent, protective and possibly decorative.

Cloud Effects – painting the look of sky and clouds.

Color Meshing – a paint technique using “woolies”, lambs wool or sheepskin double rollers to blend several colors directly on the paint surface.

Color Rubbing – generally a cloth used to rub some color off of another similar color.

Color Streaking – also called strié, results in dragging any of a number of types of tools through a wet glaze in a regular pattern.

Color Wash – a technique in which a semitransparent glaze is applied to a surface to create a pattern over a basecoat beneath it.

Color Wheel – a circular artists tool showing the color spectrum, arranged in a blended sequence of primary colors (red, blue and yellow) are filled in with secondary colors (made by mixing the two closest primary colors and then intermediate/tertiary colors. It is used for color identification, mixing, selecting and understanding their relationships.

Colorant – a dye or pigment, combination or code, to add to a paint to make specific colors

Combing – a paint technique where a variety of tools can be used to drag wet paint creating lines in any direction.

Cool Colors – are associated with water, ice, snow, sky and foliage and have a calm and restful feeling effect. They have a blue undertone to them, blue-green, blue, blue-purple, purple, red-purple, teal and some of the greens. Their tendency is to recede in space.

Crackle Finish - a paint technique that gives the look of aged paint with cracks intentionally created on the surface.

Crosshatch – a paint technique whereby either the brush is “X’d” across the surface or a toothed comb tool is both vertically and horizontally dragged through the wet paint to achieve a basket weave look.

Curing – paint needs time to dry thoroughly, therefore allowing for a full bond with its surface.

Cutting In – using a brush to create a good clean finished line against a surface.

Decorative Painting – beyond simply applying a solid paint color to a wall or surface, decorative painting is taking paint to another level. More an art when done well, interior faux paint techniques, treatments and murals enhance the spaces and add a richness, depth, character and make a statement.

Distressing - giving the appearance of age and wear, by paint and/or manipulation.

Dragging – a paint technique in which a brush, comb or other tool is pulled through wet glaze or paint that results in fine lines or small stripes.

Drift Pattern – when executing a faux marble paint technique, it is the diagonal pattern of light and dark colors in the stone.

Dry Brushing – a paint technique in which the brush has a minute amount of paint on it, most of it having been wiped off, then applied across a surface to add highlights.

Earth Tone Colors – the nature earthy tones found in dirt, rock, moss and trees. Browns, umbers, tans, grays, greens, blues and some reds. Think terracotta and brick tones.

Eggshell Paint – paint with very low sheen.

Elements of Design – Color, Line, Shape (form, volume, mass), Space (time, movement), Texture, Value.

Extender – any ingredient added to a paint that: improves coating performance, increases coverage, alters appearance, benefits durability, improves open time, or influences any other desirable traits in painting.

Fan Deck – each paint manufacturer has their complete paint system categorized, named and numbered on each chip, with colors organized from lightest to darkest and usually includes a sheen guide.

Faux – a French term meaning "false" or "fake". Pronounced “fo”

Faux Painting – describes a wide range of decorative painting techniques that not only include stone, marble, wood, brick, slate, and metal but other materials such as linen, leather, burlap and denim. By using paint and applying it to a surface, the artist can create the illusion of other materials, wallpaper and/or texture. Faux techniques generally fall into three categories: positive, negative and dual

Flat Paint – paint with no luster at all to it when dry, hides flaws, does not clean as well as paints with more sheen, does not reflect light.

Flogging – a paint technique using a brush with very long flexible horsehair bristles to simulates the look of wood grain.

Focal Point – an emphasized wall or feature in a room that draws the eye because of the interest and appeal it delivers in a well-designed area.

Fresco – a paint technique coming from the Italian “affresco” meaning fresh, the technique can be done on wet plaster “Buon fresco” or on dried plaster “a secco”.

Frottage – a paint technique with a base coat applied first, then a glaze is rolled over it. While the glaze is still wet, a piece of newspaper or plastic is placed onto the wet paint and rubbed onto it, then pulled away, creating a textured look. The look is best achieved with a light base coat and a deeper color top coat. Depending on the colors used, the newsprint may leave some reside behind which may or may not be desired.

