Faux Finish: Combing

Combing is a faux finish painting technique that makes narrow lines of color on the surface that is being painted. Combing is known as a negative technique which means that later some of the applied paint is removed. The effect combing creates can be vertical lines, horizontal lines, waves etc. Here are 3 easy steps from Sherwin Williams to help you get started on your combing project:

STEP 1
Mask ceilings, baseboards, and trim with painter’s tape. Paint the wall with your desired basecoat color and allow to dry completely (minimum 4 hours or overnight).
STEP 2
Mix one part Sherwin-Williams® SuperPaint® Interior Latex Satin to five parts illusions™ Faux Finish Glazing Liquid™. Beginning in one corner of the wall, roll your glaze coat on the entire height of your wall and approximately three feet wide. This will allow ample time to work before the glaze begins to dry.
STEP 3

Lightly drag a dry comb or wallpaper brush down through the wet glaze in one continuous stroke from ceiling to floor. Apply even pressure and keep the tool tilted toward you to produce a streaked appearance. Wipe excess glaze from your tool after each stroke to maintain a clean edge. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as you work along the entire wall.

For more information on combing, visit Sherwin Williams.com.

Photo: Sherwin Williams

Graham & Brown New Modern Wallpaper Launch at ICFF

Have you seen the new modern wallpaper from Graham & Brown? Well their new wallpaper collections have been on exhibit or the past few days at The International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City. At the ICFF, Graham & Brown launched their latest designer wallpaper collection with Amy Butler and gave a sneak peak of Kelly Hoppen’s designer collection.  Other designer collections that were exhibited were, Barbara Hulanicki’s Flock Collection and new modern wallpaper designs from Laurence Llwewlyn-Bowen.  Check out all the action and wallpaper on exhibit on Graham & Brown’s blog.

Photo: Graham & Brown

The Crackle Faux Finish

Do you love the look of old, aged or antique home decor and design? Then you are probably a fan of the crackle faux finish. This finish creates a stylish and distressed look that normally would take years to accomplish. The key is using a combination of colors in order to give it that aged appearance. Want to know how to get this stylish, distressed look of old in your home? Check out these 4 tips we found on the diyNetwork:

Step 1: Paint a Base Coat

Apply a base coat of paint to the project surface, and let dry. The base coat will show through the crackled top coat, so choose paint colors that contrast nicely. We used a black base coat and a white top coat.
Step 2: Apply the Crackle Medium

Brush a coat of clear crackle-finish medium onto the piece. The crackle glaze usually takes 30 minutes to an hour to dry; follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Step 3: Apply the Top Coat

Brush the latex top coat onto the piece, loading the brush with enough paint so that each section can be painted with one motion. The crackling begins immediately on the first layer of paint it comes in contact with. Avoid over-brushing, which erases the cracks.

Step 4: Finish the Piece

When the entire crackle finish is dry, seal the piece with a coat of acrylic polyurethane. White glue may also be used as a crackle-glaze medium. Brush the glue on a base-coated piece, and when the glue is just dry enough to form a thin skin, brush on the top-coat color. As the glue dries completely, a subtle crackle effect appears.

To achieve a spidery, mottled crackle finish, spray-paint the latex top coat.

Photo: Sherwin-Williams.com

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