Thank you for attending the FAUX FINISHING EFFECTS USING GENERAL HOUSEHOLD ITEMS SEMINAR with Tracy Moreau, artist, teacher, designer and owner of  'The Faux Store'

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Faux Finishing Seminar
TRANSCRIPT LOG OF 7/23/05

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ViaVon: Good Evening Everyone! David and I, along with our Guest Speaker, Tracy Moreau want to thank you for coming to our Seminar on Faux Finishing Effects! Just to remind you again on what we expect from you this evening ...
TracyM: I am excited about this....
Brenda-OK: I think Von's watch runs fast! LOL
ViaVon: *drumroll*
TracyM: TA DAH!!
ViaVon: EVERYONE TAKE YOUR SEATS PLEASE :-)
ViaVon: First, please refrain from speaking during Tracy's Presentation. She will let us know when she is ready for your Questions.
ViaVon: To put yourself in the queue for the Question and Answer session, please type ONLY an * asterisk. Nothing more. Please test that now. Enter ONLY an * for yourself.
PaulineT_ON: *
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Dave: *
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ViaVon: WELL DONE!
kiwi.nz: *
ViaVon: Next then -- wait for your name to be called to ask your question. When Tracy has answered your question, she will ask you if your question is concluded. Please reply yes or finish asking your question.
ViaVon: This may sound a bit *stuffy* but it allows for everyone to have a turn asking and getting answers to their questions in a way that doesn't confuse both you, our Guest and Tracy, our Guest Speaker. :-) Oh... Dave will be directing Q&A Traffic so watch for him to call your name.
ViaVon: Thanks for your cooperation! Also -- if you'd like a personal reminder to your email on our seminars, please set up a user account for yourself at our main website. :-)
ViaVon: Tracy is not presenting a visual picture tour this evening however, her seminar archive page will have many freebie goodies for you to enjoy later so watch for that on the Seminar Archive Library page for her seminar
ViaVon: And now ... let's get on with the FUN!! **handing over microphone to Tracy**
ViaVon: *applause*

first off I want to thank Von and David for having me here.. it is always such a pleasure to work with them.. so Thank you!!

I have put together a number of ideas to share with you .. using a variety of supplies that you likely already have on hand or are easily and inexpensively obtained. I hope you find something here that you can put to use.

Having spent a number of years involved in the Commercial Faux finishing industry ..  I have managed to collect up a few nifty… money saving, time saving , sanity saving , fun things that can spruce up a space very easily.
I think the one thing that most of us as painters have, is an abundance of materials we wanted to try and had no idea how to use, and all of us have home improvement materials laying around . I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the things that can be achieved with materials you already have on hand or can easily and inexpensively obtain.
One of the most obvious is paint…. How many times have you looked at the collection of left over paints and wondered just what the heck can I do with em?? Well I have a few Ideas!!! The thing to remember is that the collection is most likely colours you like to start with .. and probably have them all over your house. So with that in mind , anything you do with em .. will work in your space because you already have the pallet in place!

Using these paints to create a tiled effect for a back slash or a unique and complimentary finish on a cement floor or over hardwood or even subflooring is easy and inexpensive when 80% of the materials are already on hand. Some planning and a careful inventory of what you already have will make the job easier to complete successfully.
Keep in mind the surface you are working over and prepare accordingly. There are a wide variety of surface preparation products available these days, so be sure to ask your local Paint Store for assistance in choosing the right one for your particular project. I do say PAINT STORE… as they will have the product knowledge needed to guide you in the right direction. Home improvement centers don’t always have the experienced staff that you will find in a specialty paint store.

Now when working with things you have around the house.. the biggest concern people have is ...Will there be enough?.. well things go according to plan.. when there's a plan ... so I have a few tips for you

Tips for any project….