Garland – a painted swag or border of leaves, flowers, fruits, berries, etc.

Gilding – an application of metal to a surface. Metals used can be gold leaf, silver leaf, or other metal leaf, metallic foil, metallic powder, or metallic paint.

Glaze – a colorless transparent paint that is formulated to dry slower than regular paint.

Glazing – a paint technique in which a semi-transparent film of color is applied to a base coat.

Glazing Liquid – can be oil or water based transparent liquid that can be added to paint for extended dry time, faux techniques, thinning the original color.

Gloss Paint – high sheen paint that shows any wall imperfections, very reflective of the light.

Gold Leaf – real gold beaten to an extremely thin sheets or “leaf” and used in the expensive process of gilding a surface.

Graining – a paint or glaze technique to make a surface look like wood

Grass Cloth – a dragging paint technique in which the combing tool is dragged horizontally and vertically through wet glaze over a dried base coat.

Hand Painting – a rendition of paint with paint brushes, free-hand painting.

Harlequin Diamonds – an elongated diamond pattern with any number of color options, size pattern and additions that they can be rendered in.

High Gloss Paint – a very durable, very reflective or high sheen paint. Any flaws in the paint surface will show.

Highlighting – is the point at which an object receives the most light and dry brushing over a textured surface’s raised areas thus making it appear that light is being reflected.

Holidays – an oops in a paint coat, missed spots or areas on a painted surface.

Hue – the name of a color or shade according to its dominant brightness, lightness or saturation; red, blue or yellow.

Inlay – the placement of a material/artwork/decorative element into the surface of another

Iridescent – a lustrous paint or glaze; also a medium with a shimmering effect.

Lacquer – a paint coating resulting in a hard, durable, glossy finish.

Latex Paint – a water-based paint or coating; it is quick-drying, easy to apply, clean up, and has a variety of sheens when dry.

Leathering – a paint technique giving the appearance of leather. It is advised to do a wall in sections for a more realistic approach.

Lime Wash – a paint technique used on stone, plaster or brick giving it the appearance of a whitewash. The wash is applied, left for a few minutes, then the excess is wiped away.

Linen Weaver – a paint technique using dragging or strié; a linen weaver brush has some bristles snipped out and is dragged through the wet glaze (applied with a roller) over a dried satin base coat. A wet edge is needed to continue down the wall vertically, and the tool should be wiped off occasionally.

Marbleizing – a paint technique used to create the illusion of marble, including a polished surface

Marbling – a technique with the mottled and veined appearance of real marble.

Matte – a surface or finish that is free from highlights or shine; dull.

Mediums – two meanings, the first being whatever the artist’s chosen method of artistic expression, the second is a liquid added and mixed into a paint to extend its workability.

Metallic Paint – an alternative to regular paints, usually more expensive, has a lustrous sheen and comes in many colors beyond the gold, silver, copper and bronzes.

Mileage – how much coverage to expect from a container of paint, square feet per container.

Milk Paint – a paint made from milk protein, clay, lime and earth pigments, it is non-toxic and fade resistant.

Moiré – a paint wave-like effect with the appearance of watered silk or wood grain patterns

Mosaic – the art of small pieces of glass, ceramic tile, stone or other objects embedded in mortar or plaster.

Motif – a reoccurring theme, image, element and subject matter in a pattern.

Mottled – to blotch or spot with different shades of color on a surface.

Murals – a decoration in any medium applied to a wall or ceiling or applied and attached to a wall. Included would be landscapes, seascapes, scenery, etc.

Nap – the length of the fibers on a roller cover, typically the thinnest naps are used to paint smoother surfaces while thicker naps are used on a rougher or more textured surfaces.

Neutral Colors – blacks, whites, grays, browns, beiges are all considered neutrals because they are neither warm nor cool colors. They blend or combine well with all colors to alter their value or intensity.

Oil Paint – composed of resins, oil paint must be thinned with solvent and equipment must be cleaned up with turpentine or thinner. Slower to dry.

