Glazing Techniques for a Faux Finish

Faux Leather Walls

• 1

  Paint the walls in your base color and allow them to dry.

• 2

  Remove the fabric from the rag roller, twist it and replace it on the roller. The inserts at each end of the roller will hold the fabric in place.

• 3

  Pour some glaze into the roller tray. It will have the appearance of thin milk, but will dry clear.

• 4

  Dip the rag roller into the glaze and apply it over the base color in a random pattern. Work quickly as the glaze dries very fast.

Color Washing

• 5

  Choose three colors in the same color family, and use the darkest color for the base coat. Apply the base coat to the wall and let it dry.

• 6

  Mix one part of the medium shade of paint with four parts of glazing liquid and apply the mixture over the base coat with a dry paint brush, using sweeping strokes.

• 7

  Mix the lightest paint in this ratio: one part paint to 15 parts glaze. Apply this mixture over the previous coats, overlapping brush marks to create a feathery, mottled effect.

Denim Effect

• 8

  Apply a base coat of latex satin paint and allow it to dry completely, for at least four hours. Mask off 3-to-4-foot vertical panels across the entire wall with low-tack painter's tape.

• 9

  Mix one part of the base paint with five parts of glaze and apply a thin, even coat with a paint roller. Drag the steel combing tool vertically through the fresh glaze, wiping the comb with a cloth after each vertical pass.

• 10

  After you comb the panel vertically, immediately comb it diagonally at a 45-degree angle. You have five to 10 minutes to complete each panel before the paint starts to get tacky. Make sure all the vertical lines are in the same direction. Proceed counterclockwise around the room, skipping every other panel.

• 11

  Remove the painter's tape as you complete each section. When you have made one pass around the entire room, allow the walls to fully dry.

• 12

  Tape over the edges of the previously glazed panels with more painter's tape. Comb the remaining panels diagonally in the opposite direction to emphasize the "seams" in the faux denim.