1. 1: Planning!!! Decide ahead of time What you want to do? What do you NEED to do? Ask questions of your local expert no matter WHAT your doing! Look at the project with a jaundiced eye.. look at the condition, view it as worst case scenario and you won’t have any surprises. Determine what materials you will need to accomplish it. Decide on colour, texture, finish first and make a list!! You should list EVERYTHING, from tape to the trowels, rags, paper towels and drop cloths.. whatever you will need! Inventory materials you have on hand, purchase those that you really need. Have everything on hand BEFORE you start. Having to run out for glaze in mid Faux.. is not conducive to a great finish!
2. Determine the size of the project, Square footage is essential to ensure that you have sufficient materials to complete the job and not purchase MORE or LESS than you really need. If your working with paint, determine if the colour is a clear, beep or white base as different bases cover differently. White base is very opaque, clear less so and deep can be virtually transparent… the base can often decide how much paint you will need to cover a given area. Take that into consideration when ordering your paint or deciding on colour. When working with Textures determine the sq footage and add 15% more just to be on the safe side. We all apply textures differently, some thick, some thin, a bit of a fudge factor will save you time and money.
3. Make sure the surface is properly prepared…Cleaning, repairs, sanding, sealing are vitally important to the end result. The durability and longevity of your finish depends on these factors. Remember that the best finish you will get is the one you’re working over!

So now you Prepped and your ready to go!!! The boring stuff is done and it's time to get down to brass tacks.

Everyone of us has the Drywall compound that we bough to fix the cracks at the windows.. and the hold left by teens with too many posters... so you have 10 lbs of it in the basement....what can you do with it?
Well drywall compound by it's self is not all that stable for faux finishing.. however there are some simple ways to Stabilize it to suit your purposes.
Being Gypsum based it is soft and therefore to easily damaged if mixed just as the manufacturer suggests..
Mix the Compound according to the directions except replace half of the water with WELDBOND GLUE
and then mix as usual. The glue will give the compound a bit of added stability and still allow you to move it very easily for a variety of Unique faux finishes.

Stippled Drywall

Heavy Stippled Drywall

One of my favorite finishes is call a SOUTHWEST KNOCKDOWN it is a simple troweled-on application of the compound. small irregular dragged patches of the medium to a wall gives a rich depth filled finish, that once painted and colour washed resembles the aged adobe finishes seen all over the South West US and Mexico when using this medium .. restraint is the key.. use small amounts of medium, applied sparingly.  The result will be a richly textured finish that you can live with for a very long time... Rough and heavy textures date quickly.

Troweled Spanish

Applying this medium with a sea sponge then knocking the high points down with a trowel will give you a more fluid effect. Again it is a sparing application. The less you use the more subtle the effect. (( I have it in my Kitchen)) a little left over paint (( the colour you intend to paint)) mixed into the medium thins it slightly and it can now be rolled onto a surface with a thick or textured roller. then the points are knocked down creating a pebbled appearance
using a variety of tools to apply or disturb the texture as it's applied will give you a finish completely unique to you!!!

The DecoArt Stuccos are very similar to what I have just described.. just pre-tinted.

Sea Sponge Application

I have a great number of people ask me about VENETIAN PLASTERS.. they have done walls with it and have had a small quantity left over, but too much to simply dispose of. There are some AWESOME things to do with it!!!
Venetian plasters are easy to play with .. and easy to manipulate .. with proper preparation you can use them up to customize a kitchen countertop or a table or picture frames or many other things.

My personal favorite is making fossils... in countertops or bar tops.

Faux Relief Stencil Fresco

Simple material required.. stencils, a stylus, a trowel , a small amount of paint and a palette knife
Counters are easy to do... Clean and sand the surface to ready it for sealing.
then prime it with 2 coats of HIGH ADHESION PRIMER ((tough stuff) if you have ever painted concrete or the old bricks on your fireplace you likely already have this on hand
then Smooth a thin coat of the plaster over the surface. keep it very smooth little or no texture. let it dry then position your stencil ((fish or starfish or leaves )) butter a small amount of the plaster ((tinted a value or two darker or lighter)) over the stencil. remove the stencil. with the stylus detail the edged of the images with small lines or notches and let dry. once it's dry sand it vigorously, then apply a sporadic layer of the base colour over the entire surface. let it dry then sand smooth. Once done.. varnish with 3-4 coats of a high gloss Varnish!
Voila a very slick polished stone counter.
this same technique works very well for a wide range of surfaces, and will use up materials that would otherwise go to land fill.
Try doing this technique and PAINTING over it.. then apply an antiquing gel to it .. Awesome !
Great for detailing drawer fronts or doors.