Opaque – a substance that does not allow light to pass through it; not translucent or transparent.

Open Time – the interval of time when something is applied and when it becomes no longer workable.

Paint Sheen – refers to how much light is reflected in a paint finish when dry. Flat has no sheen, satin and eggshell have low sheen moving up to semi-gloss, gloss and high gloss having the most shine, especially when viewed from various angles.

Parchment – a paint technique that has the look of animal skin and paper originally used in letter writing. For a more realistic approach, sections can be painted in units no larger than one square yard.

Patching – in surface preparation, the repair of cracks, holes or other imperfections by using a compound like spackle.

Patina – the aura, luster or film that develops on a surface with age or use, such as on leather, or the greenish color that forms on copper or bronze after exposure to the elements.

Pearl Paint – a paint with mica powder, which when light hits the surface at various angles, it changes the color reflected.

Pickled Finish – a paint technique in which white or off-white paint is rubbed into wood.

Pigments – the organic or inorganic material sources of coloring mixed into paint bases.

Plaster – a textured surface coating product that can be rolled and/or troweled, then painted in a variety of techniques.

Polyurethane – an oil or water-based sealer.

Pouncing – to use the tool in an up and down motion, turning the wrist with each strike, usually to ensure a more random feel and to not create a pattern.

Primer – a surface preparation paint that seals a surface before the base coat of paint allowing a better bond between the layers.

Principles of Design – Balance (symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial), Contrast, Dominance (emphasis), Harmony, Proportion, Repetition (rhythm, pattern), Scale, Unity, Variety.

Ragging on/off – a paint technique that involves the manipulation of crumpled rags in wet glaze over a base coat. This technique will hide surface imperfections well.

Rag Roll – a paint technique similar to ragging, but the material used in the glaze is rolled up into a cylinder and very lightly rolled across the surface.

Runs – when too much paint is applied and starts flowing down the surface.

Sandwash – a premixed textured and tinted paint that has sand and bits of stone added to it.

Satin Paint – a paint finish with some light reflection, a slight sheen. Has some washability.

Saturation – also known as the “intensity” of a color, it refers to how dull or bright a color is.

Scumbling – a paint technique of applying a semi-opaque layer of paint over another dried layer of paint which results in the partial obscuring of the undercoat or “broken” effect.

Sealer – a transparent liquid applied to a surface to seal and protect it. A sealant can be a primer or a topcoat.

Semi-Gloss Paint – the sheen is very reflective of the light, holds up well to frequent washing, cleaning or damp areas. Commonly used in kitchens and bath areas.

Shade – adding black or a dark color to another color to reduce or darken it.

Shading – an area darkened to give the appearance of a shadow, in murals and Trompe L’oeil three dimensional effects.

Smooshing – similar to frottage, a paint technique of a glaze applied over a base coat with thin sheet of plastic pressed into the glaze then removed.

Spattering – also referred to splattering or fly-speckling, a paint technique in which watery paint is sprinkled onto a surface.

Sponging on/off – a paint technique using a natural sea sponge pouncing the color on or off the surface.

Spot Priming – application of a primer in small areas to cover small fixes or markings.

Stamps – any variety of designs or shapes usually made of rubber in which paint color(s) can be added to the stamp then pressed onto a surface, or lightly dipped into paint then applied.

Stain – a paint applied to wood that does not obscure the graining.

Stencils – usually a cut-out metal or plastic design placed on a surface and paint is pounced, brushed, or sponged into the cut-out areas.

Stipple – a paint technique leaving tiny dots of color over a base coat, the glaze is applied and while still wet, a brush is hit or pounced upon the surface.

Stone Block – a Trompe L’oeil effect if done well, giving the appearance of stacked stone, stone and mortar, or a brick wall.

Strié - French word for "stripes" or "streaks", dragging through the glaze to create soft lines of color. Used to create horizontal, vertical or diagonal stripes or plaid effects. Pronounced “stree-ay”. Tip: When creating specific fabric renditions, choose colors typically found in those fabrics or materials. Usually a lighter base works best with a darker glaze worked over it.

