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Recreating nature with paint SACHIKO SHIOHARA Decorative finishes, used to transform walls, ceilings and furniture, are not all "faux." Finishes include everything from glaze applications to Venetian plaster, a material made from actual marble dust and limestone. "The term 'faux finish' is really a misnomer because most of it is marble, wood, tortoise shell ... recreating something in nature," Tim Eaton, a former New York City film set designer, said. For decorative artists Eaton and his wife, Elisabeth Gogois,
faux finishes are much more than a trade. The couple met in the early 1980s
at the National School of Decorative Arts in Available in a polished state called marmorino,
and in a more porous "Venetian plaster is
reminiscent of a fresco," said Amy Friedricks,
co-owner of Armonk's Friedricks Interior Designs
and Furnishings. "It has a soft texture and a reflective quality. It
can be waxed and brought to a very high shine to give it that marble or
limestone feel." Some prefer a rougher, unfinished look that gives the
room an aged look. "The interesting thing about the (Venetian plaster) product is that it carries the same properties as stone. It changes color with humidity and is cool to the touch the way stone would be," said John Lucchese, Designs Unlimited co-owner and Somers store manager. Ranging in price from $45 to $80 per gallon — enough to cover 100 to 150 square feet, the plaster alone is an investment, not to mention the cost of labor, which is higher than most. The technique, often seen in restaurants, is occasionally used for its functional attributes as well as its aesthetic appeal. Museum settings take advantage of its moisture absorbency to protect artwork, according to Lucchese. Of the variety of wall finishes that constitutes 75 to 80 percent of Beaux Arts Studios' business, one recommended technique is simulated stone. "It is a compound that has globules of material that are like time-release capsules that leave trails of color smoothly," Eaton said. At $75 to $80 per gallon, it is pricier than most paints but cost-effective next to the price tag of redoing an entire room with real marble or limestone. While the application of Venetian plaster and textured finishes can be labor-intensive, often requiring professional expertise, other finishes are marketed toward the do-it-yourself homeowners. Metallic finishes can be applied to add dramatic accents to a formal dining or living room, according to Wallauer's paint department manager Ray Mascia, who has been in the paint business for 28 years. "Before, people were using it on small knick-knacks and pieces of furniture. Now they're using it on ceilings and walls," Mascia said. Metallic paint is available in more than 40 colors and costs from $30 to $35 per quart. Finishes are applied using a positive or a negative technique. The positive technique applies the finish over a base coat and sets, while the negative relies on the partial removal of the finish upon application in order to produce the desired effect. The quality of the application hinges on what is called the "open time" of the finish, or the length of time it can go before it sets. "You need to have some latitude with how long a product will stay workable," Eaton said. This is where homeowners attempting to do the work themselves should do some research before buying the product and applying it. Creating the illusion of two colors with just one, or using two colors to simulate a linen, weave or silk fabric can work for entry ways, children's rooms, master bathrooms, vaulted ceilings or decorative moldings. "What I'm getting a lot of requests for are color washes — mixing two or more colors to give a blending effect," Lucchese said. "You can see the two colors separately but they blend and peek through one another." According to Friedricks,
who has used various finishes to give her own home that "warm, eclectic
feel," not all faux finishes work in all homes.
But the versatility of decorative
finishes allows for experimentation. "It's paint; it's color. It can be
easily removed and replaced if you tire of it," Friedricks
said. Whether it's a storybook-themed mural for a children's room, wood graining and antiquing on kitchen cabinetry, suede for the library walls or marbleizing for the living room mantle, the choices should be made according to the overall style of the house and the surrounding elements within a given space. "My goal when I go into a room is not to go in and be the star of the show but to support what's already in the room," Eaton said. It may not be the star, but
decorative finishes do add character, not to mention originality. "No
two finishes are alike," Friedricks said.
"And that's the beauty of it." |
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Copyright 2005 The Journal News, a
Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper serving Westchester, |