Damask Wall

I like to use leftovers... they give you the ability to customize your space.

EXTERIOR STUCCO!!! have any laying around....?? have ugly vinyl floors at the entry way??
How about a faux Stone entry way floor???
Applying stucco to a floor is all in the preparation, clean sand and Prime the floor with a HIGH ADHESION PRIMER (2 coats)) If you want a tiled look and a separate colour for the grout.. Tint your primer!! this way you avoid having to purchase a new colour for a grout line.
Measure off the design, tape it off with a tape that is the width of the grout you want.. I am partial to 1/4 inch green painters tape.

Faux Finished Floor

The use a 4" trowel to apply a very thin layer of the STUCCO compound to the floor, Peeling off the tape as you work. ((if you don't take it out now... it will be there til the new millennium))
Allow your floor to dry over night. Once dry you can apply colour as you see fit, I like to roll colour on to each tile and then sponge in whatever colours I want to enhance the stone look.
Apply a minimum of 4 coats of Concrete sealer or water based urethane to ensure your colour and design are well protected.
keep in mind that stucco will only cover about 80sq ft per gallon, good thing to know when calculating your needs.
i have provided VON with more detailed instruction for this finishing idea.. note that the supplies call for VENEER PLASTER... you can use EXTERIOR STUCCO as a substitute.

I think we have all done the GLAZE thing... smooshing ragging sponging... I have found a number of things laying around the house that create far more interesting visual texture.

BUBBLEWRAP.. is too much fun and creates a rather RETRO look when used with a tone on tone palette....

Or how about CHEESE CLOTH... spray it with stencil adhesive and smooth it onto a surface ((tables look great with this one)) Roll a thin layer of a darker value glaze over the cloth.. use little pressure, and just cover it evenly. let it set a few minutes then peel back the cheese cloth.
Instant snake skin
let it dry thoroughly and then apply several coats of a gloss varnish.

Faux Tortoise Shell

Quick n easy tortoise shell...with BEER??  You don't believe me lol but it's a great finish!
Apply a bright yellow base coat evenly to the surface. Mix a dark beer with Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber pigment. add a few teaspoons of DISH SOAP and mix very well.
brush a liberal coat of this mixture over the yellow. Immediately begin applying your fingertips to the surface and then wiping them on a piece of paper towel.
you should be leaving small oval divots in the finish, continue to do this until the Divots begin to overlap each other. let dry
Apply several coats of gloss varnish and let dry.
This is an awesome technique for those of you that love the African Theme.
One last really good one....
This is one of the cheapest and easiest finishes to do an you likely throw out enough of the base material everyday to finish the entire house several times over.

NEWSPAPER!!!!
All you need is some varethane and some newspaper. Give the kids something to do for a bit. and have them crumble up all the newsprint you can find. you want it really really wrinkly!
then plunge the paper into a bucket of varethane, wring it out and them smooth it onto the wall!
continue to apply the paper to the entire wall. Allow it to dry! The paint it with your choice of colour. Let it Dry!!
Once the paint is dry.. you can decide if you like the texture as it or you may choose to colour wash it to enhance the texture!! Us thinned out glaze and a darker or lighter value of the same colour!!! This comes out looking like Old leather!! Perfect for imperfect walls.

If you want a TOOLED LEATHER look... try applying a a texture medium with a piping bag in a pattern of your choice. let it dry then apply the paper OVER the texture and finish as described above.

I hope I have given you some Ideas of things to do with some pretty simple things.
You will find that the more you contemplate the things you have on hand the greater the ideas you get!! Thanks for your attention , if I can answer any of your questions please feel free to ask away!!