Stripes – creating horizontal or vertical lines of color. Though solid color stripes are fine, any faux technique can be used to create the paint color of alternating stripes as well as how wide each stripe is. It can be further enhanced with pinstripes, hand painting, stencils, a garland, etc. Tip: put a piece of tape on the stripe you are NOT painting and pull off the tape as soon as a stripe is finished to correct any bleed through.

Subtractive Technique – any paint effect that is the result of applying the paint to the surface then removing some using a variety of tools to create the desired textured effect.

Suede – a paint technique using a premixed, pre-tinted textured paint that when rendered properly, resembles the velvety, brushed look of suede.

Surface Preparation – a quality faux painting technique or mural will only succeed if the initial surface of the project is prepared to perfection. Surfaces must be cleaned and repaired if there are flaws. Patching, caulking, sanding, priming, stain blocking, proper cleaning, rinsing and dried, along with a base coat are part of getting to walls or room ready for the main paint technique.

Tacky – paint finish has not completely dried, sticky.

Temperature – refers to how warm or to how cool a color appears to be.

Texture – in faux painting, the point is to create a two dimensional feel to the surface as opposed to using a plain straight color. With a variety of colors or textures created, the finish can add depth, character, warmth, and a cozy feel to the room.

Texture Paint – paint that is thicker or has other additives, for instance sand, to produce a very textured surface.

Tint – adding white to a color.

Tissue Paper – also known as crinkle paper in which the paper used can be torn or crumpled and glazed directly to the wall then finished in a variety of techniques like a color washing antiquing glaze. Another option is to use brown paper bags.

Tone – adding black and white to a color.

Top Coat – the final paint, sealer, protective film, layer, or coat in a painting process.

Tortoiseshelling – a pattern technique similar to that of the shell of the hawksbill turtle, created by any combination of raw sienna, burnt sienna, burnt umber, crimson and black and topped with several coats of a protective film. The pattern involves many small splotches of color that have their edges softened. Tip: Best suited to smaller objects, if a wall or room trim is your desire, a good tip would be to cut the surface into small sections with seams showing.

Trompe L'oeil - a French term meaning to "trick the eye" referring to an art technique that is extremely realistic, with exact colors and shading creating an optical illusion of an object(s) to appear three dimensional. The look should be so realistic, that the viewer may have to reach out and try to touch it to see if it is real or not. Pronounced “tromp loy”

Value – the lightness (tint) or darkness (shade) of a hue. The amount of light reflected in that color.

Varnish – a transparent, hard, protective finish or film used on typically wood or a special effect.

Venetian Plaster – a surface coating product consisting of ground marble, sand and lime that can be tinted then applied with trowels or putty knives in at least a three part process. The layers are sanded in between and the final result is quite smooth, has depth and a subtle sheen. It is a technique that is good for covering surface imperfections or cracks.

Verdigris – when brass, copper or brass are exposed to the elements, over time a greenish-blue patina (rust) forms.

Warm Colors – the colors containing more yellow (think Sun, heat, fire, the feeling of warmth), red, orange, yellow (red-violets, yellow-greens); warm colors have the tendency to advance in visual space.

Wash – a diluted pigment applied across a surface.

Wet Edge – when applying paint to a work area, the amount of time the edges remain wet and still workable for blending before the paint begins to dry, making it less able to blend, flow and possibly mar the final finish.

Wood Graining – a paint technique that can be made using a wood grain tool that is rocked and dragged through a paint to create the look of wood grain. In French, “faux bois”.

Copyright @ 2008 WallDreams Specialty Faux Painting and Murals

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About Author:
Walldreams Specialty Faux Painting and Murals of Woodbridge, Virginia can be found at http://www.walldreams.com and is serving the surrounding area by creating unique atmospheres to enhance your home or business. A fresh coat of paint with textured color applied in various applications will give your living and work spaces new life. From murals to rag rolling, color washing and sponging, have WallDreams create a room that can be called a work of art.