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Faux Finished Walls and Floors

from Faux Designs in Albany, OR

By Khara Dizmon, Concrete Network Managing Editor

Christina Lask of Faux Designs in Albany, Ore., recently shared photos of an existing exterior wall that she faux finished using a Portland cement-based product. To create the look of this "Venetian wall," Lask colors and trowels on layers of the product onto the wall. "I troweled on one color," Lask explains. "Then I use different dilutions of the same color for depth and to get the appearance of plaster." Lask also uses burnishing techniques when she applies the material to get darker areas of color. "This gives it a variegated look," she says.

Site Christina Lask Faux Designs Albany, OR

Before Picture of Existing Outdoor Wall
Faux Designs in Albany, OR

Vertical Stamping Christina Lask Faux Designs Albany, OR

After Picture with Concrete Overlay Faux Finish
Faux Designs in Albany, OR

"A faux finish is made to look like something else," explains Lask."It's using color and application techniques to make something look like fake stone, fake marble, or fake wood." But because it looks like something else, it doesn't mean it has the same texture. "A Venetian plaster is usually smooth and does not have a raised texture. The look of texture is achieved in the 'faux finish' using various colors or burnishing techniques to create areas of depth."

Faux Designs in Albany, OR

"On this wall project," says Lask, "my clients had the options of painting the wall, placing stone on it, or doing a concrete overlay. The overlay was most economical and gave the impression, the 'faux' look, of plaster."

Faux Finished Concrete Walkway
On this project, Lask was faced with an existing, plain gray, broom-finished concrete walkway. "I used Smith Paints water-based stains," explains Lask. She began by grinding down the walkway and exposing the aggregate. Then she used an HVLP sprayer and sprayed Smith Paints' Old World Amber Color. "To create the faux finish look, I spray a first coat at one dilution of the color (4 parts water to 1 part color). Then I "fog" in a deeper dilution of the same color (2 parts water to 1 part color)." Lask uses the sprayer to fog or mist over the walkway in an organic pattern. "I mist over different areas and don't give complete coverage with the second color."

Before Picture of Broom-Finished Concrete Walkway
Faux Designs in Albany, OR

After Picture of Faux Finished Stained Concrete Walkway
Faux Designs in Albany, OR

Lask sealed the project with White Mountain's lacquer sealer. "I also used GST Wax as a final coat. I use three coats of wax. My philosophy is to use something the homeowner can take care of themselves. So if they need to re-wax in a few years, they can save money and do it themselves easily."

Faux Designs in Albany, OR